Tricks with the iPod touch & Circe the Tesla Model 3

I'm cheap. I know you can't tell that from the TM3 (Tesla Model 3) but indeed it is so. Now I think maybe I should back pedal and say thrifty.  I'll spend for quality as Circe attests. One pet peeve is monthly bills. My phones speak to that - for years a flip phone until I found the unlocked Fire phone from Amazon on deep sale - $110. Combined with T-Mobile 30 dollar ($35 with tax) monthly service I was happy for a while. Amazon had their version of an android store with a fair number of apps.  At first I could sideload google play for more apps but that stopped functioning after an update and I didn't really worry about it. Cheap phone with a basic set of apps I was happy.

Then the Tesla Solar Roof was installed - I needed the Tesla app - no go with Firedroid. Looking for a cheap answer I picked a low cost 5th gen ipod 32gb for about $120. This worked great with my Mac laptop and indeed loaded the IOS Tesla app to watch my Tesla Solar and configure how the Tesla Powerwall was utilized. Happy Camper no new monthly bills.

Firedroid not happy with Tesla App

One thing I could not find out online was whether the Tesla Model 3 'phone key' function could work with the iPod touch? The iPod touch gave me access to the Tesla App but for some reason the showroom delivery didn't have Circe linked to the app. I used the showroom wifi to get net access but no luck. This turned out to just be a delay. In the meantime I simply used the magic Tesla keycards. I also set up Bluetooth pairing - giving me iPod music in addition to the Circe's Slacker streaming tunes.

My car appeared in my app later that afternoon at home. The iPod was on the home wifi and indeed could unlock the car from inside the house up house net and down 3g into the car. I now entered the car and enabled 'phone key' with the card and ipod together in the car. Driving the car a half mile I stopped far from wifi and tested the now netless iPod touch - works perfectly as a Tesla key over bluetooth.

Sadly this nice iPod Touch is probably just going to be a backup key. Why?

Of course it's not a phone service for the car. So I went and connected the Firedroid via bluetooth. Import contacts - fail. Media - fail. Hmmm. I really need to use a hands free phone - my neighboring state of Maryland tickets and I don't really like being the guy holding a cell phone driving anyways. Commiserating with a friend he looks at me and say why not an iPhone? I say cost of phone and cost of service. He looks at me like he's talking to an impaired senior. He may have a point.

Dave is dumb about phones.

In a few minutes we find a scratch/dent unlocked iPhone 6S for about $240 w/tax. It arrives in a couple days, looks in ok shape, and I move the sim card. ( I didn't know this was this simple or could be done with Android to Apple.)  For $35 a month I only get an hour of talk but I use my free Google home phone for most talking. I also have 5GB high speed data with unlimited throttled. Plenty for me - I use home computers more than the phone. Most of the time I prefer interacting with others to sticking my nose in a phone. Old guy symptoms grin.

New refurbie 6S and iPod 5 - both excellent Circe TM3 keys.

In addition to more connected, it's better for Waze.  The onboard gyros also work with stellar night sky display programs much nicer. The iPod Touch is still at use playing music and is a backup key.  If there is a question I'll check it out but otherwise it's done it's job with the car. Neither iPhone nor iPod seems to work with Carplay. Not an issue as of now for me. Below Circe at home with the Think.