Question for Android PAAK Users

[the golden eel]

To those of you who use Android phones and PAAK exclusively - no fobs...

Does PAAK work 100% of the time for anyone?

I've got a Galaxy S22 and have been using PAAK exclusively for close to 2 years now. I would guess 80-90% of uses work as expected for me. "Work as expected" meaning when I walk up to the car the white circle lights in the door button when I am a few feet from the car, I push the door button, the door opens, I get in, start the car, and go.

When it works it's great, but the 10-20% that doesn't work can be so maddening. Standing outside the car pushing the door button for 10-15 seconds before it opens. Trying to start the car and getting the "no key detected" message. Or starting the car, driving 15 feet and getting a "no key detected" message as I'm driving. Or dropping a kid off, putting the car in park but not turning off, when they shut the door after they get out, I get a double beep and/or "no key detected" message. I'm embarrassed to say I've started swearing at my car whenever I get the "no key detected" message when I am driving. Or when I turn the car off, I get a "restart now or backup passcode required" message - but even with this I just close the door and watch the mirrors fold as I walk away, so the car knew I had my phone (key) before and after the "restart now or..." message.

Sometimes a phone restart will fix it, sometimes nothing will fix it and I need to use my backup start code. And then a little bit later everything will work as it should.

I understand this is mainly a rant. But I am curious if any Android users have 100% problem free PAAK. Or am I pretty average with roughly 80-90% problem free?

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[MacherAWD]

To those of you who use Android phones and PAAK exclusively - no fobs...

Does PAAK work 100% of the time for anyone?

I've got a Galaxy S22 and have been using PAAK exclusively for close to 2 years now. I would guess 80-90% of uses work as expected for me. "Work as expected" meaning when I walk up to the car the white circle lights in the door button when I am a few feet from the car, I push the door button, the door opens, I get in, start the car, and go.

When it works it's great, but the 10-20% that doesn't work can be so maddening. Standing outside the car pushing the door button for 10-15 seconds before it opens. Trying to start the car and getting the "no key detected" message. Or starting the car, driving 15 feet and getting a "no key detected" message as I'm driving. Or dropping a kid off, putting the car in park but not turning off, when they shut the door after they get out, I get a double beep and/or "no key detected" message. I'm embarrassed to say I've started swearing at my car whenever I get the "no key detected" message when I am driving. Or when I turn the car off, I get a "restart now or backup passcode required" message - but even with this I just close the door and watch the mirrors fold as I walk away, so the car knew I had my phone (key) before and after the "restart now or..." message.

Sometimes a phone restart will fix it, sometimes nothing will fix it and I need to use my backup start code. And then a little bit later everything will work as it should.

I understand this is mainly a rant. But I am curious if any Android users have 100% problem free PAAK. Or am I pretty average with roughly 80-90% problem free?

2.5 years of PaaK and no key, similar but I would say 95% reliable. I dont use walk away lock or anything so getting in is never an issue, but everything else you write is spot on.

I have a pixel and I run android beta so that sometimes makes things worse. I was getting more frequent issues but then last week reset Paak completely and it has been better since, although I am not even sure if my backup start code is still configured it hasnt been popping up lately.

 

[dtbaker61]

To those of you who use Android phones and PAAK exclusively - no fobs...

Does PAAK work 100% of the time for anyone?

yes, works 100% for me to unlock, start, and drive.
I do NOT depend on walk-away lock, I lock manually with inside door button or outside door pillar.

Initial setup was difficult in '21 with my old Android running version 9, but once working, was fine until I got a new phone and it upgraded to v12. I had to re-install and re-setup PAAK because something in Bluetooth changed in Android.

I recently upgraded phone to a23, and its running PAAK on version 14, oneUI v6.1 no problem.

I've got a Galaxy S22 and have been using PAAK exclusively for close to 2 years now. I would guess 80-90% of uses work as expected for me. "Work as expected" meaning when I walk up to the car the white circle lights in the door button when I am a few feet from the car, I push the door button, the door opens, I get in, start the car, and go.

When it works it's great, but the 10-20% that doesn't work can be so maddening.

