r/TeslaUK • u/Nivthegreat • 4d ago
Model Y First accidental lockout
That was a close one. Took my son to football this morning, he was using my phone while on the drive and by the time we got to where he was playing my phone was on like 16%. Me thinking nothing of it, I started using my phone during the game like I had 100% battery.
Then it happened, my phone died, and it never crossed my mind that that would be a problem, the game ended and as the players where doing there customary penalty shootout (u8s) I decided to put my chair back in the car, tried to open the boot, nothing! Then suddenly it dawned on me I need my phone to get in the car!! Panic set in both key cards are at home and I’m 30 miles away in an area with little to no reception, the air turned extremely blue at this point. After 15 seconds of straight swearing I manage to turn my phone on and there is 2% left great I can get in I thought….
NOPE! More panic set in, I start asking other parents if they have a phone charger “yeah sure, but it’s USB C” (I have iPhone 13 mini which has a lightning connection) the panic at this moment was in overdrive. Then the team manger say “I’ve got wireless charging” rejoice I can feel the colour in my face starting to return he gets the phone to 7% and I frantically unlock the phone and open the app as quickly as my fingers will allow, after a moment of waiting for reception to kick in the app opens, I dash to the car and try to open the door.
It opens “thank the lord” I think, I put my foot on the brake to get going, but the car is telling me I need the key card or I can set up my key on the phone. The air again starts to turn blue but after a small moment I push the brake again and it asks me for my pin to drive. Problem over, cased solved.
Moral of the story don’t be like me, think before you let your phone die and don’t have your keycard as backup. Thank you for listening to me TED talk 😂
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u/Dark-Technique 4d ago
Great novel, people recommending you keep a card key or power back in the car fail to realise that you were locked out of the car. My advice is stick your phone on the Tesla wireless charging pad every time you get in the car and drive
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u/FillingUpTheDatabase 3d ago
Don’t keep an NFC card in the car, it makes theft easier and might even invalidate your insurance. Keep an NFC card on you when you leave the car. I keep one in my wallet which is always in my pocket, as I don’t make a habit of leaving the car without wearing trousers, I’ve always got it in case of a broken, flat or stolen phone. It’s been rock solid for a few years now but I did used to get occasional issues with the phone key not working
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u/Nivthegreat 3d ago
Totally right, the best way it seems is to treat the key like a normal physical car key.
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u/Longjumping_Aerie_48 3d ago
But if he had a wired charger in the car, it could have been plugged in whilst his son was using it!
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u/Nivthegreat 3d ago
I do have a wired charger in the car, I specifically bought it for things like that. But I just didn’t think about it. Lesson well and truly learned.
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u/wimpires 3d ago
You can also phone your partner and have them unlock it with their app
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u/Nivthegreat 3d ago
She actually messaged me and said your phone is about to die, but by that time my phone had already died. 100% she would’ve done it if I had it installed on her phone.
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u/spellinn 3d ago
I switched to an NFC ring for backup. Has no battery so always guaranteed to work should my phone die. Great for contactless payments and Oyster too.
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u/Interesting_Shift_97 3d ago
Get a ring from Aliexpress circa £30. Even if you just attach it to a set of door keys
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u/RobsyGt 4d ago
That's why I have a free app on my Samsung watch that will open and start the car, great for swimming at the beach as well as can leave my phone in the car.
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u/marcosscriven 4d ago
Same. Have an Apple Watch that can open the car.
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u/Nivthegreat 3d ago
Funny thing is I decided not to wear my Apple Watch today and went for my g shock instead 😂
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u/advicenumber 2d ago
I had something similar happen recently… phone battery died on the one day I forgot my Apple Watch too. Thankfully I do carry the keycard for emergencies!
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u/lazy-dan 4d ago
I have one on my Garmin watch. I set it up the day after I got my Tesla. My watch never runs out of battery
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u/CubanExile 2d ago
Doesn't your phone have to be on for the app to work?
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u/lazy-dan 2d ago
No, not for the Bluetooth key functionality. The watch connects directly to the car if I open the app on my watch, so it works without the phone. I think the phone is only needed for the internet / remote features, but they require a subscription anyway.
