PSA - DO NOT UPDATE to 3.35.0 on Android if using PaaK without a FOB

[Ford Motor Company]

It would appear that the FP 3.35.0 app breaks PaaK completely on Android 12, at least for some if not many people.

I am stranded at work because the backup password screen on the car won't appear either. So I'll be taking an uber home and back (50 miles) just to get a key. Pretty pissed off. So don't let this happen to you. Do not update!

Edit: Reviews are starting to hit the play store where other people are stranded with the same issue

Edit #2: I've revised the title because some people haven't had issue, while others have. I think the best course of action for anyone who uses PaaK without a FOB would be to ensure you have a FOB with you when updating the FP app. This still doesn't explain why the passcode wouldn't work.

Edit #3: See my follow up post here. https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...-0-on-android-if-using-paak.11695/post-289050

Hello there, Todd. This definitely doesn’t sound like the experience we want for you and we appreciate you notifying us about it. Please send a message to us with your VIN and approximate mileage. I’d like to assist. Thanks!

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[Gimme_my_MME]

Carry on ... saw nothing.

 

[zvez]

Really? I no longer use the original phone used to set up PaaK but the start codes works still. That phone is shut down in a box somewhere and hasn't been turned on in 6 months. My IT department transferred everything over to my new phone so I suppose PaaK is still present on the old phone? Are you saying if I power up that old phone and delete the FordPass app then my start code won't work any more?

since you have it up on another phone I don't know, but when I configured my new phone I enabled paak set up the back up start code then deleted paak, and also deleted the back up start code.

 

[zvez]

Another thing that was missed between the lines is that roadside assistance was of no assistance in this case.
PaaK not working and the backup code not showing up either is a car failure in my opinion and Ford and their roadside assistance representatives should own it. I am not sure if they can fix the actual issue but they can at least tow the car to your home and give you a ride.

yeah while I don't think roadside assist would be able to sort a car with access code or similar start up problems, it would seem that they certianly should provide towing assist.

 

[fallguy]

I can confirm on my Samsung Flip 3. Wife's iPhone 13 Pro works fine. I'm sure it'll get fixed fast.

Is there a faster way for the backup pass code to pop up? Sometimes it's a few pushes of start button. Sometimes it's literally several minutes. Try with hitting brake or not. A few seconds not a big deal. Several minutes is very annoying sitting in a parking lot pressing the button many times.

 

[DevSecOps]

I can confirm on my Samsung Flip 3. Wife's iPhone 13 Pro works fine. I'm sure it'll get fixed fast.

Is there a faster way for the backup pass code to pop up? Sometimes it's a few pushes of start button. Sometimes it's literally several minutes. Try with hitting brake or not. A few seconds not a big deal. Several minutes is very annoying sitting in a parking lot pressing the button many times.

According to the manual holding the brake down and pushing the button is supposed to bring it up. I tried for 3 hours and nada! So your guess is as good as any.

 

[dsuyang]

I don't think there's a beta channel for the FP app. At least not one that I've seen. It would be a good idea if Ford did that. 100% agree.

We have the bi-weekly release cadence, and we typically go through 2 ~ 3 rounds of testing before releasing to publice.

The Beta build (Google Beta) is internal. We thought about public beta, but we didn't feel the quality and confidence for public beta before we break the public beta tester's vehicle or phone.

We are investing heavily in code structure and quality, so hopefully, one day, FordPass will have the confidence to go with public beta instead of internal beta testing.

 

[DevSecOps]

We have the bi-weekly release cadence, and we typically go through 2 ~ 3 rounds of testing before releasing to publice.

The Beta build (Google Beta) is internal. We thought about public beta, but we didn't feel the quality and confidence for public beta before we break the public beta tester's vehicle or phone.

We are investing heavily in code structure and quality, so hopefully, one day, FordPass will have the confidence to go with public beta instead of internal beta testing.

I'm not gonna sit here and tell you guys what to do because every dev shop has their reasons for doing things. But if you ever do an alpha internal and beta public keep me in mind. I would be more than happy to break a few things if it helps save other people the frustration.

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

DevSecOps ≠ Quality.
DevSecOps ≠ Perfection.

careful, you'll annoy a particular set of religion zealots... ?

I thought we were friends @macchiaz-o ?

I would expect something like this from @GoGoGadgetMachE, but not you!

???

HEY! I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!

