BYD Seal tips, tricks and help

[Andrew Dwyer]

Glancing round the app i see this:

 

 

Vehicle authorisation - Unauthorised ??

 

So, am not quite sure what this refers to as the app works okay along with my phone.

 

Clicking on the button brings me to a new authorisation page.

 

 

A little play with this tells me am not allowed to authorise myself ( using my authorised email address ) so all is good and i am the authorised user.

 

So maybe the first picture instead of saying “ unauthorised “ should say “ no additional authorisations “ ??

 

By the way i am the only driver so not looking to add anyone just a little confused by the initial statement.

 

Threw me off a little that and thought after the app update i had to seek authorisation again  but appears all is good …….. or is it ??

[Bandersnatch]

This is me with my Apple watch

 

 

 

But now moved to Samsung and couldn't get the Samsung wallet to accept BYD NFC digital key.

 

Turns out my wife was getting emails with a security code which she ignored!

 

Asked staff at BYD and they looked at wife and asked about the emails.

 

So now could unlock my BYD with my Samsung phone, but apparently Samsung watches don't have the Samsung Wallet App, so gave up.

 

 

 

[Pib]

I expect you are using an Apple phone.   Android Google Play store still shows 1 July 2025 Ver 2.8.1 as the latest....I expect BYD will update the Android version soon.   

 

Regarding how often the app is updated, the time of the latest updated data is shown on the app main page.   That data is only refreshed when you close and reopen the app OR if you force a refresh on the main screen.   

 

Additionally, since the app is just reading a subset of OBD2 data, all OBD2 data is "not" being refreshed/updated by the car like every second.  Different OBD2 data elements are refreshed at different rates depending on their importance...what the car manufacturer determines.   It may just do a refresh every 30 seconds or so (or maybe longer) depending on the particular OBD2 data and also depending on whether the car is on or off. 

 

Like if a person is charging, the car is off, and they see their wall charger real time power meter say drop from 30 amps to 16amps...or say 6KW to 3KW the EV OBD2 data may not reflect that change for around 30 seconds when the car is turned off.   Now if that every 30 seconds refresh is saying occurring at the 30 second mark on the clock but you request an update/refresh at 25 seconds on the clock then you'll probably not see an updated valve until 35 seconds later as your refresh request occurred just before the car's programmed OBD2 refresh time.   And there is separate OBD2 data feeding the EV's display which is fast responding compared to other slower responding OBD2 data reporting depending on whether the car is on or off.     And the tire pressure OBD2 data refresh/monitoring may not be occurring every few seconds but maybe every 30 seconds (or more)....and as mentioned it makes a difference regarding OBD2 data refresh depending on whether the EV is running or turned off.     

 

Yeap, the OBD2 data the app depends on only collecting selected OBD2 data from the EV and the EV is only doing a OBD2 refresh at selected/varying intervals.......intervals that vary depending on whether the car is on or off.......and/or a forced OBD2 data refresh is requested like when having an OBD2 dongle and associated OBD2 app asking for data.   

 

 

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

1 hour ago, Pib said:

I expect you are using an Apple phone.   Android Google Play store still shows 1 July 2025 Ver 2.8.1 as the latest....I expect BYD will update the Android version soon.   

 

Regarding how often the app is updated, the time of the latest updated data is shown on the app main page.   That data is only refreshed when you close and reopen the app OR if you force a refresh on the main screen.   

 

Additionally, since the app is just reading a subset of OBD2 data, all OBD2 data is "not" being refreshed/updated by the car like every second.  Different OBD2 data elements are refreshed at different rates depending on their importance...what the car manufacturer determines.   It may just do a refresh every 30 seconds or so (or maybe longer) depending on the particular OBD2 data and also depending on whether the car is on or off. 

 

Like if a person is charging, the car is off, and they see their wall charger real time power meter say drop from 30 amps to 16amps...or say 6KW to 3KW the EV OBD2 data may not reflect that change for around 30 seconds when the car is turned off.   Now if that every 30 seconds refresh is saying occurring at the 30 second mark on the clock but you request an update/refresh at 25 seconds on the clock then you'll probably not see an updated valve until 35 seconds later as your refresh request occurred just before the car's programmed OBD2 refresh time.   And there is separate OBD2 data feeding the EV's display which is fast responding compared to other slower responding OBD2 data reporting depending on whether the car is on or off.     And the tire pressure OBD2 data refresh/monitoring may not be occurring every few seconds but maybe every 30 seconds (or more)....and as mentioned it makes a difference regarding OBD2 data refresh depending on whether the EV is running or turned off.     

