Questions owners ask
Straight answers, from what kWhKey does on our own cars every day. Something missing? Write to us - see Support.
Can I unlock my car with my Galaxy Watch or Pixel Watch?
Yes. kWhKey's Wear OS app is a Bluetooth key: standing next to the car, hold the button on the watch and it unlocks - no phone and no internet needed. It works on Wear OS watches such as Galaxy Watch4 or newer and Pixel Watch, and it is included with the subscription.
How do I set up kWhKey on my watch?
Install kWhKey on the watch from Google Play. Then, on your phone, open kWhKey and tap ⋮ > Watch > Set up watch, with kWhKey open on the watch. To make the watch a key, add it once at each car, with the car's key card.
Does it work without cell signal, like in a parking garage?
Yes. Lock, unlock and drive work over Bluetooth directly between your phone or watch and the car. Controls from a distance (climate, charging, trunk, Sentry) need the internet, because they go through kWhKey's server and Tesla.
How does the Bluetooth key work?
Each phone and watch makes its own key, and you add it to the car once, standing at the car, with the car's key card on the console. That is the car's own rule: without the key card you can't prove you own the car, so nobody can add a key from a distance. The key's private part never leaves your phone or watch. After that, next to the car, kWhKey's buttons go straight to the car over Bluetooth; away from it, the same buttons go over the internet.
Why does my car keep waking up?
kWhKey's wake-up page shows every time your car woke, what woke it - a drive, charging, someone at the car, an app, or the car itself - and for how long. On one of our own cars it found Cabin Overheat Protection waking the car dozens of times an afternoon. Knowing the cause is how you stop the battery drain.
My app says a door is open, but it is closed. Why?
The car reports a door only when it changes. If the car's "closed" message is lost on the way, the last word stays "open". In kWhKey, tap Wake while the car is awake: kWhKey asks the car for its doors right then and corrects it. Opening and closing the door once also fixes it.
Can my family use it too?
Yes. Invite them to your household. One subscription pays for a car on every phone and watch in the household, and a household can have up to 20 cars. Every command is in the household's activity log, with who sent it.
How do I invite someone, or remove a phone or watch?
An owner of the household invites: on the Android phone, open kWhKey and tap ⋮ > Invite someone. Members don't pay - an owner subscribes for each car. To remove a phone or watch, an owner opens one of the cars, then Security > Devices, and taps Remove next to it: it can then no longer reach your cars. If it was also a Bluetooth key, remove that key on the car's own screen too (Controls > Locks) - kWhKey cannot take a key off a car.
How do my cars get into kWhKey, and how do I remove one?
When you sign up with the Tesla account that owns them, kWhKey adds the cars on that account. A car that is already in another kWhKey household is not added - its owner can share it with you instead. To remove a car, an owner opens the app's menu and taps Delete my data > Remove one car (for your last car, delete the household instead).
Can I see my friends' cars in kWhKey?
Yes. Add friends who use kWhKey with a code from the app, and their cars show up next to yours: their photo, model, year and paint, plus what each friend chooses to share - miles, range when full, time on FSD, efficiency, software version, and whether the car is driving or charging. You choose the same for them. Nobody ever sees where a car is, its charge, or any control.
Does kWhKey warn me about severe weather where my car is?
Yes. Every 15 minutes kWhKey checks the U.S. National Weather Service for severe warnings near each of your cars - a tornado, a flash flood, extreme heat, a fire-weather day - and tells your household once, with the warning's own words and what to do. It sends only a rough position (about 11 km). You can switch weather alerts off under Notifications.
How much does kWhKey cost?
$4.99 per car, per month, or $199.99 once per car for lifetime access. Every feature is included, the watch app too. There are no ads, no free trial and no yearly plan. You cancel in Google Play.
What happens to a car nobody pays for?
It is locked in kWhKey, for that car only, on every phone and watch of the household: no controls, charging, live data, history, actions, notifications or watch face for it, and kWhKey's Bluetooth key doesn't open or start it. The car itself, your Tesla key card, key fob and the Tesla app still work as always, and nothing is deleted. Subscribe again and everything comes back by itself within a minute or two. If a payment fails, the car keeps working while the store tries again, for at least a week.
How do I cancel?
In Google Play: open the Play Store app, tap your picture, then Payments & subscriptions > Subscriptions > kWhKey > Cancel subscription. The car stays paid until the end of the month you have already paid for. Deleting the app, or deleting your kWhKey household, does not cancel a subscription.
Can I get a refund?
Google Play's own refund rules apply: ask Google Play. For lifetime access, Malina LLC refunds all of it if you ask support@kwhkey.com within 14 days of paying. The Terms of Service say the rest, monthly refunds included.
Will kWhKey tell me if a tire is losing air?
Yes. kWhKey watches each tire's pressure and tells you in a sentence when one is dropping, for example right after a drive. The check was rebuilt after we replayed it against our own cars' pressure history and found it missed real losses.
Does kWhKey track me or sell my data?
No. kWhKey does not sell personal information and does not share it for advertising. It shows no ads and has no analytics code. kWhKey keeps what your cars report - including where they have been - on its own server in the United States, so it can show it to you, and the privacy policy lists all of it and how long it is kept. You can delete your household at any time.
How do I delete my account?
In the app: open the menu and tap Delete my data. Owners can remove one car or delete the whole household; members delete their own phone. Or write to support@kwhkey.com from the email address of the Tesla account you signed up with, with the subject "Delete my kWhKey data", and we finish within 7 days. Deleting does not cancel a subscription: cancel it in Google Play first.
What do I need to use kWhKey?
An Android phone with Android 13 or newer, a Tesla, and the Tesla account that owns it. A watch is optional: kWhKey's watch app needs Wear OS 4 or newer, for example a Galaxy Watch4 or newer, or a Pixel Watch. Older Tizen watches like the Galaxy Watch Active2 can't run it, but they still show kWhKey's phone notifications. kWhKey is sold in the United States.
Who makes kWhKey?
kWhKey is an independent app, published by Malina LLC. It is not made by, endorsed by, sponsored by or affiliated with Tesla, Inc. It connects through Tesla's official Fleet API, with your permission.
How do I get help?
Write to support@kwhkey.com. We answer within 3 business days. Tell us which phone or watch you use and the kWhKey version on it, which car, and what happened.