I don't think there's a beta channel for the FP app. At least not one that I've seen. It would be a good idea if Ford did that. 100% agree.

a public beta channel. We know they test internally - they've said that there is regression testing on this very thread - but we don't know the scope or nature of that testing. Clearly it's not enough right now but "not enough" is not the same as "none" (although for those impacted by this including me, that's perhaps a distinction without a difference).

I do think using the Play Store's beta channel ability would be a cool idea even if only for say a few days delay for catching issues that are field-specific. (Does iOS have a formal concept for this in the App Store? I don't know.) I suspect there are people on this very forum that would leverage it knowing that it had risk attached to it, but not everyone of course... but...

We have the bi-weekly release cadence, and we typically go through 2 ~ 3 rounds of testing before releasing to publice.

The Beta build (Google Beta) is internal. We thought about public beta, but we didn't feel the quality and confidence for public beta before we break the public beta tester's vehicle or phone.

We are investing heavily in code structure and quality, so hopefully, one day, FordPass will have the confidence to go with public beta instead of internal beta testing.

suggests that we are not the only people to think of this. The logic here is sound to me at least - "we're concerned the risk of a public beta is too high" is fair. On the other hand, it's also a reasonable counterargument that "the risk of not having a public beta is too high after this event" is also fair.

no good answers, there.

also before anyone else says it "WAIT YOU TEST?" There, now I put the unnecessary snark out there. nobody else needs to now.

 

[alexgorod]

Really? It's so bad that I don't want to believe it. And I don't want to test it.

Actually, I've tested it, and it proved to be accurate. I deleted my phone as PaaK and added it back. In the process of setting it up, I was asked to create the backup start password, and I did. After that my old password didn't work, but the new one did. There is even a picture on the screen that shows the sequence of creating a PaaK, then start password, and then door code. Interesting that there is an option to keep existing door code, but not the start password.

 

[DevSecOps]

HEY! I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!

Of course we are. But to use @macchiaz-o defense, you weren't supposed to see that.

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

We have the bi-weekly release cadence, and we typically go through 2 ~ 3 rounds of testing before releasing to publice.

The Beta build (Google Beta) is internal. We thought about public beta, but we didn't feel the quality and confidence for public beta before we break the public beta tester's vehicle or phone.

We are investing heavily in code structure and quality, so hopefully, one day, FordPass will have the confidence to go with public beta instead of internal beta testing.

Quoting this again for another reason - let me be the next person to publicly thank you for throwing yourself in the line of fire here. I don't know if I'd have it in me to do so. I hope @Ford Motor Company tells your manager and you get a nice pair of Mach-E earbuds or something to thank you. ?

many of us including me are sometimes very salty on here because ultimately, we care (too much maybe). please don't let that discourage you from being open with us in the future. Use the "ignore" button liberally if necessary. Many of us old-timers do. ?

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

Of course we are. But to use @macchiaz-o defense, you weren't supposed to see that.

YOU @GoGoGadgetMachE ME! OF COURSE I SAW IT! ?????

 

[EasyPass]

As I was reading this thread yesterday my Android 8.0 did an auto-update and the new FP came rolling down on me. It would seem that the version of Android is not a significant variable factor as my phone is at least 5 years old. (Yeah, I'm still infatuated with this particular device) Immediately, the PaaK situation manifest itself.

Today, I experimented with "Plan B" at home. Actually it is Plan C (1. Fob, 2. Paak, 3. soft Backup Codes). I left my Fob well away from the MME, went to the garage, used the door panel code for entry, then had to try multiple combinations of Start Button with and without the Brake Pedal over a many tries to get the tablet where it prompted me for the Backup Code. This worked straight away as advertised once prompted. The stress level at home was very low but I empathise greatly with those in less than optimal conditions.

Moving forward, It would be extremely useful to know if the reliability of this soft Backup Code entry method will analyzed and published by Ford postmortem considering the breadth of negative experience on this front in this post. Also, it would be highly desirable for Ford to immediately advise if this new issue will be auto-magically corrected in a more current update, or if we will all have burn PaaK and Backup Code setups to the ground and start over from scratch.

p.s. All other BT functionality such as phone control, music playback, etc., seem to be unaffected by this failure of PaaK to operate.

 

[DevSecOps]

YOU @GoGoGadgetMachE ME! OF COURSE I SAW IT! ?????

You can pretend that you didn't... Friend!

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