Tesla App Gains Ultra Wideband Support to Improve Phone Keys

Thursday February 8, 2024 12:53 pm PST by Juli Clover

The latest Tesla software adds Ultra Wideband support (UWB) to improve the function of the built-in Phone Key feature in the Tesla app (via Tesla North). Tesla owners can use Phone Key to lock and unlock their vehicles without a physical key.

tesla red orange bg feature
Ultra Wideband support provides more precise tracking capabilities than Bluetooth, which means the Phone Key feature will better recognize when an iPhone is near a vehicle to unlock/lock it at the appropriate time. From the release notes:

Ultrawide band (UWB) technology is now available for Phone Key. So your vehicle and Phone Key can communicate with greater accuracy to more responsively lock, unlock, and open Automatic Doors.

Tesla owners will need both a vehicle that supports Ultra Wideband and an iPhone with Ultra Wideband to take advantage of the new capabilities. Enabling the updated UWB key requires going to the Phone Key section of the Tesla app (which must be upgraded to version 4.29.5) and following the upgrade steps.

Tag: Tesla

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Top Rated Comments

WarmWinterHat

36 months ago

Don't forget the cybertruck.

That only works with the Vision Pro.

Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Desmondhuz

36 months ago

Which phones and which vehicles are compatible??

Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)

DaveOP

36 months ago

How much better compared to bluetooth?
Better is always a good thing, just curious for this use case in the real life, how much is perceptible

MASSIVE on my BMW. Had the Tesla key on two vehicles in the past, but UWB seems to wake and connect MUCH faster, more reliably, and it picks up which of my wife and I are on the drivers side of the car more accurately, which leads to the correct profile being loaded. YMMV, since I am talking across two different car brands, but if Tesla does as good a job as BMW, this should be a big upgrade.

Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)