Digital Key Support coming in 2025.46 OTA Update this month

[mkhuffman]

Not sure why they can't produce reliable performance for everyone like Tesla. and many other car brands. This complaint resurfaces constantly on the Rivian subreddit. I've just learned to live with it - but it's another reason I won't be purchasing another Rivian until serious improvements are made in QA, for both the vehicles and software, across the board.

Very strange.

You have a Tri-Max just like me, but I have never had a PaaK failure since I took delivery in March. The only issue I have had is when I put the phone in my back pocket. If I do that it does not always recognize I have walked up. But if the phone is in my jacket pocket, or in my hand, it always unlocks. Always.

My complaint with PaaK is it unlocks when I am too far away. Definitely I would not trade that behavior with failure to unlock when I am standing next to the truck, but it worries me because someone could jump in before I get there. Minor worry. Very minor.

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[Donald Stanfield]

It's not. Common complaint on all the forums. I''ve had 3 different iphones. Tesla works flawlessly every time. For my Rivian, I'm frequently left waiting at the door, being forced to pull my phone out of my pocket to get in (as many others report). I thought this was intended to fix that performance, if not, then they need to. It's the worst PAAK I've ever had on any vehicle. (I also get the same garbage performance with the key fob). I feel ike my gen1 may have actually been a bit better, but it wasn't good either.

Your truck must be an anomaly, because practically perfect is not a description I've seen for Rivian PAAK before.

This is intended to fix that performance. In my experience PAAK is streaky. It will be perfect for a month then I will have a few days or a week where it is super laggy and unresponsive then back to perfect again.

I’m hoping this update makes it consistently operate as it does on a hot streak. FWIW I feel like my gen 1 was a bit better than the current implementation on my trimax. Fingers crossed this solves the problem.

 

[waitingonanr1s]

This is intended to fix that performance. In my experience PAAK is streaky. It will be perfect for a month then I will have a few days or a week where it is super laggy and unresponsive then back to perfect again.

I’m hoping this update makes it consistently operate as it does on a hot streak. FWIW I feel like my gen 1 was a bit better than the current implementation on my trimax. Fingers crossed this solves the problem.

Same observations. Also agree on gen1 being slightly better.

 

[tate16t]

Not sure why they can't produce reliable performance for everyone like Tesla. and many other car brands. This complaint resurfaces constantly on the Rivian subreddit. I've just learned to live with it - but it's another reason I won't be purchasing another Rivian until serious improvements are made in QA, for both the vehicles and software, across the board.

This is the risk we all take. Tesla still has its share of problems as well.

Check this Lucid post,

 

[waitingonanr1s]

This is the risk we all take. Tesla still has its share of problems as well.

Check this Lucid post,

You couldn't pay me to own a Lucid. Not sure what this has to do with Tesla.

Tesla's PAAK on my 2023 MY works flawlessly - like literally every time I just grab the handle and the door opens. My GV70 proximity entry worked much better as well (never used PAAK too much with it, since I'm a fob person. My R1S has the exact same problems with the fob too). I can give Rivian a pass on not being as well polished as Tesla across the board, but PAAK should be solved by now. Hopefully this does it.

 

[SANZC02]

You can add my PAAK experience to the practically perfect list. There were problems very early on but were addressed with updates.

I have a gen 1 and PAAK works fine for me as well. I have never had an issue with mine.

 

[tate16t]

You couldn't pay me to own a Lucid. Not sure what this has to do with Tesla.

Tesla's PAAK on my 2023 MY works flawlessly - like literally every time I just grab the handle and the door opens.. My GV70 proximity entry worked much better as well (never used PAAK too much with it, since I'm a fob person. My R1S has the exact same problems with the fob too). I can give Rivian a pass on not being as well polished as Tesla across the board, but PAAK should be solved by now. Hopefully this does it.

I own a Tesla as well. Trust me they’re not all bells and whistles either but further along. My PAAk works perfectly on both my Rivian and Tesla.

Lucid is just an example since you mentioned many other brands.

 

[waitingonanr1s]

I own a Tesla as well. Trust me they’re not all bells and whistles either but further along. My PAAk works perfectly on both my Rivian and Tesla.

Lucid is just an example since you mentioned many other brands.

Got ya - yeah I meant established auto manufacturers. Clearly there's some difference that drives some people's vehicles to be hit or miss, while others work flawlessly. A few weeks ago my PAAK, fob, manual unlock in the app all failed to get me in. Only the keycard worked. Once everything started up again it all worked fine.

I think it just all boils down to spotty QA, as have most major problems I've experienced with my Dune. If I could get my Gen 1 back with just the ADAS components replaced for Gen 2 - I'd buy that vehicle today. It's getting better, but still overall has been more buggy than my Gen 1 ever was.

