Tesla Service UK / Guides / Phone Key Troubleshooting
Phone key & app troubleshooting
Practical fixes for the most common phone key and app frustrations.
Last fact-checked: . General guidance — always check your own model's specifics and current official sources before relying on it for a decision.
The basics
How the phone key actually works, briefly
The Tesla app communicates with the car over Bluetooth for proximity-based unlocking and starting, with the app itself needing an internet connection for remote features like pre-conditioning or checking location. Most 'phone key not working' problems trace back to one of these two connections rather than a fault with the car itself.
Common fixes
The fixes that solve most problems
In rough order of what to try first:
- Force-close and reopen the Tesla app, then walk away from and back toward the car to re-trigger Bluetooth pairing.
- Check Bluetooth is actually enabled on your phone and the Tesla app has Bluetooth permission in your phone's settings.
- Restart your phone if the app has been running for a long time without issue — a stuck background process is a common, boring cause.
- As a reliable backup, always carry the physical key card — it works even when phone-based access is temporarily misbehaving.
- If problems persist across multiple restarts, check for a pending software update on both the car and the app.
When it's more than a glitch
When to get it looked at properly
If phone key issues are frequent and persistent despite the above, and particularly if combined with other symptoms like slow wake-up or screen glitches, it may be worth checking the 12V battery's health — see our dedicated 12V battery page, since related low-voltage electronics issues can present as connectivity problems too.