Tesla Plans to Release Apple Watch App That Will Work as a Digital Key

[ProbablyDylan]

What EVs would you go to over a Tesla?

Love the look of Polestar 2. VW ID.7 also looks pretty good to my eye, and I'm very happy with my ICE VW, so I could see myself leaning that direction again. Unfortunately that hasn't hit NA yet. I also adore the Rivian R1T, and am very much looking forward to R3. If I won the lotto or my side business rockets off, Porsche Taycan is incredible.

The new Mach E also recently announced has very attractive pricing. Not crazy about SUVs/Crossovers, but they're popular vehicles.

As of now though, an EV doesn't work with my current living arrangement. My ICE car is still new anyways, so I'm not looking to replace it. Regardless, it's interesting to see what the different companies come up with.

 

[bigjnyc]

Too bad Tesla doesn’t support Apple CarPlay.

I had carplay in my last car before my Tesla and Tesla's system is soooo much better. I don't miss carplay at all.

 

[Mazda 3s]

Two use cases I see for this:

1) Runners, I would not have my phone with me if I were doing anything very active.

2) Last June, I was riding as a passenger. We were in an area with zero cell coverage and expected to have no service for the next few days. The car was set to "walk away lock". So with no service, the owner put her phone in "airplane mode" to conserve power and left the phone in the car. (It kind of makes sense not to carry your phone around with you if there is no cell service.)

The doors locked because the car could not see the phone. It would have been nice to have a backup

Or you could use the keycard that comes with the car in that scenario? No need to leave your phone in the car.

 

[miamialley]

I had carplay in my last car before my Tesla and Tesla's system is soooo much better. I don't miss carplay at all.

What did you like about Tesla over CarPlay?

 

[Mazda 3s]

I had carplay in my last car before my Tesla and Tesla's system is soooo much better. I don't miss carplay at all.

For real. I have comprehensive maps/traffic, YouTube Music, Apple Podcasts, calendar/contacts/phone/text message integration -- that's enough for me on my commute.

 

[page3]

Would have been nice when I used to buy Teslas.

Can't see how anyone deals with that limited interior.

Love the interior. It’s one of the things I like most about the car.

 

[iamgalt]

I drove a 1964 Beetle years and years ago. Does that count?

So you have no problem driving a car created based on Hitler's idea, but you take issue driving a car developed by a man who has started, or helped start, multiple multi-million dollar companies that have changed the way people communicate, connect to the internet, drive, go to space, pay for things online?

 

[icwhatudidthere]

Unlocking with the Apple Watch would be a wellcome addition to the already great iOS integration.

And to all those who want Car Play - why? - did you ever own an Tesla?
This would be absolutely no benefit, because the onboard Software is absolutely great - and works perfect with the apple ecosystem.
CarPlay is only meant for cars with really bad software - eg like VW, Mercedes, BMW & Co - there I always use CarPlay, because it is far superior - but absolutely no need for it in a Tesla.

Actually sold my Tesla last year and lack of CarPlay was one of the reasons. Had lots of problems at the time with Apple Music. If I had spotty connectivity when turning on the car, the Apple Music app would kick me out and force me to re-login. Had to do that nearly 25% of my trips. Tesla's streaming apps didn't really have great caching mechanisms either so plenty of times, a playlist would just stop playing the current song and skip through the list until it got connectivity again.

And then there's the lag for new services to get added. I had my Tesla for 2 years before Apple Music was added. Even then, apps for Apple Podcasts and Apple News weren't included. Have they added Audible or YouTube Music yet?

CarPlay has its annoyances, ironically I find the UI to be pretty poor. But there's no issue with adding new services and connectivity and caching are non-issues since phone OSes figured that stuff out years ago.

 

[BeatCrazy]

What did you like about Tesla over CarPlay?

For real. I have comprehensive maps/traffic, YouTube Music, Apple Podcasts, calendar/contacts/phone/text message integration -- that's enough for me on my commute.

Plus the Search function for Apple Music in a Tesla is better than CarPlay. You have more screen real estate to show you relevant results.

And I don't believe Apple Maps (via CarPlay) has satellite-view navigation yet?

 

[AlexJaye]

This will be welcome news to Apple Watch users with a Tesla for sure!

 

[bigjnyc]

This is a very welcome addition. 99% of the time I have my phone on me, but there have been instances where I've ran out to my driveway without my phone to grab something in the car.... Or I've gone running without my phone and had to carry my key card with me to get back in to my car, etc.... There are 3rd party apps that do this but they all cost money and just wasn't worth it for me with my limited use-case.... but having it as part of the official app will be nice.

