# Tesla app on 2 phones



## serpico007 (Mar 1, 2020)

Is it possible to install the Tesla app on 2 phones? I didn't know if only one phone could be the key for the car. Thanks.


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

I have it installed on 4 phones...so far.


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## GDN (Oct 30, 2017)

No limit I've ever heard of. We have it on two phones and two cars on the account. Either phone can open and operate either car.


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## Garlan Garner (May 24, 2016)

FRC said:


> I have it installed on 4 phones...so far.


Who gets the priority when all 4 phones walk up to the car?


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## serpico007 (Mar 1, 2020)

Thanks. I was curious as I have a work Android phone and personal iPhone.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

Garlan Garner said:


> Who gets the priority when all 4 phones walk up to the car?


I guess the question is, what do you mean by "priority"?

The OP specifically mentioned installing the app in order to use the phones as keys. This means that you can lock and unlock doors, open trunks, vent windows, honk the horn, flash the lights, etc. I haven't specifically tested the ability, but I believe all the phones can do those things concurrently - none of them get "locked out".

The only time I can think of where "priority" becomes an issue is when using a phone as a media or telephony device. For instance, when you ask the car to make a phone call, whose phone will it use to place the call? But that's a completely separate pairing, and it doesn't require that you have the Tesla app installed.


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## jmaddr (Apr 10, 2019)

Garlan Garner said:


> Who gets the priority when all 4 phones walk up to the car?


In addition to @garsh comments, priority could mean setting the car drive profile. My assumption (and limited running around with my wife who also has the phone key under my account on her phone) is it uses the one who unlocks it closest to the drivers door but would need to do better testing as we always approach around the same time.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

jmaddr said:


> In addition to @garsh comments, priority could mean setting the car drive profile.


I had forgotten about that. Thanks @jmaddr! When that feature was first added, it seemed to be rather inconsistent when more than one phone was involved, so I never bothered activating it. Most reports at the time said it seemed to mostly be whichever phone was detected first, regardless of proximity to the driver's door. If Tesla has managed to fix that bug, that would be great news.


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

Yeah, Garsh is right. When my wife and I get in at the same time, I don't know who's phone is unlocking and operating the car(nor do I care). However, sometimes my phone pairs for audio and sometimes hers and we've never figured out why. Sometimes(on road trips) one of us will disable bluetooth in order to avoid the issue.


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## Bigriver (Jan 26, 2018)

GDN said:


> No limit I've ever heard of. We have it on two phones and two cars on the account. Either phone can open and operate either car.


I'm curious if you have the same limitation with two model 3's as we have with a model 3 and a model X on the same account..... The Bluetooth phone as key only works for the model 3 if it was the last car I had looked at in the app.

So for example, if I had adjusted the charging setpoint for the model X from the app, the next time I walk up and try to open the model 3 with the passive phone as key, it will not work. I have to open the app and switch back to the model 3. This is the case if it's a few minutes or few days later. Therefore I always try to remember to end any app encounter with switching back to the model 3, but inevitably I forget sometimes.

So with multiple model 3's on one account, can you walk up and open each without having to interact with the phone app?


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

garsh said:


> I had forgotten about that. Thanks @jmaddr! When that feature was first added, it seemed to be rather inconsistent when more than one phone was involved, so I never bothered activating it. Most reports at the time said it seemed to mostly be whichever phone was detected first, regardless of proximity to the driver's door. If Tesla has managed to fix that bug, that would be great news.


My experience since acquiring the second car last August, is that the car uses the driver profile it last used. So, if I get in my wife's car I have to select my profile manually and vice-versa for her driving my car.


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

Bigriver said:


> I'm curious if you have the same limitation with two model 3's as we have with a model 3 and a model X on the same account..... The Bluetooth phone as key only works for the model 3 if it was the last car I had looked at in the app.
> 
> So for example, if I had adjusted the charging setpoint for the model X from the app, the next time I walk up and try to open the model 3 with the passive phone as key, it will not work. I have to open the app and switch back to the model 3. This is the case if it's a few minutes or few days later. Therefore I always try to remember to end any app encounter with switching back to the model 3, but inevitably I forget sometimes.
> 
> So with multiple model 3's on one account, can you walk up and open each without having to interact with the phone app?


No. The app must be set to the car you want to operate.


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## iChris93 (Feb 3, 2017)

FRC said:


> My experience since acquiring the second car last August, is that the car uses the driver profile it last used. So, if I get in my wife's car I have to select my profile manually and vice-versa for her driving my car.


