This is a list of commonly asked questions related to Watchla support. If you think something should be added, please reach out.
To download Watchla on iOS, you'll need an iOS or padOS device that has iOS 14 or later installed.
To download Watchla on your Apple Watch, you'll need an Apple Watch Series 1 or later and will need to have watchOS 6 or later installed.
If you would like to utilize Watchla's Bluetooth features, you'll need an Apple Watch Series 2 or later with watchOS 6 or later installed.
Note: For Bluetooth connectivity, your Tesla will also need to support PhoneKey. All Model 3 and Y vehicles support PhoneKey. All refreshed Model S and X vehicles built on or after 2021 support PhoneKey.
If you would like to utilize Watchla's Bluetooth features while the app is in background, (eg: having Watchla passively unlock your door while the app is not open) you'll need to have an Apple Watch Series 6 or later with watchOS 9 or later installed.
Note: Bluetooth while in background can be limited by your Apple Watch's battery managment system, please see below for more info.
To start, download Watchla’s iOS companion app here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/watchla/id1546599747
Once the iOS companion app is downloaded, you can download Watchla’s watch app by going to the “Watch” app on your iOS device, then on the "My Watch” screen scroll down to the “Available Apps” list and tap the “install” button next to Watchla. This should trigger a Watchla watch app download on your paired Apple Watch.
If you run into trouble downloading Watchla from the App Store on your Apple Watch or iOS device, please contact Apple Support.
At minimum, you only need to use Watchla’s iOS companion app to sign in to Watchla. Once signed in your authentication status will automatically transfer over to the Watchla watch app on your Apple Watch.
After you sign in, you do NOT need to keep Watchla’s iOS companion app installed on your iOS device in order to use Watchla on your Apple Watch. Watchla does not rely on Watchla’s iOS companion app to interact with your vehicle, it can run completely independent of it.
Even though the Watchla watch app does not need its iOS companion app to function properly, it’s recommended to keep Watchla’s iOS companion app downloaded on your paired device, as the iOS app provides a suite of functionality that enriches the Watchla experience. (eg: Siri Shortcuts, Custom Layouts, etc)
If you are able to use your phone as a Bluetooth key in your Tesla, then your Tesla is most likely compatible with Watchla’s Bluetooth connectivity features.
In general, it is believed that all Model 3 and Y vehicles are compatible and all refreshed 2021 and later Model S and X vehicles are compatible as well.
Keep in mind that your vehicle needs to support Phone Key and you need to have Allow Mobile Access enabled on your vehicle's touchscreen (Controls > Safety > Allow Mobile Access)
To set up Bluetooth, go inside and have your Keycard handy. Once inside, open the Watchla app on your Apple Watch. Then navigate to Preferences, select Manage Bluetooth, tap Start, and then I'm ready.
When prompted, place your Keycard below the cupholder as you normally would to authenticate your Keycard with your vehicle. After a few moments you should receive a confirmation that Watchla has connected to your vehicle! When you receive this confirmation, you can then start using Watchla to interact with your vehicle.
Keep in mind that:
• you need to have Bluetooth enabled for Watchla (Paired iPhone -> Settings -> Watchla -> Bluetooth)
• you need to ensure that Allow Mobile Access is enabled on the vehicle touchscreen (Controls > Safety > Allow Mobile Access).
• your Tesla needs to support Phone Key for Watchla to be able to connect to it over Bluetooth.
Over Bluetooth, Watchla can:
• send commands to your vehicle
• receive vehicle status updates
• passively lock and unlock your vehicle
• wake your vehicle
• Remotely open doors (for compatible vehicles, running compatible vehicle software versions)
The Watchla app can connect to your vehicle over Bluetooth while it is in background. Keep in mind however, that Apple Watch apps like Watchla are heavily limited by watchOS in the amount of time (per day) that they have to communicate over Bluetooth while in background. This is to preserve your Apple Watch's battery life.
Because of this, Watchla might not always be able to communicate with your vehicle over Bluetooth while it's in background.
Therefore, it's a good idea to confirm that your vehicle successfully locks when you walk away from it when the only key you have with you for your Tesla is your Apple Watch. Similarly because of this Apple Watch limitation, sometimes you might have to open the Watchla app for your Apple Watch to connect to your vehicle over Bluetooth.
On Watchla’s iOS app, goto Preferences -> Siri Shortcuts -> then add the Shortcuts you would like to use (eg: open trunk)
Once added, you can start interacting with said Siri Shortcut on your iOS device.