 

[apernett]

Didn't Meloncio Musko hate Apple or did I miss something?

 

[Gloor]

ID7 you can't buy yet so thats not an option.

Polestar 2 looks horrible (inside&out) and it seems inferior to Tesla. Rivian looks ok but again R3 is not available yet so Tesla still wins.

By the time ID7 is out and R3 I'd guess that Tesla will be ahead again.

Don't compare things that are in the future with things you can buy today. Not a fair comparison

Love the look of Polestar 2. VW ID.7 also looks pretty good to my eye, and I'm very happy with my ICE VW, so I could see myself leaning that direction again. Unfortunately that hasn't hit NA yet. I also adore the Rivian R1T, and am very much looking forward to R3. If I won the lotto or my side business rockets off, Porsche Taycan is incredible.

The new Mach E also recently announced has very attractive pricing. Not crazy about SUVs/Crossovers, but they're popular vehicles.

As of now though, an EV doesn't work with my current living arrangement. My ICE car is still new anyways, so I'm not looking to replace it. Regardless, it's interesting to see what the different companies come up with.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

ID7 you can't buy yet so thats not an option.

Polestar 2 looks horrible (inside&out) and it seems inferior to Tesla. Rivian looks ok but again R3 is not available yet so Tesla still wins.

By the time ID7 is out and R3 I'd guess that Tesla will be ahead again.

Don't compare things that are in the future with things you can buy today. Not a fair comparison

The post I replied to asked my opinion, and that is what I gave in response. Moreover, "looks horrible" is an entirely subjective statement; obviously your tastes will differ from my own.

I also go out and mention which cars aren't available yet, so it's unnecessary to point out. It's especially irrelevant from my perspective, since I'm not actively shopping for a car.

Glad to see Taycan is agreeable at least! Cheers.

 

[stiligFox]

I’m not buying a Tesla for various reasons. Not having car play is one , but mainly I just dislike musk.

That's the thing. Tesla needs to part with Musk sooner rather than later. It's anecdotal for sure, but I know quite a few people that no longer are interested in Tesla cars due to his involvement. They have good teams and were a pioneer in making EV mainstream but he's hampering any goodwill they built.

That and his demands for cost saving measures and odd engineering requirements means the quality of the product is starting to suffer. He's sort of the opposite of Steve Jobs - Steve would tell people the product needs to do something this or make valuable inputs (like saying the iPod could be smaller because it had air bubbles coming out when dropped in water, if that story is true) in ways that actually made sense, and let the engineers figure it out, whereas Elon steps in and makes suggestions/demands that leaves the engineers trying to steer him away from said "suggestions..."

 

[csnwbd2251]

Why is Elon a POS?

Haters gonna hate. I feel sorry for people who let it control their lives.

 

[Gloor]

Yes, "looks horrible" was subjective but I still added that it seems inferior (when looking at specs).

The original person asked you what you would go for and first thing you pointed wasn't available so thats why I was wondering why?
Right now, Tesla is the best EV car available (price/value).

Sure, Porsche might be nice but its still Porsche - impractical car for bald middle aged men trying to 'catch' younger girls.

If you want practical car for a family etc. then Tesla wins hands down. Their Model Y for example is a fantastic car that still hasn't been surpassed by anyone.

Anyway, you don't like Tesla I get it. It seems to be a trend these days to hate Tesla because of Musk. I don't get that sentiment but thats just me

The post I replied to asked my opinion, and that is what I gave in response. Moreover, "looks horrible" is an entirely subjective statement; obviously your tastes will differ from my own.

I also go out and mention which cars aren't available yet, so it's unnecessary to point out. It's especially irrelevant from my perspective, since I'm not actively shopping for a car.

Glad to see Taycan is agreeable at least! Cheers.

 

[ThomasPicard]

Two use cases I see for this:

1) Runners, I would not have my phone with me if I were doing anything very active.

2) ...

Exactly that would be the perfect usecase for me

When I am running - I don't take my iPhone with me - too bulky - and only have my AppleWatch Ultra (with SIM) an my Airpods - my iPhone stays with BT turned off in the car.

Until now I always take my keycard with me - thats not a problem - but using my Watch to unlock would be even much better

 

[Neodym]

ID7 you can't buy yet so thats not an option.

