Remember the days before Bluetooth when you can’t use your phone in your car? At least legally anyways.
Well now, thanks to advancements in in-vehicle technology, answering and making phone calls in the car is a breeze.
Stay connected and have access to an emergency lifeline in roadside assistance with your phone connected to your vehicle.
The Tesla Model 3 has made making calls inside the vehicle super easy with a number of ways to quickly place calls.
We’ll walk you through how to set up your phone in the Tesla Model 3 as well as the different methods to make a call.
Pairing a Phone with the Tesla Model 3
Before you can start chatting up a storm in your Tesla Model 3, you’ll have to pair your phone to your vehicle via Bluetooth so you can access it.
This is similar to how you pair most phones to other vehicles and requires a couple of steps.
First, turn on the Bluetooth in the vehicle and on your phone to make it searchable. (HINT: The Bluetooth icon is on the top right of your settings screen.) Next, find your phone by tapping Add New Device and searching for it. Now you can pair the phone.
If you need a deep dive into pairing, here’s our how-to for getting you set up in your Tesla Model 3.
With its Bluetooth capabilities, you can pair other devices with your Model 3 as well. Tablets and multiple phones can be synced to your vehicle for easy access.
If you need to unpair a phone, like disconnecting an occasional driver’s phone, you can simply hit Disconnect in the Bluetooth settings screen. If you want to erase a phone entirely from your Tesla Model 3, you can choose Forget this Device.
Here’s a video walking through the pairing and unpairing of Bluetooth devices.
Now that you’re paired with your car, let’s talk about how to make calls in your Tesla Model 3.
How to Make a Phone Call in Tesla Model 3
You’re driving along when suddenly you realize you didn’t confirm the time you were meeting your friend for dinner. Damn, now what?
Well, let’s make a call.
You’ve got some options here on how you want to initiate that call.
Option 1: Use Voice Command
Keep those hands on the wheel and instead use voice controls in your Tesla Model 3 to make a phone call.
Steps
Here’s how to do it:
- Step 1: Initiate voice commands by pressing the right scroll button on your steering wheel or tapping the microphone button on the touchscreen. You should hear a tone to let you know the voice command is ready to hear your instructions
- Step 2: Say who you’d like to call. For example, “Call John.”
- Step 3: Wait as the voice command is performed or press the voice button again to instantly send your command.
Now you’re talking! Voice command is a convenient, hands-free way to get in touch with your contacts.
It is a powerful tool for a lot of additional activities you can perform in the car. Check out this video which walks you through all the different voice controls you can use while driving your Model 3.
The Tesla manual even has a whole section dedicated to the different voice commands you can perform, including climate control, navigation, and using apps.
Option 2: Use the Touchscreen
Obviously not as hands-free as the voice control option, but you can also make a phone call by using the touchscreen in your Model 3.
From the main center screen, choose the phone icon and a dialer will appear at the bottom of the screen.
Now you can type in any number you wish to dial and place your call.
Option 3: Use the Phone App
Also technically using the touchscreen, you can navigate to the phone app and touch any phone number listed there to place a call. You can find all your stored phone numbers in Contacts, Calls, or Calendar.
To navigate to the phone app, open up the App Launcher and you’ll see the Call button on the far left. This is also where the Calendar app is to place a call from there.
This is handy if you know that you have an upcoming meeting in your calendar with your contact’s info. You can simply pull it up from the touchscreen Calendar and hit the phone number attached.
Note too that if you’re the passenger in your vehicle, you can also go ahead and use your cell phone to place the call and the Bluetooth will kick in so you can resume your call hands-free.
Finding it hard to hear your calls in your Model 3? You may need to adjust the volume for your in-vehicle calls.
Rolling the scroll button on the left side of the steering wheel will control the volume for media, navigation instructions, and your phone calls based on what is currently in use. Play around with the scroll button to find your perfect levels.
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How to Answer or End a Phone Call in Tesla Model 3
On the flip side, answering calls in the Tesla Model 3 is even easier than placing them.
Here’s how you answer a call. When a call comes into your phone, the touchscreen will display the caller’s number or name (if they are known to you and are in your contacts list), so you can either press Answer or Ignore to respond.
While you can no longer use the scroll wheel to accept an incoming call, which is a bit of a nuisance to owners of older Tesla models, this new method is still very straightforward.
Also, to end the call, users find themselves wanting to do so from the steering wheel. But you will have to disconnect from the touchscreen as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
While the technology to make calls in your Tesla is there, that doesn’t mean you won’t run into some issues from time to time.
Here are a couple of common issues:
- Audio issues where the phone call audio cuts out from the internal sound system
- If your phone calls are not coming through your speakers, make sure your volume isn’t set way down, or else this will affect the audio levels.
- Bluetooth disconnecting and not reconnecting automatically when you get back into your Model 3
- Reconnecting manually seems to do the trick, but that’s not the most efficient solution.
- The surefire way to keep your connection is to restart, reinstall, and pair your phone again. Also, check if the Tesla app is set to run in the background because if it’s not, it’ll boot you off Bluetooth.
- Another tip if you keep losing Bluetooth connection in your Model 3 is to turn off sync contacts as weird spellings and special characters in names could be throwing your Tesla out of whack and make sure your device is set up for Bluetooth priority.
Final Thoughts
There’s comfort in knowing that if you’re stuck in traffic, you can always chat with a loved one to pass the time while driving in your Model 3.
Making calls in the Model 3 is super simple. Either warm up your vocal cords for the call and use voice commands to dial or navigate your way to connection through the touchscreen.
And check out your audio connection and volume levels beforehand to avoid the dreaded “Can you hear me now?”
Nicki Schill
Nicki Schill is a writer and content marketer out of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. As the former Geotab Marketing Manager, she’s got loads of experience in electric vehicles and fleet electrification. She’s a tech blogger and marketing guru who enjoys all things Canadian like hockey and poutine.These 5 rare tips can save you so much time and stress – and few owners know about them (even after years of ownership). Sign up below to learn more. It's free!
