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How to Manually Install Car Keys on Your Phone

Tradelocks introduce ‘Car Keys on Your Phone’, the extension product to the KD900 that will not only increase the services of the auto locksmith but the profits too!

The Car Keys on Your Phone App will allow you to offer your customers an additional service – the ability to unlock their own car using just their smartphone – that is once it has been installed by the professional.

It works by generating a remote using the KD900 and a KD entry dongle, and then pairing it to the mobile smartphone app via Bluetooth. An auto locksmith must install the OBD entry into the car either manually or diagnostically for the system to work.

How to Manually Install the Car Keys on Your Phone App

Take for example a vehicle such as the Jaguar Excite. You have been called out to a job where your customer has locked their car keys inside their vehicle and needs them retrieving. Firstly you would pick open the vehicle using the Lishi tibbe pick.

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Pick the lock using the Lishi tibbe pick

Take the KD entry dongle and install the software for the vehicle in question, in this case the Jaguar vehicle – to do this use the KD900.The first stage is to get into the vehicle and retrieve the car keys, as you would on any job. But here is an opportunity to offer your customer another service, the installation of the Car Keys on Your Phone App (also known as Tap-a-Car-Key App) which can be installed during your job:

So, now you must take the KD entry device and plug it in using the KD900 lead. Treat it simply as if you were creating a standard Jaguar remote.

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Plug your KD entry device into the KD900

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Generate the remote using the KD900

So generate remote – Excite Jag – 433MH for the UK – Ok – make remote

As we all know KD900’s are very simple to use – so now your KD entry device is the equivalent of a Jaguar remote.

The next stage is to manually programme it into the vehicle and pair it to your smartphone.

Do your research and find out where the OBD port is in the car. In the Jaguar it is just by the accelerator pedal. Take the back off the OBD entry product and you’ll be able to see the LED light up when you plug it into the OBD port – meaning you’ve successfully got power.

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Locate the OBD port in the car

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The LED will light up on the OBD entry product when plugged into the port

After plugging it into the OBD, go into Bluetooth settings on your smartphone and search for the device. You will see the KD entry that you want to connect to. Your default password is always 6 zeros, so ‘000000.’ Now you can see that the Bluetooth device has paired with your phone.

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Pair the device with the smartphone via Bluetooth

Treat the OBD dongle as if it was a normal remote key and programme that remote key into your vehicle.

With jaguar vehicles of this year all you have to do is programme the remote in manually.

4 turns of the key in the ignition until you hear a sound – press the lock button on your smartphone – you’ll be able to hear from the vehicle that is has been synchronized as if it was a normal remote.

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Manually programme the remote by turning the key in the ignition

Now test it for real, lock the car and unlock using just the smartphone, the car should unlock.

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Unlock using the smartphone

So next time your customer locks their key inside their vehicle, if you have fitted the automatic entry using the mobile phone app, they can press unlock using their phone and they can get back into their vehicle and get their keys back out independently.

So what’s the benefit of Car Keys on Your Phone for the locksmith?

Your customers don’t want a repeat of the situation, and the hassle of having to call out a locksmith if they lock their keys in their car again. So, chances are they would snap your hand off at the opportunity to solve the problem themselves – especially in the time of gadgets and gizmos! Car lovers and the technology savvy will love Car Keys on Your Phone and it will fast become a must have item – making offering this particular service very profitable for you!