That depends on the market. In Europe it's already available.

 

[DesertSilver]

Ignoring how people feel about Elon, the argument that people don’t want a Tesla solely because it doesn’t have Carplay is getting so old. The bottom line is that Carplay makes up for the atrocious UI/UX in 99% of cars on the market today. My family drives Teslas and I have zero want for Carplay in it. However, when I drive another type of car, whether I’m borrowing from a family member or renting on a vacation, I absolutely want Carplay.

So if you’ve never lived with a Tesla, I can totally understand your personal feelings that you don’t want it because of Carplay, if that’s what you’ve been used to to make up for your own vehicles lacking UI/UX.

But on the topic of this thread, I’ve been using Tessie ($5/month subscription) to connect my watch to my Tesla, which has been working well, overall. However, there’s a native Apple Watch limitation that an app isn’t constantly searching for a bluetooth connection, seemingly for battery considerations, so users of the app typically need to open the app on the watch to have it explicitly connect to the car, if the phone isn’t nearby. Not a big issue, just a minor inconvenience. This is not an issue originating from Tesla or Tessie, it’s again native to Apple‘s OS implementation. I’m wondering if/how Tesla will get around this to make the experience better for us.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

Yes, "looks horrible" was subjective but I still added that it seems inferior (when looking at specs).

It's not great to shop by paper specs alone. One always should consider "do I like this, actually?"

The original person asked you what you would go for and first thing you pointed wasn't available so thats why I was wondering why?
Right now, Tesla is the best EV car available (price/value).

Polestar 2 is available though? I could buy one today if I were so inclined (and they had a color I like in stock, not a guarantee these days!).

If you want practical car for a family etc. then Tesla wins hands down. Their Model Y for example is a fantastic car that still hasn't been surpassed by anyone.

Missed the part where I don't particularly like SUVs / Crossovers. Cars are like shoes - one needs to consider comfort, aesthetics, sizing, etc. Not everyone is a Nike guy, not everyone is a Red Wing guy. Hence why I only mentioned sedans, save for the Rivians which I irrationally adore.

Anyway, you don't like Tesla I get it. It seems to be a trend these days to hate Tesla because of Musk. I don't get that sentiment but thats just me

You misunderstand - I find them generally unattractive. They don't look good to my eye - I wouldn't be interested even if Musk vanished off the face of the earth. His presence definitely isn't helping things though.

I'll give a little bit of credit though, the Model 3 refresh is a marked improvement on the visual side of things. The whole line is overdue for a design language refresh, IMO.

 

[Gathomblipoob]

So you have no problem driving a car created based on Hitler's idea, but you take issue driving a car developed by a man who has started, or helped start, multiple multi-million dollar companies that have changed the way people communicate, connect to the internet, drive, go to space, pay for things online?

Where did I say anything about the Tesla?

 

[Neodym]

Right now, Tesla is the best EV car available (price/value).

That's subjective. And it differs between persons, based on what a person values in a car.

Sure, Porsche might be nice but it's still Porsche - impractical car for bald middle aged men trying to 'catch' younger girls.

The Porsche SUV's are as practical or impractical as other SUV's.

If you want practical car for a family etc. then Tesla wins hands down. Their Model Y for example is a fantastic car that still hasn't been surpassed by anyone.

Now that's a bold statement! Depending on what features you look at, other car makers have good cars to offer as well - also for families! -, which may also surpass a Tesla in various areas, e.g. comfort, assistance systems, ergonomics, car-specific user interface, service locations etc.

As said before, it depends on personal preference (and maybe the specific market in question - the U.S. market may be big, but it isn't the only one in the world).

Anyway, you don't like Tesla I get it. It seems to be a trend these days to hate Tesla because of Musk. I don't get that sentiment but thats just me

Considering that Elon Musk often presented himself as the personification and head honcho of Tesla, it seems unsurprising that people can't or won't distinguish between both anymore.

 

[miamialley]

Plus the Search function for Apple Music in a Tesla is better than CarPlay. You have more screen real estate to show you relevant results.

And I don't believe Apple Maps (via CarPlay) has satellite-view navigation yet?

Apples maps doesn’t, but Google Maps does have satellite view in CarPlay (and you don’t have to pay for it).

I’ve heard that the Apple Music app in Teslas doesn’t show you your complete playlists, but rather, only the first number of songs. Is that true?

 

[JRSmith42]

I never lock my vehicles or house anywho

You would if you lived here.