[BTDOC23]

Trying to make the final decision to leave Tesla and come back to the brand.

Trying not to obsess about losing the pure digital phone key in the i4 as well.

Is there a reliable solution that is phone based or can I get a cc size key fob at least? Thx

[JoB01]

The i4 has a “digital key” and a credit card key.

The key fob is the most convenient option imo- carry it on you, car opens as you approach automatically, locks automatically when you walk away, and will start when it is on your body in the car.

The credit card and the phone app function differently- they use NFC to communicate to the car- so they need to basically be in contact with the door handle to lock/unlock the car- and the car won’t start unless the credit card/phone are physically sitting in the charging tray.

You can “remotely” lock and unlock the car using the mybmw app- but it’s an extra layer of effort than the key fob in that you must unlock your phone, open the app, then press the lock or unlock button, vice the automatic functionality of the key fob.

IMO the credit card and app are more inconvenient for my use case- I still carry the key fob (as I have pockets typically, and hate fishing things out of my wallet, or opening additional apps to open my car doors/drive away)

[BTDOC23]

Do you have to unlock your phone? I thought you could just tap?

[JoB01]

Originally Posted by daddyrockstar23

Do you have to unlock your phone? I thought you could just tap?

I’ll double check tomorrow- but the few times I’ve done it- I either “had to” or “chose to” bring the key up- I think I double clicked the side, did Face ID, held the photo ne against the door handle and it then unlocked the car. I could be wrong as it was about 6 weeks ago- but I definitely found it “not awesome”. I’ll try it again tomorrow to verify.

[smatanovic]

Originally Posted by daddyrockstar23

Do you have to unlock your phone? I thought you could just tap?

I have an iPhone, and as long as the electronic key is in your apple wallet, all you have to do is tap. Not sure how it works on Android.

Agree with JoB01: the fob is definitely the most convenient.

[Nokiaas]

Originally Posted by daddyrockstar23

Do you have to unlock your phone? I thought you could just tap?

You do not have to unlock your iPhone unless you activate it. You can also use Apple Watch.

When you add your car key to the Wallet app, Express Mode is turned on automatically. Express Mode allows you to use your car key without unlocking your device, or authenticating with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode.

Source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211234