Name: Keylo – Key for Tesla
Rating: 4.6 (32 reviews)
Author: pacoz

Keylo turns your Garmin watch into a key for your Tesla. The watch talks to the car directly over Bluetooth - no phone, no internet, no account, no subscription. No data is sent to anyone.

WHAT IT DOES
- Unlocks when you pull the door handle, like a phone key
- Lets you drive: press the brake, pull the drive stalk down
- Lock, unlock, trunk and frunk on demand: pick with UP/DOWN, press START
- Optional "Comfort unlock" (experimental): wakes the car and unlocks it as you walk up

YOU NEED
- A Tesla that supports phone keys
- Your key card (once, for pairing)
- Your 17-character VIN

SETUP (ONCE)
1. Enter the VIN in the Garmin Connect app on your phone: Device - Connect IQ Apps - Keylo - Settings. The VIN is at the bottom of the windscreen and in the Tesla app under vehicle details. Without it Keylo only shows a setup hint.
2. Sit in the car. In Keylo press MENU, choose Pair and place the key card on the console behind the cup holders right away. The car does not ask for the card, and the time window is short.
3. The car screen asks whether to add the new key. Confirm it. Many cars ask several times - users report up to 5 to 7 times. Keep confirming until the question stops. The watch then shows up in the car's key list under Controls - Locks.
If it does not go through, Keylo repeats the request - just place the card again.

DAILY USE
Open Keylo shortly before you reach the car. The screen shows "Searching ...", then "Connecting ...", then "Key active" with a tick. From then on the car unlocks when you pull the door handle. The watch stays quiet; no button press is needed.
To drive: brake, stalk down. To lock when you leave: select Lock with DOWN and press START. A selection expires after five seconds.
Tip: add Keylo to your favourite apps so it opens with one button press.

COMFORT UNLOCK (MENU, OFF BY DEFAULT, EXPERIMENTAL)
The watch wakes the car and unlocks it before you touch the handle, so mirrors and lights come on as you walk up. Depending on the car this can take several seconds, and sometimes the car does not unlock this way. The door handle works either way. If you prefer the proven passive key, leave it off.

GOOD TO KNOW
- Keylo only works while the app is open. Connect IQ gives no Bluetooth access to background services.
- The key stays signed in for ten minutes. Every button press and every request from the car restarts that period. Then Keylo signs off to save battery; one button press brings it back.
- Walk away and the connection drops; the car locks. Come back and Keylo reconnects on its own while the app is open. This takes a few seconds - if the first pull on the handle does nothing, a second one usually works.
- A car the watch has never seen is searched for three rounds, then the screen shows "Out of range". A button press or restarting the app searches again.
- On older watches (e.g. fenix 6) the first connection after the car has been parked for a long time can take a few seconds longer.
- Instinct 2, 2S, 2X, Instinct Crossover and Descent G1 stay on version 1.1.3 for now (not enough memory).
- Tested by the developer with a 2024 Model Y. Users report it working with a 2026 Model Y and a 2026 Model 3. Other models and firmware versions should work but are not verified.

IF SOMETHING DOES NOT WORK
Open MENU - Details on the watch. The log starts with the version number. Send a photo of it via "Contact developer" in the Connect IQ store and describe what happened.

SECURITY
The secret key is stored in the app storage of the watch, not in a separate security chip. Whoever gets hold of your unlocked watch can open the car - just like with a lost key card. Remove a lost watch in the car under Controls - Locks.

Keylo is an independent project, not affiliated with Tesla, Inc. or Garmin. All trademarks belong to their owners.