# Android Tablet as Tesla Key?



## Tom Hudson (Dec 20, 2017)

My wife has a Samsung Galaxy Tab A (small form factor tablet, wifi only, model SM-T280) that she has at all times, and it's Android powered so I figured it'd be a perfect key for our Model 3. But for some reason it doesn't even see the car in the Bluetooth pairing... nor does it see my Galaxy S9... it does see four other Bluetooth devices (my S9 also sees them -- I'm not sure what they are). Are there any Android gurus around here who might be able to help me set this tablet up so it'll pair as a car key? I did double check and it has the latest version of the Tesla app.

Looks like it's using Android 5.1.1 but the Software Update says it has the latest update. ANDROID security patch 2017-12-01... is it possible its older firmware is causing a security protection issue that prevents it from talking to the car or my more recent phone? Or might it be the fact that it's wifi-only?

We have a Galaxy S6 and an S9, both of which function perfectly as keys for our Model 3.

Any suggestions?


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## Frully (Aug 30, 2018)

Peculiar. Does the tablet have wifi _while_ trying to pair with the car? The app might need to 'phone home' to confirm the key status.

No really good advice other than the good old 'turn it off and then on again' which I'm sure you've been through.


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## Ed Woodrick (May 26, 2018)

The car may be requiring cellular and/or Internet access to pair. I'd suggest getting the Bluetooth dongle or a phone for her.


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## Tom Hudson (Dec 20, 2017)

@Frully yeah, wifi is on and working while trying to pair... I have to wonder if there is some Bluetooth security patch level required for the car to show up. I think I'll look into some Bluetooth diagnostics software next...

@Ed she has a Galaxy S6 phone and has been using it for a key, but the thing is she is not a "phone person". She would prefer to keep her phone off unless she needs to make a call. She is, however, a reading addict and the tablet is charged and on all the time for her Kobo reader app. It seemed like such a natural solution...


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## Tom Hudson (Dec 20, 2017)

I just took another try and started the app's "use phone as key" setup. It starts looking for the car but can't find it. When I look at the Bluetooth settings on the tablet, four bluetooth devices are seen, all starting with "s4377e78c470", but not the car.

The tablet and my S9 can see each other on Bluetooth; if I try to pair from the tablet to the S8, the S9 responds and will allow pairing.

BUT... if I try the other way, trying to pair from the S9 to the tablet... nothing.

I'm starting to be convinced that the tablet Bluetooth version is too old for the car to allow pairing... probably the crypto standards on the tablet aren't up to snuff. I wonder if I can update that part of the tablet somehow...


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## MelindaV (Apr 2, 2016)

Tom Hudson said:


> I'm starting to be convinced that the tablet Bluetooth version is too old for the car to allow pairing... probably the crypto standards on the tablet aren't up to snuff. I wonder if I can update that part of the tablet somehow...


maybe you should surprise your wife with a new mini tablet. sounds like she uses this one a ton and probably would appreciate the upgrade


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## Tom Hudson (Dec 20, 2017)

MelindaV said:


> maybe you should surprise your wife with a new mini tablet. sounds like she uses this one a ton and probably would appreciate the upgrade


Yep that's exactly what I'm thinking of doing! It's starting to notify about being short of memory etc. despite having a 32gb SD card.... I've moved everything possible onto that and it's still running low... looking at replacement options now!


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## jdcollins5 (Oct 31, 2018)

The 4 BT devices you are seeing are the four BT sensors on the car that allow you to unlock the doors and trunks from anywhere around the car. So the tablet is connected to the car on BT anyway.

I have a friend that had an older Android phone that was having trouble staying connected to the car. He had a Galaxy tablet that he set up as a phone key that worked just fine. This convinced him that the trouble was with his phone and not the car. He used the tablet until he could get an updated phone.

From what I understand he loaded the Tesla app on the tablet, just used the Add a Phone Key setup on the car, followed the directions and used one of his Key Cards for verification.


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## Tom Hudson (Dec 20, 2017)

Yeah it's interesting, the app on her tablet can unlock the car, honk the horn etc. via the app interface. It's SO CLOSE to working otherwise.

Kind of a bummer, her current tablet is the older 7" unit; all they have now in the smaller size is an 8" model... the old one fit perfectly in her zippered jacket pocket but the new one would be just a bit too big. She's hemming & hawing about it; I figure we'll let the current one annoy her to the point where she wants a replacement!


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## jdcollins5 (Oct 31, 2018)

Tom Hudson said:


> Yeah it's interesting, the app on her tablet can unlock the car, honk the horn etc. via the app interface. It's SO CLOSE to working otherwise.
> 
> Kind of a bummer, her current tablet is the older 7" unit; all they have now in the smaller size is an 8" model... the old one fit perfectly in her zippered jacket pocket but the new one would be just a bit too big. She's hemming & hawing about it; I figure we'll let the current one annoy her to the point where she wants a replacement!


What will the tablet not do?


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## JasonF (Oct 26, 2018)

From 2017, I doubt that firmware supports the correct Bluetooth version to match the car. The hardware might not, either.


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## Tom Hudson (Dec 20, 2017)

jdcollins5 said:


> What will the tablet not do?


It just doesn't see the "Tesla Model 3" Bluetooth device -- so I can't link it as the car's key.

I did go in and clear all the Bluetooth-related data in the tablet on the off-chance that was causing some interference, but no joy. I do think that maybe the Bluetooth hardware in the tablet just isn't the right version to talk to the car.


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## MelindaV (Apr 2, 2016)

Tom Hudson said:


> Yeah it's interesting, the app on her tablet can unlock the car, honk the horn etc. via the app interface. It's SO CLOSE to working otherwise.
> 
> Kind of a bummer, her current tablet is the older 7" unit; all they have now in the smaller size is an 8" model... the old one fit perfectly in her zippered jacket pocket but the new one would be just a bit too big. She's hemming & hawing about it; I figure we'll let the current one annoy her to the point where she wants a replacement!


The app used the cell/WiFi connection. You could unlock, honk, etc from across the country as long as the app has an internet connection and the car also does.


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