 

Yeap, the OBD2 data the app depends on only collecting selected OBD2 data from the EV and the EV is only doing a OBD2 refresh at selected/varying intervals.......intervals that vary depending on whether the car is on or off.......and/or a forced OBD2 data refresh is requested like when having an OBD2 dongle and associated OBD2 app asking for data.   

 

 

 

Yes am using an iPhone and updated my phone via App Store.

On a separate note : the “ Check for new version “ button in the app is also misleading as it will tell you that you have the latest version when there may be a newer version available via App Store but not downloaded to your phone yet.

 

To update the app data i usually drag down on the screen and the time stamp updates ( usually do this when charging at home ), i also have a widget running.

 

My point was that the app shows tyre pressures when the car was last enabled and not in real time, updating the app doesn’t update the tyre pressures so showing outdated information,imo, seems pointless and misleading.

[Pib]

7 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

My point was that the app shows tyre pressures when the car was last enabled and not in real time, updating the app doesn’t update the tyre pressures so showing outdated information,imo, seems pointless and misleading.

OK, now I understand.   Today after reading above I did some testing as I was out and about in Bangkok doing several stops here and there where I would turn off the Atto while parked for a while..  When using the app to check tire pressure you are right it will just display the last reading just before you turned the car off.   No updated reading until you start the car again.  

 

In doing some googling on Tire Pressure Measurement Systems (TPMS)  there appears to be two types...."direct and indirect" measurement.  In a direct where the tire valve includes a battery-powered or RFID-powered measurement system which typically only works when the car is turned on because that's the only time the "central TPMS electronic module" is talking to/communicating with the four tires.  And the indirect method compares wheel rotation to determine pressure....no in tire measurement system. 

 

Anyway, Google AI pretty much said the great majority of  direct TPMS's (which is what BYD uses) usually only work when the car is powered on which is the only time the central TPMS electronic module in the car is communicating to the measurement modules in the tire.  When the car is turned off that central module is also turned off.    And indirect TPMS the car has to be turn on "and moving in order to measure wheel rotation.   

 

When looking at the Atto User's Manual it does not say the TPMS does not work when the car is turned off but implies such like saying "when the system is running..." or "when the ignition switch is on...." in various places which implies to me the TPMS only works when the car is turned on.   You can also get a tire "temperature" warning if the tire is too hot.  Additionally, I got a tire "temp" warning "once" whlle driving along at highway speeds and also the TMPS said the pressure was 75 psi.  I stopped the car, looked at the offending tire---it looked and felt normal....all four tires looked OK and temp felt normal.   I turned the car off and immediately restarted and the warnings went away with the offending tire now showing normal psi.    I guess that was just a glitch/a communications error between the tire module and central TPMS module.

 

And during my testing today I found out the "Cabin Temperature" app reading "will update" when the car is turned off.  I guess that measurement module continues to work/respond to app requests when the car is turned off.  Probably needs very, very little power to work in comparison to the TPMS module which needs to transmit a signal to the tires.    But when the car is turned off you do need to press the temp reading icon which takes you to another page and then you immediately go back a page and then the cabin temp will display.  You may need to do this 2, 3, or 4 times to force a cabin temp reading when the car is turn off....and that reading definitely changes the longer the car is turned off as the cabin heats up since the A/C is no longer running.

 

But my testing confirmed a person can't force the TMPS to take a reading when the car is off as apparently its central TPMS module is powered-down to save power.  And from a safety stand point if you have an under-inflated tire the car is going to indicate/warn you when the car is first turned on, while it running down the road, and also when you turn the car off a warning is suppose to appear for a few seconds just before the car completely powers down according to the manual.   So, even if the tire drops to a certain under-inflated level when turned off, parked overnight, etc., as soon as you turn the car on you will get a warning if the tire is below 75% of the standard pressure. 