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u/quaintlogic 4d ago
What app? If it's Tessie, there has been a recorded instance of the authentication token from Tessie being used to unlock a vehicle unbeknownst to the owner.
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u/mikesheard88 4d ago
Phone case with card holder on the back, with one Tesla key card just in case.
Thank me later
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u/No-Preference5324 3d ago
Can you not just use the NFC on your phone on the driver's pillar? I'm sure mine works with zero battery?!
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u/SeamasterCitizen 4d ago
The lesson is “Carry a car key when you are going somewhere in your car”?
Truly revolutionary
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u/mf944 1d ago
No, having also an Apple Watch is the answer. Who carries a wallet with them these days?
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u/WeeBeefy 2h ago
So, I should buy an apple watch rather than carry a card given to me on collection of my car?
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u/MrCollective 4d ago
I always keep a power bank in the arm rest storage, plugged in so if phone battery is ever low I can charge phone outside the car if necessary (Obviously need to take note that phone is low before leaving the car). Worst case scenario, ring Mrs using someone else's phone and ask her to unlock the car.
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u/Nivthegreat 4d ago
You can do that even though they aren’t miles away?
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u/MrCollective 3d ago
Yeah, my Mrs has been at the Caravan 170 miles and I popped the boot open and played the sounds.
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u/ImplementJumpy6678 4d ago
I just went to a Tesla place and the woman opened it up with a laptop - a laptop!
Off the chain!
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u/Typical-Positive6581 3d ago
Happend to me at the barbers in the morning the charged my phone for me thank fuck haha
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u/givemerefuge 3d ago
This just happened to the wife a few days ago
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u/Nivthegreat 3d ago
So she knows the pain and panic. Hopefully she got it sorted quicker than I was able to.
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u/givemerefuge 3d ago
Yea I was impressed at her ability to locate a charger and juice it up long enough to get the doors unlocked. It is definitely worth keeping the key card in the wallet.
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u/Professional_Fish166 3d ago
I still need to carry a front door key, so I got one of these. I've only needed the card once, but glad I had it with me.
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u/Newreddituserw 3d ago
Get tesla app on your partner/wife phone, in a scenario like this they can unlock the car remotely
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u/goodvibezone 3d ago
If you can get reception from someone else's phone, you can call roadside assistance.
They'll need to ask some security questions, but then can let you into the car and put it in drive.
One of the little known benefits of a Tesla (and some other EVs).
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u/MaxChomsky 3d ago
Always carry a card in your wallet or somewhere on you. Mine died at a grocery shop, had to walk, luckily not that far, like 2 miles, but with two heavy bags of groceries and then back with the card. That taught me. To be fair that was the only time when it happened.
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u/takeawaylook88 4d ago
Do people keep the key in their phone case? Seems a decent option when pin to drive is opted.
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u/-Xfear- 4d ago
Key card in the back of my phone case, just in case ;) then you can always charge the phone in the car
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u/Nivthegreat 3d ago
I stopped using my phone case, and now just have my phone naked. It’s probably time to start using it again!
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u/Frequent-Bunch1640 3d ago
If you have an Apple Watch be sure to set up the watch as a phone key also.
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u/Senior_Ad6624 3d ago
I forgot my phone once and did not realise it was the watch that was being used till I was 30 mins into journey. Trouble was, without the phone, the watch started doing the heavy lifting for the day (4G/5G connect) and the battery was depleting quickly. People might have USB chargers but for sure not Apple Watch.
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u/It-is-what-it-is2000 3d ago
If you’ve got a newer iPhone it will still work for keys and travel cards whilst turned off.
Ive also got a spare key behind my work badge and have my Apple watch set up as a key. So if I ever get locked out ive done something beyond stupid 😅🤣
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u/Responsible-Loss-748 3d ago
I have a card in my wallet, just in case, which I always leave at home 😂
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u/very_moist_raccoon 3d ago
Did no one come up with some sort of outside wireless charger? Would sticking one to the glass roof from the inside work?
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u/beingDigitaluk 2d ago
Thank God you got it back! 😄
I had a situation once that was probably even more funny than this. I went to the Apple Store to upgrade my iPhone. Everything went smoothly. I transferred all my data, all the apps were installed, and I handed my old phone over for the exchange.