 

[tate16t]

Understood. Rivian is not an established auto manufacturer. They’re getting better, still have room for improvement.

 

[jrmbadger]

It's not. Common complaint on all the forums. I''ve had 3 different iphones. Tesla works flawlessly every time. For my Rivian, I'm frequently left waiting at the door, being forced to pull my phone out of my pocket to get in (as many others report). I thought this was intended to fix that performance, if not, then they need to. It's the worst PAAK I've ever had on any vehicle. (I also get the same garbage performance with the key fob). I feel ike my gen1 may have actually been a bit better, but it wasn't good either.

Your truck must be an anomaly, because practically perfect is not a description I've seen for Rivian PAAK before.

My Paak also works every time on my Gen 1 R1S with my iphone 16 pro. I will say that Tesla forums also have complaints about their Paak, although fewer lately. See e.g., Tesla Motor Club - there are also some tips in that thread about some phone-based settings that may help.

 

[waitingonanr1s]

My Paak also works every time on my Gen 1 R1S with my iphone 16 pro. I will say that Tesla forums also have complaints about their Paak, although fewer lately. See e.g., Tesla Motor Club - there are also some tips in that thread about some phone-based settings that may help.

Might look at it, but I have my 23 MY key and R1S key on my iphone Air. I've only owned the MY for 5 weeks, but it's just never failed (and I'm in and out of it a bunch). I noticed no change when upgrading from the 13 to the Air in September - it was the same problems. But the fob also has the same issue. I think there's a parts or installation issue that make some vehicles work better than others.

 

[jrmbadger]

Might look at it, but I have my 23 MY key and R1S key on my iphone Air. I've only owned the MY for 5 weeks, but it's just never failed (and I'm in and out of it a bunch). I noticed no change when upgrading from the 13 to the Air in September - it was the same problems. But the fob also has the same issue. I think there's a parts or installation issue that make some vehicles work better than others.

I wonder if the sensors are prone to high failure rates or were not installed correctly? For example, I have "Rivian Phone Key" and "Rivian Sensor 1", "Rivian Sensor 3", and "Rivian Sensor 4" under the "My Devices" as "Connected" bluetooth devices - although I do frequently see "Rivian Sensor 2" as well. I wonder if one or more of your sensors is malfunctioning? Just a thought.

Couple other ideas:
1.) make sure background app refresh is enabled for the Rivian app
2.) make sure you give the Rivian app "always" location, allow bluetooth, and local network permissions.
3.) make sure you leave the rivian app running in the background of your phone.

 

[mkhuffman]

This is the risk we all take. Tesla still has its share of problems as well.

Check this Lucid post,

That guy is a dork.

 

[portdirect]

I wonder if the sensors are prone to high failure rates or were not installed correctly? For example, I have "Rivian Phone Key" and "Rivian Sensor 1", "Rivian Sensor 3", and "Rivian Sensor 4" under the "My Devices" as "Connected" bluetooth devices - although I do frequently see "Rivian Sensor 2" as well. I wonder if one or more of your sensors is malfunctioning? Just a thought.

Couple other ideas:
1.) make sure background app refresh is enabled for the Rivian app
2.) make sure you give the Rivian app "always" location, allow bluetooth, and local network permissions.
3.) make sure you leave the rivian app running in the background of your phone.

The issue with the current PAAK model is that it's an inherently flawed approach that results in this massive divergence of user expereince. At least for Gen1 (where it's been pretty well reverse engineered) it utilizes RSSI to actually determine when to unlock - after having done the auth flow. I don't see any reason to suspect that gen2 operates with a fundamentally different approach (until the next software lease that is! ):

When the phone is initially detected, it causes the lights to flash - but its only when the signal crosses the threshold that it actually gets the R1 to unlock.

Modern phones are aggressive in power saving - which means that depending on a large number of circumstances the radios TX level is dynamically adjusted. There's just far too many factors to provide a consistent experience for the RSSI threshold to be crossed. In an attempt to mitigate this - Rivian are/were testing multiple phones to map phone model to the appropriate 'trigger' RSSI - but then you need to account for cases, OS version, other bluetooth accessories, battery level, human/environmental interference/attenuation etc - its a nightmare.

I have a draft of a far to long blog format post on this, but life got in the way. The TLDR of it is that Rivian have actually done a really impressive job of making an inherently flawed approach to work as well as it does - and im so excited to actually have a proper ranging mechanism now on the horizon. Your advice is good @jrmbadger , but is only one part of a horrendously long daisy-chain of failure points.

 

[portdirect]

I am guessing it will look exactly like this, i.e. your card key

I'm guessing it looks exactly like the three keys in apple wallet on the other side of the picture you cropped The only question being - how is the color chosen I want a compass yellow one!

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