3 Tesla Features Worth Knowing: Phone Key, Auto Wipers and FSD (Supervised)

Quick Read

• This week's three Tesla features are the phone key, Auto wipers and Full Self-Driving (Supervised).

• A phone key unlocks the car when you pull a door handle and can lock it as you walk away, but the car can't tell whether the phone is inside or outside.

• Auto wipers use the car's cameras to spot rain, and a Tesla engineer says a software change this spring added wiper motor friction sensing to cut down on dry wipes.

• FSD (Supervised) is a $99 a month subscription in the U.S. and still needs a fully attentive driver, and Turo guests can start booking it Oct. 28.

Welcome back to our weekly Tesla features column. Every Tuesday we pick three Tesla features, explain what they do, show you how to use them and add a tip for driving in the Willamette Valley. So far we have covered Pet Mode, scheduled preconditioning and Sentry Mode and headlights, Trip Planner and Camp Mode. This week is about the key most owners carry without thinking about it, the wipers that matter most in an Oregon November, and the driver assistance package that is suddenly available to Turo renters.

Menu paths can shift a little between software versions, and some features depend on your car's hardware, so if something looks different on your screen, check the owner's manual for your model. We link to Tesla's own pages throughout.

1. Phone key

What it does: Your phone can be your Tesla's key. As you walk up, the car detects your phone's Bluetooth signal and the doors unlock when you pull a handle. When you walk away, the doors can lock on their own if Walk-Away Door Lock is turned on, according to Tesla's Model 3 manual. Once a phone is set up, it no longer needs an internet connection to work as a key. Tesla's vehicle keys support page says that in most Tesla vehicles, the phone is the primary key.

How to set it up:

• On the car's touchscreen, turn on Controls > Safety > Allow Mobile Access.

• On your phone, make sure Bluetooth is on, Bluetooth is allowed for the Tesla app, and the app's location access is set to Always.

• Stand near or sit in the car, open the Tesla app, sign in, and touch Set Up Phone Key on the main screen, or go to Security > Set Up Phone Key. Follow the prompts on the phone and touchscreen.

• Tesla's support page says you can choose whether the phone key unlocks all doors or just the driver's door.

• Turn on automatic locking under Controls > Locks > Walk-Away Door Lock. The Doors section of the manual explains an Exclude Home option if you don't want the car locking itself in your own driveway.

Which models: Tesla's support page describes the phone key as the primary key in most Tesla vehicles, and every model's manual covers it. The Model 3 manual also says you can set up an Apple Watch as a key.

Tip: Tesla's manual has a caution aimed squarely at Oregonians: don't leave your paired phone in the car while you go hiking or to the beach. The car can't tell whether the phone is inside or outside, so a phone left in the cupholder at a Silver Falls or Cannon Beach trailhead is like leaving the keys in an unlocked car. If you must leave it, turn off Bluetooth or power the phone off. Also carry the key card. Many phones shut off Bluetooth when the battery is low, and a cold day on the coast or up the Santiam can drain a phone fast. With the key card, you tap the driver's side door pillar to unlock, then place it on the card reader in the center console's phone charger area if the car asks you to authenticate again. Note that Walk-Away Door Lock works with a phone key or key fob, not the key card. Tesla's mobile app page also recommends keeping a physical key handy in places with poor cell service, like a parking garage.

2. Auto wipers

What it does: Set to Auto, the wipers detect precipitation and adjust the wiping speed and intensity on their own, according to Tesla's Model 3 manual. Tesla does this with its cameras rather than a traditional rain sensor. The manual still labels the Auto setting BETA and says that if you are unsure about it, operate the wipers manually.

What's new: Not a Tesla App reported in April that Tesla engineer Yun-Ta Tsai confirmed a software change, already rolled out across the fleet by over-the-air update, that measures friction between the wiper blade and the glass by watching how much power the wiper motor draws. Water makes the glass slick, so the car can feel the difference between rain, dry glass and grime, which helps it avoid dry wipes and trigger a washer spray when needed. Tsai said more winter improvements to washer fluid, defrost and defog behavior are part of the FSD v14.3 update.

How to use it:

• Press the wiper button (on the steering wheel in newer Model 3s, on the end of the turn signal stalk in others) or touch Controls > Wipers, then choose Auto. You can also roll the left scroll button to pick a setting, or use a voice command.

• In Auto, a press of the wiper button temporarily increases the wipers' sensitivity.

• The manual settings are I (slow intermittent), II (fast intermittent), III (slow continuous) and IIII (fast continuous).

• Press and hold the wiper button to spray washer fluid. The wipers make two more wipes after you let go, and sometimes a third a few seconds later.

• When you engage Full Self-Driving (Supervised), the wipers are set to Auto. You can change them, but they go back to Auto the next time you engage it.

Which models: Auto wipers are part of Tesla's current lineup, and Not a Tesla App reported the friction update reached the whole fleet. As always, check your own manual for your model and software.

Tip: Willamette Valley drizzle is exactly the light, misty stuff that has tripped up camera-based wipers. If Auto falls behind on I-5, tap the wiper button once for a quick boost in sensitivity rather than switching it off. Tesla's manual also warns to turn the wipers off before a car wash, to make sure the wiper blades aren't frozen to the windshield, and to clear ice before running them, since ice can damage the rubber. That matters on a frosty morning or a trip over the pass. With fall leaves and road grime on the glass, check and clean the blade edges now and then, and replace a damaged blade right away.

3. Full Self-Driving (Supervised)

What it does: FSD (Supervised) is Tesla's most advanced driver assistance package. Tesla's FSD support page says the currently enabled features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous. In the U.S., it costs $99 a month as a subscription, and Tesla says it is not available for outright purchase. You can cancel anytime and keep it through the end of the billing period, but subscriptions aren't refunded. As we reported Monday, Turo and Tesla are also launching verified FSD (Supervised) rentals for U.S. guests starting Oct. 28.

How to turn it on:

• To subscribe, open the Tesla app and go to Upgrades > Software Upgrades, or open Controls > Upgrades on the touchscreen and swipe to subscribe if your car is eligible. Only the Tesla account that owns the car can subscribe in the app. The car needs a software update before the features show up, according to Tesla's subscription page.

• Depending on your car's hardware, Tesla says you may need a prerequisite upgrade at extra cost first. The app's Software Upgrades screen will tell you.

• To enable it, touch Controls > Self-Driving > Full Self-Driving (Supervised) and read through the user agreements.

• To engage it on newer Model 3s, you must be in the driver's seat with your seatbelt buckled and the headlights set to On or Auto. Press the right scroll button on the steering wheel, at speeds below 85 mph, including from a stop, according to the FSD section of the Model 3 manual.

Which models: Tesla says the features available depend on your vehicle's configuration, hardware, software version, region, model, trim and model year. Check eligibility in the Tesla app under Upgrades > Software Upgrades.

Tip: The cabin camera watches whether you are paying attention while FSD (Supervised) is engaged, and you can't turn that off. Look away too often and the car will tell you to pay attention to the road. Ignore the warnings and it can turn Self-Driving off for the rest of the drive. If you are trying it for the first time, whether you subscribe for a month or rent a car with it on Turo, start on a route you already know well, like your commute on Commercial Street or a stretch of I-5, and keep your hands ready. Remember that when you engage it, the wipers flip to Auto too, so on a wet valley day you can see right away whether they are keeping up.

Next Tuesday

That's three more. A new column runs every Tuesday morning in our EV & Tech section, and we won't repeat a feature. Have a Tesla feature you want explained? Let us know in the comments.

Cover photo: A red 2023 Tesla Model 3 with the driver's door open. Photo: Willamette News.