 

 

 

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

17 minutes ago, Pib said:

OK, now I understand.   Today after reading above I did some testing as I was out and about in Bangkok doing several stops here and there where I would turn off the Atto while parked for a while..  When using the app to check tire pressure you are right it will just display the last reading just before you turned the car off.   No updated reading until you start the car again.  

 

In doing some googling on Tire Pressure Measurement Systems (TPMS)  there appears to be two types...."direct and indirect" measurement.  In a direct where the tire valve includes a battery-powered or RFID-powered measurement system which typically only works when the car is turned on because that's the only time the "central TPMS electronic module" is talking to/communicating with the four tires.  And the indirect method compares wheel rotation to determine pressure....no in tire measurement system. 

 

Anyway, Google AI pretty much said the great majority of  direct TPMS's (which is what BYD uses) usually only work when the car is powered on which is the only time the central TPMS electronic module in the car is communicating to the measurement modules in the tire.  When the car is turned off that central module is also turned off.    And indirect TPMS the car has to be turn on "and moving in order to measure wheel rotation.   

 

When looking at the Atto User's Manual it does not say the TPMS does not work when the car is turned off but implies such like saying "when the system is running..." or "when the ignition switch is on...." in various places which implies to me the TPMS only works when the car is turned on.   You can also get a tire "temperature" warning if the tire is too hot.  Additionally, I got a tire "temp" warning "once" whlle driving along at highway speeds and also the TMPS said the pressure was 75 psi.  I stopped the car, looked at the offending tire---it look and felt normal....all four tires looked OK and temp felt normal.   I turned the car off and immediately restarted and the warnings went away with the offending tire now showing normal psi.    I guess that was just a glitch/a communications error between the tire module and central TPMS module.

 

And during my testing today I found out the "Cabin Temperature" app reading "will update" when the car is turned off.  I guess that measurement module continues to work/respond to app requests when the car is turned off.  Probably needs very, very little power to work in comparison to the TPMS module which needs to transmit a signal to the tires.    But when the car is turned off you do need to press the temp reading icon which takes you to another page and then you immediately go back a page and then the cabin temp will display.  You may need to do this 2, 3, or 4 times to force a cabin temp reading when the car is turn off.   

 

But my testing confirmed a person can't force the TMPS to take a reading when the car is off as apparently it central TPMS module is powered-down to save power.  And from a safety stand point if you have an under-inflated tire the car is going to indicate/warn you when the car is first turned on, while it running down the road, and also when you turn the car off a warning is suppose to appear for a few seconds just before the car completely powers down according to the manual.   So, even if the tire drops to a certain under-inflated level when turned off, parked overnight, etc., as soon as you turn the car on you will get a warning if the tire is below 75% of the standard pressure. 

 

 

 

 

Thanks @Pib for the investigation work.

 

As the only driver in the household the tyre pressures via the app are really of no use to me, in fact they are misleading if I am not aware they register the pressures when the car was last enabled.

 

But i suppose in some scenarios they could be useful if, for example, the car was being driven by another person and one could monitor the car status remotely, location and tyre pressure etc.

 

But, i still feel that the app could make it known that the pressures shown are when the car was last enabled.

[Pib]

Yea, until you pointed out the tire pressure doesn't update on the app when the EV is turned off I thought it was real time pressure---didn't matter if the car was off or on.  But I really didn't check tire pressure that often using the app. 

 

Actually my two main uses of the app is to monitor home wall charger charging rate/charge percentage and turn the A/C on to cool down the cabin before hopping into the car like when leaving Lotus, Big C, etc., especially if the car was parked in the sun.   

[Andrew Dwyer]

12 minutes ago, Pib said:

Yea, until you pointed out the tire pressure doesn't update on the app when the EV is turned off I thought it was real time pressure---didn't matter if the car was off or on.  But I really didn't check tire pressure that often using the app. 

 

Actually my two main uses of the app is to monitor home wall charger charging rate/charge percentage and turn the A/C on to cool down the cabin before hopping into the car like when leaving Lotus, Big C, etc., especially if the car was parked in the sun.   

Yep, that’s pretty much the two uses i use the app for also.

Having seen the app had been updated on a fb group this morning i updated mine and while having a look around the app i noticed that the tyre pressures were way higher than they normally would be in the early morning.