You have to link a profile to the phone in the car.


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

I'm not sure I understand what you mean.


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## iChris93 (Feb 3, 2017)

FRC said:


> I'm not sure I understand what you mean.


In order for the car to switch profiles based on the phone that is used to authorize the drive, you have to tell the car which phone belongs to which profile. You do that in the car key settings.


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## Garlan Garner (May 24, 2016)

iChris93 said:


> In order for the car to switch profiles based on the phone that is used to authorize the drive, you have to tell the car which phone belongs to which profile. You do that in the car key settings.


That's exactly what I was wondering in my first question. Who gets audio and seat priority and things like that.

When it comes to connecting to things....I find that my friends iPhone never gets priority over anything. His wifes android Always takes priority on everything. 
I'm not sure if the iPhone Bluetooth signal is weak or what.


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## GDN (Oct 30, 2017)

We have pretty good luck with the key and profile, I'd say about 90% of the time whoever enters the car from the drivers door gets priority and the profile sets/adjusts correctly. We both have iPhone X's - equal bluetooth power I guess.

Linking the iPhone/key to a profile is discussed on page 49 of the January 2020 manual - "Linking a Driver Profile to a Key". @FRC - this was added sometime last year, could have been after you got the second car, so likely may not have seen it.

@Bigriver - What you note is likely the most frustrating part of these two cars. Regardless of which car I have selected in my profile both cars should unlock when I am near them, but as you note they do not, not on two 3's either. I must open the app and swipe to the other car to be able to unlock/open and get in, even with them sitting right next to each other. Still I think the most stupid thing on Tesla's part.


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## shareef777 (Mar 10, 2019)

Garlan Garner said:


> Who gets the priority when all 4 phones walk up to the car?


For me, it's my wife. ALWAYS my wife. Even when I'm right next to my car and my wife and her phone are inside the house.


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## Garlan Garner (May 24, 2016)

shareef777 said:


> For me, it's my wife. ALWAYS my wife. Even when I'm right next to my car and my wife and her phone are inside the house.


Do you have any idea why that is?

Are the phones different? Are the phones the same? Is her battery always charged up more?


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## Feathermerchant (Sep 17, 2018)

It's the WIFE release of the software.


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## Garlan Garner (May 24, 2016)

Feathermerchant said:


> It's the WIFE release of the software.


That's ingenious. Only half of the population would disagree with that possibility.

Only half of the people in the world possibly disagreeing with me?

I'll take those odds. lol


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## Achooo (Oct 20, 2018)

I have yet to figure out how this works. My wife and I are both signed in to the same account with each phone set as a key and each linked to the relevant driver profile. 

One issue I have seen: Car in garage. My wife in living room directly above the garage. I walk up to the car with phone in pocket. Car unlocks. I get in. The car automatically set to WIFE's profile and bluetooth audio connects to wife's phone so that I've magically taken over her phone call.


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## Garlan Garner (May 24, 2016)

Achooo said:


> I have yet to figure out how this works. My wife and I are both signed in to the same account with each phone set as a key and each linked to the relevant driver profile.
> 
> One issue I have seen: Car in garage. My wife in living room directly above the garage. I walk up to the car with phone in pocket. Car unlocks. I get in. The car automatically set to WIFE's profile and bluetooth audio connects to wife's phone so that I've magically taken over her phone call.


WOW....she has a wonderfully powerful phone.


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## GDN (Oct 30, 2017)

Remember there are two different activities with the phone - one is unlocking and setting the profile and one is about playing music/audio. So if you unlock and get in the car, look at the screen to see if your profile is set correctly. That is the key. I know taking over her audio can be annoying too, but that is the way it is designed to work if her phone is still within range.

With audio we have that same issue. Many days we would leave the house to head to work at the same time. If we'd been together the night before in my car and listening to music from my partners phone - as we get in the car the next morning, each would unlock with our own phone, the profiles set correctly, but I immediately get music from his phone - and would do so until we drove away and it lost connection. That has happened many times.


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## JasonF (Oct 26, 2018)

Achooo said:


> One issue I have seen: Car in garage. My wife in living room directly above the garage. I walk up to the car with phone in pocket. Car unlocks. I get in. The car automatically set to WIFE's profile and bluetooth audio connects to wife's phone so that I've magically taken over her phone call.


The 2020.12.10 -ish series of software is _supposed_ to fix that by making it so you have to be much closer to the car for bluetooth audio pairing.


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## serpico007 (Mar 1, 2020)

Glad my wife doesn’t drive.


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