Insight on wristband key availability / production

[NY_Rob]

Super simple for me. Hopefully you guys have the same luck!

Thank you for your write-up instructions.. I plan to ask Rivian to add my wristband as soon as it arrives.

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[kyunam]

I’m confused..

Wristband only comes with the launch edition?

 

[godfodder0901]

I’m confused..

Wristband only comes with the launch edition?

Yes.

 

[kyunam]

Yes.

I didn’t know it’s that special. I have one and I’m gonna wear it everyday!

 

[HighVoltOverland]

The use case is for those who surf, swim and just want a key that is water/sweat-proof and as minimalist as possible. Not my use case, but I can certainly see who might want it. Personally, I'd rather have the Apple-Watch-As-Key they've been testing internally since I wear one and would rather not wear yet another device. Plus, a wrist-bound key is a little more handy—and direct—than a phone app (especially when proximity unlocking is less than responsive).

As a surfer and open water swimmer I would still wear my watch (or I did, until I lost my watch at the airport a month ago) as it provided me with fitness tracking and surf info (Dawn Patrol)
Also taking a call from my wife while past the break just to let her know I’m still alive was always worth it to me
The watch would be great for a key as the only time I wasn’t wearing it was sleep (Hoping an ultra 2 announcement next month brings more battery improvements )

 

[Riptide]

As a surfer and open water swimmer I would still wear my watch (or I did, until I lost my watch at the airport a month ago) as it provided me with fitness tracking and surf info (Dawn Patrol)
Also taking a call from my wife while past the break just to let her know I’m still alive was always worth it to me
The watch would be great for a key as the only time I wasn’t wearing it was sleep (Hoping an ultra 2 announcement next month brings more battery improvements )

Which watch band do you use? I have an Ultra but folks loose Apple Watches so frequently in the ocean in Hawaii it kinda a running joke. Every lifeguard stand on the island has a daisy chain of lost/found Apple Watches that flew off in the surf.

I’m hoping to utilize the Rivian band In the future.

 

[AbjectFray]

My Guide has told me several times the bands are only going to LE owners and once they have them, they're gone. They were never going to release them to anyone else.

Not sure why some here are holding Rivians feet to the fire for something when they said they wouldn't expand who gets them.

 

[Deacon]

This seems like an incredibly easy item to manufacture. There’s nothing unique about it.

That said, I don’t get the use case. I have my phone on me 95% of the time and my AppleWatch 100% of the time. I’d rather they figure out how to get AppleWatch as a key.

Exactly! Apple Watch as a key is better option.

 

[AbjectFray]

Exactly! Apple Watch as a key is better option.

Yes please!

I am shocked this hasnt happened already. RJ proudly sports an AppleWatch Ultra with the yellow band.

 

[Deacon]

Yes please!

I am shocked this hasnt happened already. RJ proudly sports an AppleWatch Ultra with the yellow band.

Love the canyon red truck - that’s an awesome picture!

 

[AbjectFray]

Love the canyon red truck - that’s an awesome picture!

Thank you sir!

 

[JeffADK]

Since I don't have an LE, I bought a wristband from a service center. It is not a daily wear item for me, but I use it for convenience at times that I don't normally keep a phone on me (swimming at a beach, doing dirty manual labor, etc.) I agree that it takes one-two seconds longer to activate the door than the cardkey, but that is still a lot faster than getting to wherever I stashed my phone.

But the biggest reason I got the wristband is "entry insurance", or maybe "entry assurance". In the past year I had an iPhone that suddenly decided to die for no apparent reason (turned out it was a circuit board failure). I hate to depend completely on a single battery-powered electronic device. So I keep a cardkey in my wallet, and I rely on the wristband for the times I don't have my wallet on me.

Trigger warning for Apple evangelists! I also don't want Rivian to prioritize Apple watch use over other features. I admittedly use an iPhone, but I don't want Apple (watches), Tesla (chargers), or any other company to lock us in to dominant closed ecosystems. So if Rivian supports watches, it should include any BT-enabled watch, including Android, Garmin, and others. This is the same basic reason that I don't think CarPlay should be a priority.

 

[wpnelson]

can't believe i missed an ebay seller with these - I've been looking. for those of you that ordered multiples, lmk if you are willing to part with one. thx

 

[wwheelkid]

If you guys see one come up for sale I would be definitely interested. When I go for a run it would be much better to have on me than to have the key fob or phone to carry.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

My Guide has told me several times the bands are only going to LE owners and once they have them, they're gone. They were never going to release them to anyone else.

Not sure why some here are holding Rivians feet to the fire for something when they said they wouldn't expand who gets them.

Rivian itself is partly to blame. A year ago when production started, and when they released that video about all of the keys, they very publicly said the band would be available for all to purchase through the Gear Shop at a later date. Then, at the start of this year (I think) that position changed to "we have no plans to offer it through the Gear Shop at this time". This is right around the time Wassym said they are testing Apple-Watch-As-Key. Then as time went on, people noticed keyband content in one communications they received during 8-Steps, and they were not Launch Edition orders. I took delivery mid-July and saw the same content. IMO, this is likely a failure to update and manage their customer comms. But, the mixed messaging is leading to confusion and even arguments among the customers.

To me, these keybands are distractions. It's both a hardware production and software problem for Rivian. And, likely a very low priority one in the grand scheme of things (ramp!). Also, I can't imagine these bands having enough profit margin to be anything but a very low priority. Whatever misgiving any of you may have towards Apple, AWAK poses only a software problem for Rivian. No chips to source. No bands to produce. No physical logistics/distribution to deal with. And unlike Apple CarPlay, it cedes zero control to the Cupertino based tech giant.

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