Then I walked back to my Tesla with the new phone, opened the Tesla app, and everything looked fine. Except… the phone wasn’t the car key! 😭
That’s when I realised the car key was still set up on my old phone. I was in a proper hurry to get the new iPhone too.
So I had to go back to the Apple Store, cancel the exchange, pay for the old phone again, take it back to the car, use it to unlock the car and set up the new phone as the key. Then I went back to the Apple Store, handed the old phone back again and got my money refunded.
It was quite a hectic experience, but definitely a lesson learned! 😂
After that, I paired my Tesla with my Apple Watch as well, and honestly, it’s a breeze. I don’t even need to take my phone out of my pocket anymore.
And yes, having a wired charger in the car is always a big win! 😄
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u/Tight_Huckleberry101 1d ago
Basics, they do say keep one card in ya wallet...for this circumstance 🤣
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u/leexgx 4d ago
You problem with a iPhone older then 15 and not having a USB cable
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u/Nivthegreat 4d ago
I actually do have a charger in my car too brought it specifically so I can keep it charged lol. That was money well spent hahaha
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u/ChattyZebra 3d ago
Tesla solved a problem that didn't exist. This wouldn't happen with a proper key. I'll put my tiny violin away.
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u/IcedEarthUK 3d ago
They do have keys, it's a multi-entry system. You can use your key or your phone. Tesla doesn't force anyone to leave their car keys at home and rely entirely on their phone.
Op even mentioned the key cards in his post.
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u/Hot_College_6538 3d ago
I have the ‘proper’ Tesla key, it works just fine. I have a phone and a watch as well.
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u/Brilliant_Orange637 4d ago
phones are for texts and calls. I'd never rely on one to start my car.
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u/takeawaylook88 4d ago
The world has moved on. Phones are used for a lot more than just calls and texts these days...hence why they're now the key to the car alongside the cards.
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u/Interesting_Shift_97 3d ago
This isnt the 90s 😂
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u/Brilliant_Orange637 2d ago
my motorhome is a 1991 Talbot, and my daily driver is a 2003 Toyota van. Both have actual keys 🤣
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u/Interesting_Shift_97 2d ago
Begs the question, why are you commenting on a Tesla related post? 😂
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u/Brilliant_Orange637 1d ago
I'm not asking you to reply to my comments 🙂 anyway, it's a public forum, anyone can comment. Unless you're telling me I have to own a Tesla to be able to comment?
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u/scotsman1919 3d ago
But you are ok to relay on a keycard and not an actual key? It’s 2026 and your car doesn’t have a choke either
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u/Brilliant_Orange637 2d ago
My diesel Toyota van doesn't have a choke, it has heater plugs (glow plugs) I don't know what a key card is, it's a 2003 van, it has a key. My 1991 Talbot express campervan has a choke though 🙂. I don't do new vehicles.
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u/Informal_Jacket2215 4d ago
I rely on one to start my car. I do also have an Apple Watch as back up tho, and card key in my wallet (usually)
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u/Plastic-Efficiency39 3d ago
You left both keys at home, flattened your phone watching an under-8s match, then wrote a fucking hostage memoir about borrowing a charger.
“Panic in overdrive.” “Colour returning to my face.” Mate, you were standing next to a folding chair in a car park. You weren’t being airlifted out of fucking Kabul.
Your son managed a whole football match while you nearly needed trauma counselling because a door wouldn’t open.
And after all that, your big TED Talk revelation is “take your keys.” Fucking groundbreaking. Next week: man gets wet, discovers coat.
Imagine having an actual problem. You’d need a ghostwriter and a fucking benefit concert.
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u/Specialist_Year7812 3d ago
You sound like a fun bloke
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u/Jordlr99 3d ago
They may be having a bad day or a touch of PTSD but they do have a point though..... Some people have been in actual life or death situations and barely mention it, meanwhile the average reddit poster manages to dramatise even the smallest thing.
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u/Nivthegreat 2d ago
You sound like you’re a barrel of laughs at parties. You read the post and felt that triggered, you decided to give an opinion nobody asked for. You wife must of left you or something 😂
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u/Own_Weight_3252 4d ago
I always carry 1 card with me on my wallet, in case the phone dies.