I have found a couple things help:
- turn off BT when I am home, and turn on when approaching
- walking up to car with phone in hand close to door
- put phone on center console when driving rather than in left or back pocket

 

[phil]

Works 100% of the time for me for the past two years. Prior to that it was sketchy.

Sometimes I do have to press the door button a second time. But I don't think I have ever once had to wait 10 or 15 seconds in the past two years. It always opens faster than that.

 

[phil]

I have found a couple things help:
- turn off BT when I am home, and turn on when approaching
- walking up to car with phone in hand close to door
- put phone on center console when driving rather than in left or back pocket

I don't do any of those things. Never have a problem.

 

[MacherAWD]

I have found a couple things help:
- turn off BT when I am home, and turn on when approaching

99% of my Paak failure is resolved with just toggling BT off and on quickly, so I would imagine this step you are doing is helping your success rate.

 

[phil]

2.5 years of PaaK and no key, similar but I would say 95% reliable. I dont use walk away lock or anything so getting in is never an issue, but everything else you write is spot on.

I have a pixel and I run android beta so that sometimes makes things worse. I was getting more frequent issues but then last week reset Paak completely and it has been better since, although I am not even sure if my backup start code is still configured it hasnt been popping up lately.

I do use the walk away lock, and have no problems with it. I, too, use a Pixel - a new 8P - and before that, an old Samsung Note 8. Both phones worked fine. I don't use Android beta, though.

 

[pikepilot]

Similiar but I almost never get no key detected, basically trouble unlocking door most of time. I do use walk away lock and lately it doesn't work more than it does. I'm going to start using keypad to lock if it doesn't improve....what numbers does one hit to lock from outside again?

 

[Bruboy]

Works for me. The only time it hasn't, I realized that I had Bluetooth turned off, turned it back on and all worked.

 

[dtbaker61]

99% of my Paak failure is resolved with just toggling BT off and on quickly, so I would imagine this step you are doing is helping your success rate.

I turn BT off when at home because I am in and out of garage a lot, and I don't want to wake up the MME every time I go by since it hits the 12v battery pretty hard.

 

[kodiakng]

pixel 7, latest android 14

i get about 90-95% success rate but agree that 5-10% of not working time is frustrating and can be maddening when it happens at inconvenient times.

i use walk-away lock and have that notification set to trigger on my phone - when it doesn't fire after a normal walk-away distance i open the app and click the lock button.

i find toggling BT off/on and then opening fordpass gets it connected again. if i end up toggling BT frequently i'll restart the phone at a convenient time just to refresh the BT stack but that has been less than once a month between android updates lately.

i haven't seen it mentioned but i use the fordpass persistent android notification to check if it thinks it is connected to the car:

when it isn't connected it says "trying to connect to ..." and then i just toggle BT.

i also use a lot of BT devices (OBDII, fitbit, headsets, etc) and find that the more connect/disconnect cycles that happen the less reliable PaaK is. some BT devices also seem to trigger the problem more often so i just toggle BT preemptively after using them.

 

[JM22681]

Agree with most everyone who's responded. I am on Pixel 8 Pro, works 90-95% of the time. I know it won't work when I don't see the MAC Address Bluetooth ID showing connected, and there is no manual way to connect it from Android. Mine begins with 90:CE:B8 (on a 2023.5). When that is not connected and I'm close to the vehicle, I toggle Bluetooth and it will reconnect. Looks like they are using a Texas Instrument adapter in the newer APIM:

https://macaddress.io/macaddress/90:CE:B8

I think the APIM software is ghosting a connection. Hopefully someday there will be a fix for the bug.

 

[CTZ]

It's worked great for me since I got the car but lately I've had to toggle BT off and on for it to "wake up". Just got version 5.3.2 so hopefully that's resolved the issue. I always hide a key fob in the car with the battery removed just in case.

 

[ScottMcCool]

I use the key fob and it only works like 95% of the time. 5% of the time I have to punch in the door code.

 

[Rudi Krupsdahl]

Works 95% for me.
5% i need to reconnect bluetooth.

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