The Tesla app now supports ultra wideband (UWB) in the 2024.2.3 version of the iPhone app. Spotted Not a Tesla app, promises a more reliable and secure use of phones as digital keys than Bluetooth as the precise UWB tracking allows the car to know exactly where the key is, which also helps protect against spoofing attacks.
The article says it even boils down to knowing which user is on the driver’s side of the car in case two people who have phone keys to the car get into it. It’s the same kind of precise tracking that lets you pinpoint Apple’s AirTags even when the thing they’re attached to is lost in the cushions of your couch.
The change isn’t available for Android users yet, but some recent Pixel and Galaxy phones include UWB chips, so support may come to them over time.
After downloading the update, users should be prompted to “Upgrade Your Phone Dongle,” followed by a request to give the app access to Nearby Interactions, an iOS setting that opens up the iPhone’s U1 chip to the app. This can be found under Settings > Privacy & Security > Nearby Interactions.
According to Not a Tesla app, only the latest Model 3 and Model X from 2023 support the feature, while the newer Model X and S and the Cybertruck should have it. All iPhones from 11 onwards come with UWB, excluding the SE models.