Unlocking the car at home is maddening

[McLovin]

Yeah, that was a long time ago though. Things change. I can't remember any other car I've driven(owned, or even airport rental cars) in the past 10 years where I've ever had to pull something(phone, fob) out of my pocket to unlock, start the car, or lock the car. This is a solved problem, and somehow Rivian chose to way overcomplicate it.

Yeah, I agree. Was just having a little curmudgeoney fun.

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[SoCal Rob]

Good to know. That works when you're at home with proximity-unlocking set to OFF WHILE AT HOME?

Sorry, I thought you were experiencing the problem everywhere since you wrote, “I tend to think it's not the PaaK that's the problem here, since the car is detecting that something is present enough that it will allow me to open the frunk/liftgate”
Originally, you were indicating that the phone app wasn’t working reliably and/or giving you an error. That’s why I asked about testing with a different phone.

Rivian made the (bad, in my opinion) decision to not include physical or capacitive buttons on the door handles. Because there is no button on the door handle, there is nothing to trigger an unlock request when proximity unlocking is off other than pressing a button on the fob/phone or presenting a card or wristband at the driver’s door handle.

On the other hand, the truck “knows” that you want to open the frunk, lift gate (R1S) or tailgate / gear tunnel doors / power tonneau (R1T) when you press the corresponding physical button. Then, if the vehicle detects a valid fob or phone it will open what you want.

So, are you saying that the app doesn’t work reliably/gives errors at home ONLY or everywhere?

 

[CrazyOne]

Yeah, that was a long time ago though. Things change. I can't remember any other car I've driven(owned, or even airport rental cars) in the past 10 years where I've ever had to pull something(phone, fob) out of my pocket to unlock, start the car, or lock the car. This is a solved problem, and somehow Rivian chose to way overcomplicate it.

You are correct, I gave up long back and use the fob now.

Other option is to have HVAC running 10 minutes before you get to the car. It responds much better to lock/unlock commands both from phone and fob as it's not sleeping.

 

[tjrivian]

On the other hand, the truck “knows” that you want to open the frunk, lift gate (R1S) or tailgate / gear tunnel doors / power tonneau (R1T) when you press the corresponding physical button. Then, if the vehicle detects a valid fob or phone it will open what you want.

So, are you saying that the app doesn’t work reliably/gives errors at home ONLY or everywhere?

Proximity-unlock works pretty well everywhere else. Not 100%, but works enough for me not to have a big complaint about it. It's only at home where proximity-unlock needs to be disabled(because leaving it enabled would create constant unlocks due to being close inside the house) that these issues occur. I still think that it's completely stupid with proximiity-unlock disabled that the car will open the frunk in response to the frunk button press, but that frunk button press does not trigger door handle unlock. I've pressed a button, and you've authenticated me. Why would you not unlock the door handles at that point? Why make me dig my phone out and make me open an app and press a button in the app(that sometimes doesn't work)?

 

[shrink]

The solution in iOS (I'm sure there's an Android equivalent) is this:

Settings --> Privacy and Security--> Location Services --> Rivian --> While Using the App (Not Always).

Then just quit the app at home. No more unnecessary unlocking.

You will just have to launch the app as necessary when you will be using the car.

 

[CrazyOne]

Proximity-unlock works pretty well everywhere else. Not 100%, but works enough for me not to have a big complaint about it. It's only at home where proximity-unlock needs to be disabled(because leaving it enabled would create constant unlocks due to being close inside the house) that these issues occur. I still think that it's completely stupid with proximiity-unlock disabled that the car will open the frunk in response to the frunk button press, but that frunk button press does not trigger door handle unlock. I've pressed a button, and you've authenticated me. Why would you not unlock the door handles at that point? Why make me dig my phone out and make me open an app and press a button in the app(that sometimes doesn't work)?

It often unlocks while I am sitting inside the home I am visiting or the restaurant. That's a good 1.5 to 2 car lengths away.

 

[lefkonj]

I was frustrated by the card at first then a service tech said 'Don't be a typical impatient man, hold the card there for 5-10 seconds' and BAM opens every time. If I kept my rivian outside I would probably use the Key Fobs since it is the most reliable and the phone is annoying to deal with for this.

