Hercules Rockefeller

Has anyone noticed that if you have a smart phone next to your key fob you cannot start your car? I guess all that electronic noise coming off the phone jams the signal from the fob... but that makes me wonder if it might be possible to get an app that programs the phone to "learn" the fob and replace the key fob altogether. Would this be possible, i.e. can any smart phones on the market communicate on the same frequency as the key fobs in these cars?

notn41

That's a really cool idea if it worked I would do it!

TORQJNKY

I usually keep my Droid in the cup holder with my key fob and have never had an issue. Here is something close to what you are thinking about, http://gigaom.com/apple/cool-iphone-...ally-anywhere/ but I think it requires some type of module to be installed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mto6-akGxws

naradz06

Yep it just happened to me yesterday. Fob and phone in same pocket. Had to remove keys from pocket for car to start.

1.8t

My iPhone does the same thing with my car.

JDMUSCLE

It has happen to me from time to time.... But never thought it was the phone that was scrambling the connection.

I thought it was the battery going down on the key fob.

90sundevil

I noticed it also, always get the feeling if someone is looking they might think I am playing a little pocket pool while trying to open my door.

SeattleC4

It is definitely possible to have an app for your key fob, biggest problem is finding someone willing to invest there time and money to create one.

This is just a ruff estimate but you would be looking to pay around 1-5k for design and development, you could eventually make your money back and much more but you would need to find the talent to make it happen.

Me personally, I would only pay for something like that if it open doors, started my car, showed gauges like gas, volt, alarm status. Anymore and I'd be a happy man, good luck in your search and let us know what you find.

Hercules Rockefeller

yeah that's what I thought at first too, but I changed the battery and it kept happening. Then one day it was really bad and I just started playing around with the location of the phone. I found that if I held it right above the key fob it wouldn't work, and if I removed it the car started just fine. Repeated it about 3x and concluded this is likely what's going on.


The only thing I don't know is, whether or not the iphone can actually communicate on the appropriate frequency to interface with whatever the car is expecting to use to talk to the key fob. But if it turns out the iphone can do this, I think it would be pretty cool to have an app that replaces my key fob. I'll look into it. I don't know too much about how the itunes store works, or how to program iOS, but I know some people that do. If the development cost is a few thousand, it sounds like you might be able to make your money back relatively easily (but I also have no idea what percent of the sale price Apple let's the developer keep). All I would want is for the phone to be able to lock/unlock my car, and start it... I personally wouldn't care about gas, voltage, or any other gauges.
If any of you guys want to go in on it, might be a nice little side business venture.

Edited to add: Looks like GM has an app available for their newer (2011) cars. Seems like it works through On-Star though, and they market it as being able to start the car remotely (clearly this is not available for any manual tranny cars).

andy82

Same here

ALLANB

Just happened to me yesterday. No key fob found and had phone in same pocket. Took awhile to figure it out. I have iphone 4.

OnPoint

My Blackberry has interferred a couple times before.

Doesn't surprise me that an IPhone might.

JetBlue427

my wireless card on my laptop messes with the FOB...was a bitch to fiqure out the first two times it happened

z10

I rented a new Jeep Cherokee Limited this past week and it wouldn't start with the fob in my pocket. Just never put 2&2 together. My iphone 4 was in the same pocket.

So, there is probably a lot more potential for a phone app than just us Vett owners.

u1arunit

Has anyone with a Android OS type phone had this problem?

ssspconcepts

Same issue here with my Z06. We have also had this happen with our Kia and Lexus. All three vehicles intermittently report "no fob detected" when the iPhone and fob are in the same pocket.

It would be great if there was an app to replace the fobs. However, given that the OnStar app only works with 2010+ vehicles, the fob app would also probably only work with 2010+ vehicles.

P0LISH SAUSAGE

Same here...never made the correlation until now, I just figured my FOB was flaking out.

08VRZ06

I can believe it!! Have you seen the videos where they take 4 cell phones, arange them on a table so they are all pointing at each other (forming a square in the center) and placing 4 - 5 kurnels of popcorn in the middle and then call all 4 phones at the same time? It pops the popcorn......

Mark

1badassZ

Happens when ever I have the bluetooth enable on my iPhone on.

CYA OFSR

That is a fake and not possible.