Using Tesla Phone Key

What Is Tesla Phone Key Detection?

Tesla vehicles with Phone Key support continuously broadcast a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signal. This is the same signal that lets you unlock and start your Tesla by simply walking up to it with your iPhone.

GeoHook can pick up this signal and use it for vehicle detection — allowing you to create webhook conditions like “only trigger when I’m near my Tesla.” The best part: no extra hardware needed. Your Tesla already broadcasts the signal; GeoHook just listens for it.

How it works technically: GeoHook uses Apple’s iBeacon ranging API to detect the BLE signal that your Tesla broadcasts. During setup, GeoHook scans for matching signal candidates and lets you pick your vehicle from the list. After that, detection happens automatically in the background.

Supported Tesla Models

Model	Phone Key Support	Notes
Model 3	✓ All years	Supported since launch
Model Y	✓ All years	Supported since launch
Model S	✓ 2021+	Refreshed Model S only
Model X	✓ 2021+	Refreshed Model X only
Model S (pre-2021)	✗	No Phone Key hardware
Model X (pre-2021)	✗	No Phone Key hardware
Cybertruck	✓	Supported

If you can unlock your Tesla by walking up to it with your iPhone, your vehicle supports Phone Key and will work with GeoHook.

What’s Required

For GeoHook to detect your Tesla via Phone Key, one condition must be met:

At least one Phone Key must be set up on the vehicle. This is what causes the Tesla to broadcast the BLE signal that GeoHook listens for.

Important: The Phone Key does not need to be on the same iPhone that runs GeoHook. It can be any iPhone (or even an Android phone) — as long as at least one Phone Key is configured on the vehicle, it will broadcast the signal. If you share the car with a family member who has Phone Key set up on their phone, that’s enough.

If no Phone Key is configured on the vehicle, the Tesla will not broadcast the BLE signal, and GeoHook will not be able to detect it.

Setting Up a Phone Key on Your Tesla

If you haven’t set up a Phone Key yet, there are several ways to do it:

Tesla App: Open the Tesla app on your iPhone, select your vehicle, and follow the prompts to set up Phone Key. The app will walk you through the pairing process.
Vehicle touchscreen: On your Tesla’s center display, go to Controls → Locks → Keys and tap “Add Key.” Then hold your iPhone near the center console to pair.
Owner’s Manual: The built-in manual on your Tesla’s touchscreen (tap the car icon → Owner’s Manual → search for “Phone Key”) has detailed, model-specific instructions. You can also find it at tesla.com/ownersmanual.

Setting Up in GeoHook

Open GeoHook and go to Settings (gear icon)
Under the Devices section, tap “Tesla Vehicles”
Tap the + button (or “Add Tesla”)
The wizard asks how you want to detect the vehicle — choose “Tesla”, then confirm that your model has Phone Key support
Sit in your Tesla (or stand right next to it) and tap “Start Scan”
GeoHook scans for signal candidates. Select your Tesla from the list — it should be the entry with the strongest signal (highest RSSI value)
Give the vehicle a name (e.g. “My Model 3”) and tap “Save”

Why sit in the car? GeoHook cannot uniquely identify the signal as coming from a Tesla. Other devices nearby may broadcast similar signals. By sitting in the car, your Tesla’s signal will be the strongest candidate, making it easy to pick the right one. If multiple Teslas are parked nearby, you’ll see multiple candidates — yours should have the highest signal strength.

After saving, use the Test button on the vehicle’s detail page to verify detection. Walk away from the car and back again to confirm that the “Nearby” status changes correctly.

Subscription Required

Tesla Phone Key detection requires an active Tesla & iBeacon or Premium subscription in GeoHook.

Understanding the Signal Behavior

The Tesla Phone Key signal has characteristics that are important to understand for reliable automations:

The Signal Is Always On

A Tesla with Phone Key broadcasts its BLE signal continuously — 24/7, regardless of the vehicle’s state. This means:

The signal is broadcast when the car is locked and asleep
The signal is broadcast when the car is parked in the garage
The signal is broadcast when the car is not being driven
The signal never turns off (unlike a USB iBeacon that only has power when the car is running)

This is by design — the car needs to continuously broadcast so it can detect your phone approaching and unlock the doors. But for GeoHook, it means the “vehicle nearby” condition can be satisfied even when you’re not driving.

The Signal Has a Long Range

Bluetooth Low Energy signals from a Tesla can travel a surprisingly long distance, especially outdoors:

Outdoors: The signal is often detectable from 30–50 meters or more, depending on obstacles and conditions
Through walls: The signal passes through walls (wood, drywall) with some attenuation. If your Tesla is in the driveway and you’re inside the house, your iPhone will likely still see the signal
In a garage: If the garage is attached to the house, the signal will often reach into adjacent rooms

Practical impact: When approaching home on foot, your iPhone may detect your parked Tesla well before you actually reach the car. This can cause a “vehicle nearby” condition to be satisfied when you don’t want it to — for example, triggering a “garage door open” webhook when you arrive home walking, not driving.

Dealing with Unwanted “Nearby” Triggers

Because the Tesla always broadcasts and has a long signal range, you may encounter situations where the “vehicle nearby” condition is met when you don’t expect it. Here are strategies to handle this:

Strategy 1: Increase the Geofence Radius

This is the most effective approach. The idea is simple: make the geofence large enough that you trigger it before the Tesla signal reaches you.

Edit your location in GeoHook
Increase the geofence radius to 200–400 meters (or more, depending on your surroundings)
When you arrive by car, you’ll enter the geofence while you’re still driving — the Tesla is obviously “nearby”
When you arrive on foot, you’ll enter the geofence far away from the parked Tesla — the signal hasn’t reached you yet, so the “nearby” condition is not met

Rule of thumb: If your Tesla is parked at home and its signal reaches about 30–50 meters, a geofence radius of 250+ meters gives you a comfortable buffer. When you enter the geofence from 250 meters away on foot, the Tesla’s Bluetooth signal won’t reach you.

Strategy 2: Use a Lead-In Area

GeoHook supports lead-in areas — additional geofences placed around your main area that trigger earlier. When combined with a vehicle condition, this helps the app distinguish driving from walking:

Edit the location and add a lead-in area
Place it so that you enter it before reaching Tesla signal range when approaching on foot
Optionally enable the directional check so it only triggers when you’re actually heading toward home

The lead-in area wakes up GeoHook’s precision monitoring as you approach, giving the app time to evaluate whether the Tesla is truly nearby (because you’re driving it) or just parked at home.

Strategy 3: Combine with iBeacon

For maximum reliability, you can use a USB-powered iBeacon in the car instead of or in addition to Phone Key. A USB iBeacon only broadcasts when the car has power (ignition on), which eliminates the “always on” problem entirely. See the Using iBeacons guide for details.

Quick Setup Checklist

Confirm your Tesla model is supported (Model 3/Y all years, S/X from 2021)
Ensure at least one Phone Key is configured on the vehicle
In GeoHook: Settings → Tesla Vehicles → +
Sit in your Tesla and start the scan
Select the strongest signal candidate and save
Test detection by walking away and returning
Consider increasing your geofence radius to avoid false “nearby” triggers when approaching on foot

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