 

[derekmw]

Holding it 5-10 seconds for the card is annoying to me. In my Tesla and Rivian? When I surf, I turn off Bluetooth on my phone and lock the vehicles with my key card. When trying to unlock, I have to wait holding the card on the door handle for it to open whereas the Tesla immediately responds when tapping the key card.

 

[tk21]

I've never owned a vehicle before my gen1 R1S that was so maddening to unlock, particularly at home. At home my gen1 R1S is parked in the driveway, and I regularly am in a part of the house near the driveway which means that if I leave proximity unlock ON at home then it constantly unlocks itself. So I can't do that, and have it set for proximity-locking at home, but not proximity-unlocking.

So now to unlock the car at home I have to pull my phone out of the pocket, open the rivian app, and press the unlock button. Annoying, but if it works then fine I can live with it. But more than half the time it doesn't work, pressing the unlock button in the app will just give me an error. So I stand there like an idiot for a few minutes trying to figure out how to get into my car. All while this isn't working to unlock the door handles, the car lets me press the buttons on the frunk and on the liftgate and it will open those doors! Why the hell would it not immediately unlock the door handles once it has already decided that it will respond to my trunk/liftgate button presses affirmatively?

Is this something wrong with my particular vehicle, or is this a widespread problem? Is there any solution to not have to stand around for 2 minutes until the app finally allows me to press the button to unlock the door handles?

Same. Pisses me off daily. I have now conditioned myself to unlock it from the house on my phone prior to heading to the garage.

 

[atebit]

It's not that the truck doesn't know the phone is near it makes the vampire coffin creaky noises and random boops and bops while walking near it just refuses to unlock for a good while.

There’s been a fix for a while for the coffin sounds. I wish that I could say the same for PaaK performance.

 

[SoCal Rob]

I still think that it's completely stupid with proximiity-unlock disabled that the car will open the frunk in response to the frunk button press, but that frunk button press does not trigger door handle unlock. I've pressed a button, and you've authenticated me.

For the off at home, think of proximity unlock as proximity unlock the doors and present the handles. That’s the behavior we’re changing with that setting.

Why would you not unlock the door handles at that point? Why make me dig my phone out and make me open an app and press a button in the app(that sometimes doesn't work)?

I think this could (should?) be a user selectable setting. I can see some people having safety concerns with what you’re describing. It makes sense to me as another choice in addition to proximity unlock at home.

My last car was a Ford and the main part of the handle was a capacitive sensor for unlocking plus there was a little raised area which was a capacitive sensor for locking. As long as you had the fob with you, opening was intuitive: grab the handle and pull. I miss that.

 

[emoore]

The solution in iOS (I'm sure there's an Android equivalent) is this:

Settings --> Privacy and Security--> Location Services --> Rivian --> While Using the App (Not Always).

Then just quit the app at home. No more unnecessary unlocking.

You will just have to launch the app as necessary when you will be using the car.

Or if you have an iPhone 15 pro or later you can program the action button to unlock the doors. Works well for me. Don’t have to take my phone out of my pocket but I still have to press the button to unlock.

 

[iansriv]

Back in my day, we had to insert a “key” into the “lock” and “turn” to unlock….uphill…both ways….in 4ft of snow….

My dad used to tell a similar story of walking to med school in the snow and drying his socks on the heater, then walking back home in the snow and warming his socks on the heater. Years later, I talked to one of his friends and he was laughing so hard at that story. He told me my dad was the biggest partier in the school!

 

[iansriv]

I've never had an issue with PAAK. Works flawlessly. Sounds like an issue with the car. I'd give Rivian a call.

 

[s4wrxttcs]

Haha, its as if I traveled back in time to a land without proximity locking.

Thankfully I have a 2018 MB Sprinter Van that's also stuck in the past. So they share the same novelty of pulling out the fob and pressing a button.

That works 99.99% of the time with the van, and 98% of the time on the Rivian. Sometimes the Rivian just wants a bit more attention before it lets me in.

It's also for people that have more than 1 physical location they stay at where the fob is nearby. Rivian only allows one location to have lock only.

I guess they don't love their mothers.

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