According to experts, a car key fob’s battery is designed to last for 3 to five years. However, as keychains have progressed, some have noticed that their keychains are draining much faster than expected, and as a result, they have found that they want to upgrade the keychain batteries faster than expected.
Now, a TikTok user has revealed that there may be a way to save your key battery and potentially prevent your car from being stolen.
In a video with more than 80,000 views on Sunday, TikTok user @kudoscarsales claimed that some Toyota cars have a battery-saving feature on their key fob that can also serve as an anti-theft measure.
For this to work, you need to make sure your Toyota uses a “smart key system,” the TikToker says you can easily tell if that’s the case if the vehicle has “two lines on the door handles and a start button. “»
From there, you need to take the remote in your hand and “press and hold the lock button, then press twice and the soft flashes 4 times. “
“Now your keychain doesn’t emit a signal anymore,” the TikToker explains. “Press any button and the key fob will turn back on. “
According to Toyota’s website, this is a “battery saver mode” in which “battery consumption is minimized by preventing the dongle from receiving radio waves. “
While the TikToker notes that this saves battery life, he also clarifies that it grants a secondary function.
“Essentially, the key emits a signal. Thieves will use this signal to send it to the car; The car thinks the key is there and should we walk away?” he said. “So by turning off the remote control when you don’t use it, you decrease the chances of theft. “
The Daily Dot was unable to determine those anti-theft claims; We have reached out to Toyota via email for clarification.
While users in the comments appreciated this advice, many claimed that they didn’t care too much about preserving their keychain’s battery life.
“Save battery? I had a Hyundai with a key fob like that and it’s been 2 years since I last had to change the battery,” said one user.
“Just get a bunch of batteries in the store for a moment,” added another. “It lasts for years. “
“I just put it in a special bag and it went out,” a third offered.
Update April 15 at 3:28 p. m. CT: In an email to The Daily Dot, the TikToker explained some of the aspects of this trick.
“Smart key batteries last between 3 and 4 years,” he writes. “By maximizing the use of battery saver mode, you can expect the keychain’s battery life to last between 2 and 3 years. “
“The anti-theft component of the video explains that with the use of battery saver mode, the vehicle and key fob no longer emit signals that can be copied by thieves to spoof the presence of a key in the vehicle,” he added. “Toyota doesn’t advertise battery saver mode as an anti-theft feature, but it works. “
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