Walk Away Lock works reliably again. 2025.8.4

SoMEtesla

New member
Nov 4, 2024
5
5
3
For what was probably several months My 2023 MY did not reliably lock when I walked away. I am using an Iphone 16 pro that was up to date both IOS and Tesla App. I also had similar issues with an Iphone 7. The car had run a number of software versions, the most recent that failed was 2025.8.4. More than 50% of the time I would walk away and discover the car had not locked. A small percentage of these failures included a message that the car had lost contact with the phone (after I walked away). I do not use the setting to leave the car unlocked at home and the problem occurred both at home and away. Since upgrading to 2025.8.4 a couple weeks ago, and 2025.08.06 5 days ago., I have not experienced any walk away lock errors. I can't state the specific software version that introduced the problem but would not be surprised if it was the version that introduced the ability for the app to communicate directly with the car with blue tooth when close enough.
 

K.I.T.T.

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2024
375
264
63
Italy
That's weird. If the phone lost connection, well that would be a very good moment to consider it "away" (provided that the car is at a full halt, you aren't sitting inside, you don't have seatbelts on, etc.). Looks like an overzealous handling of UWB proximity more than the sheer direct Bluetooth connection, which would have affected also non-UWB devices, and the ones you listed are all UWB-capable.
 

SoMEtesla

New member
Nov 4, 2024
5
5
3
It happened so often I would open up the phone's bluetooth setting page and watch as I walked away to see when the car became disconnected, switch back to the tesla app and see the car still unlocked. One time I came inside my house (about 50' around the front and in the front door). I would then walk a few feet inside toward the car. The podcast I had been listening to would start streaming to the car again. I could walk away and have it stop. I repeated this several times and the car remained unlocked, AC on. It would also keep the lights on most of the time ( I don't have the lights on after exit enabled). And at least one time after locking remotely with the app the lights stayed on. This happened with at least two versions of software and despite a few resets and a power down by me. All this bad behavior is 100% gone with the 2025.8.4 and 8.6
 

K.I.T.T.

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2024
375
264
63
Italy
Well that's good. Anyway, lots of these things are done by trial and error. One would think that security-related features would be tested more extensively, though. I put a clearly distinctive Airbus autopilot disconnect alarm for the car close, so if I don't hear it, I know... I have forgotten the phone in the car :)
Or, conversely, if I hear it at the garage, I may have forgotten to turn the Garage profile (with walk-away disabled) before leaving.