Once you have followed the steps above to enable Siri Shortcuts for iOS:
Goto the ”Shortcuts” app on your iOS device -> select the 3 dots button on a Watchla shortcut -> select the settings button -> select the “Details” tab -> then turn on "Show on Apple Watch”
Pro tip: to speed up the time it takes to transfer the Siri Shortcut to your Apple Watch, force close and restart the “Shortcuts” app on your Apple Watch.
You can force close the “Shortcuts” app by tapping the long button on your Apple Watch and then sliding left on the “Shortcuts” app.
When you re-open the Shortcuts” app you should see your new shortcut populated on the screen. From there, you’re all set and can start using that shortcut in Siri on your Apple Watch.
There are a few reasons why Shortcuts might not transfer from your paired iOS device to your Apple Watch, chief among them being iCloud Storage reaching capacity.
The Shortcuts app relies on iCloud to transfer Shortcuts. If your iCloud storage is full, your shortcuts will not transfer to your Apple Watch. To fix this issue, make sure your iCloud Storage is not full.
Other possible issues:
- You might need to re-engage iCloud Sync for the Shortcuts app. Here’s a helpful Apple Support article regarding iCloud Sync for Shortcuts: https://support.apple.com/guide/shortcuts/sync-shortcuts-apdb3a4240b0/ios
- Your Apple Watch and iOS device might be experiencing pairing issues. If your Apple Watch is not paired properly or experiencing pairing issues (common among Apple Watch users) then there could be a communication disruption between your devices causing Shortcuts not to sync properly. Here’s a helpful Apple Support article regarding this: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205025
- Your devices may just need to be restarted. Sometimes pairing and communication issues between iOS devices and Apple Watch can be resolved by restarting both devices. If you think you are experiencing pairing issues, this is a good first step.
Yes. To prevent Watchla from waking your vehicle, turn on ‘Do not wake’. This will ensure that Watchla will NOT wake your vehicle when it is asleep.
Alternatively you can choose to enable ‘Do not wake in background’, which will prevent Watchla from waking your vehicle during regular vehicle status updates while the Watchla app is in the background for things like watch face complications and critical vehicle alert monitoring. However, Watchla will still be able to wake your vehicle while you have the Watchla app open so that there are no vehicle communication interruptions while you are performing tasks in the Watchla app. If you’re worried about Phantom Drain, ‘Do not wake in background’ is most likely the best option for you.
Disclaimer: turning on ‘Do not wake’ or ‘Do not wake in background’ may cause vehicle communication interruptions during the Watchla experience as Watchla will not attempt to wake your vehicle if it is found to be asleep.
To access Wake Settings in the Watchla app, goto “Preferences” -> “Wake Settings”.
Watchla offers complications for many watch faces. Here is a helpful guide that details how to add complications to a watch face: https://support.apple.com/guide/watch/customize-the-watch-face-apda6559ad78/watchos
This indicates that Watchla could not successfully communicate with your vehicle to get current vehicle data. This can be caused by numerous things, but its best to ensure that both your vehicle and your Apple Watch have stable and reliable connections to the internet. Sometimes vehicles can experience low LTE coverage when parked in certain places like parking garages and metal garages. If a 408 status code is indicated in the error, please see 408 for more info.
This indicates Watchla successfully contacted Tesla servers, however when Tesla servers tried to communicate with your vehicle, your vehicle took too long to respond. Often times this can happen when your vehicle is in deep sleep or it is experiencing a less than ideal connection to the internet.
This means that the request made from Watchla to the Tesla API failed. This could be because your Apple Watch is experiencing difficulties connecting to the internet or Tesla's servers are experiencing difficulties.
Since the introduction of version 2.0 of Watchla, Signing in to Watchla using Authla has been discontinued.
Watchla’s iOS companion app is now the sole place to sign into Watchla. Once signed in on Watchla’s iOS app, your authentication status will automatically transfer over to Watchla’s watch app and you will be signed in there as well.
Watchla’s iOS app offers the ability to either sign in with Tesla or sign in with a Tesla token.
You can still use a token you obtained from Authla to sign in to Watchla. If you do choose to sign in with a token, Watchla recommends that you use Authla, its sister app, for a robust and easy experience.
Open the Watchla app on your Apple Watch, goto the "Preferences" screen, and scroll down past the "Sign Out" button until you see the "app version:.." label.
The app version format is as follows:
version (build number).