If you think putting your car key through the washing machine is bad...

[decrep]

Good idea Ian

 

[DixieTGS]

It's odd that they wouldn't have removed the button entirely, if they disabled it.

For Android, the method to get to the Digital key pages is different depending on the theme in use:
For the white theme, tap on the words Digital key above the words keyless start.
For the 100 years theme, tap on the octagon containing a key fob and Bluetooth symbol.

You should then be on a page where you can choose the car to manage (there could be more than one if a friend has enabled you to use their MG).

Selecting your car should take you to a page where you can activate/disable your Bluetooth key, then connect/disconnect the car's Bluetooth.

The lock & unlock buttons on this page always use Bluetooth, whereas the buttons on the main page will use the eSim if Bluetooth is not connected.

If you bother to try again and have more problems when you come to use it, I'll go to the car and refresh my memory on any lurking gotchas you may encounter.
I

 

[Everest]

If it was the circuit board in my opinion it would either work or it wouldn't. (I'm sure @Everest will correct me )

That would certainly be my stance - especially for a relatively simple circuit. You can get component failures that are temperature dependent - so only present a problem when they get hot, but unlikely IMHO to be the case here. Fingers crossed.

 

[Rolfe]

I dismantled the damaged fob again just to check something. I realised I hadn't checked whether the contact on the PCB had been permanently forced into the ON position, but everything seems fine. All three plastic tabs are sitting well proud of the contacts, and all three contacts operate normally, clicking down and up cleanly when pressed directly. The key is working normally and the doors-open and doors-closed buttons function normally. Hard to check the boot-open button because (and I actually didn't realise this until now) if you are standing in front of the boot with your key on you, it unlocks itself automatically, but it seems OK. I'll just have to wait till Sunday or Monday to see whether the battery is still draining.

If all is well I might buy a new shell (thanks Ian) just for the aesthetics. Interesting that these come with colour co-ordination, but apparently without the MG logo. Maybe it's a trademark thing.

I'm still struggling with the Digital Key. I select my car and it says the Bluetooth is disconnected, with a blue button on the right saying "connect". When I click that I get a pop-up headed "Apply" that says "please authorise the Location/Nearby devices permission". Buttons for No and Yes.

I click on Yes and this bounces me to the "App info" screen.

There doesn't seem to be anything useful I can do with that, and when I click on "back" I'm back where I was on the "Digital Key" screen which is still telling me the bluetooth is disconnected. It certainly seems as if it ought to work, it's getting me part of the way, but I don't see how to progress.

 

[DixieTGS]

There doesn't seem to be anything useful I can do with that

In the app info my permissions are location, nearby devices, notifications and phone.

Nearby devices sound like a good one to try. I suppose phone may be also be required to provide some sort of device ID, but may only be necessary if you want to use the phone MG assistance feature in the app.

 

[Everest]

Is that an Android phone? If so, do you have GPS/location disabled (like I do)?

For some nefarious reasons, Google require location to be enabled for BT to pair.

 

[Rolfe]

In the app info my permissions are location, nearby devices, notifications and phone.

Nearby devices sound like a good one to try. I suppose phone may be also be required to provide some sort of device ID, but may only be necessary if you want to use the phone MG assistance feature in the app.

Bingo, that's the one! There was a "don't allow" field ticked. When I changed it to "allow" it all worked. Thanks a million.

I don't really expect to use this, in over two years I was never bothered enough to enable it, but this present carry-on has let me see it could be worth having in an emergency.

(I don't have GPS location disabled.)

 

[Susanna]

@Everest

Wow!!

 

[Susanna]

@siteguru - I never had to do anything remotely like that to set up/use the digital key for my ZS. I don’t think I even sat in the car. Maybe a different process for the 4?

 

[Rolfe]

I was just standing beside the car when I did what @DixieTGS said, and it worked.

 

[decrep]

Sounds like you're good to go, but as before don't rely on it for a week or so.
My bets are that you've fixed it.

 

[Martinonline]

With regard to the boot button, I don't know if you realised it @Rolfe but it is an 'unlock and open' button. If you hold the button down the boot will unlock and open a little bit - you still have to heave the boot lid up. Just saves you pressing the boot handle button to open.

EDIT: The keyfob button works at a distance whereas the boot handle button needs the keyfob to be near as with the other door handle buttons.

 

[DixieTGS]

For some nefarious reasons, Google require location to be enabled for BT to pair.

I've not done any android programming, but have a vague memory that there are hundreds of permissions the programmer can request. To make it manageable for the user to enable and disable, they are put in to just a few groups such as phone, location, contacts etc. The BT permissions are lumped in with location permissions I guess.

 

[Rolfe]

With regard to the boot button, I don't know if you realised it @Rolfe but it is an 'unlock and open' button. If you hold the button down the boot will unlock and open a little bit - you still have to heave the boot lid up. Just saves you pressing the boot handle button to open.

EDIT: The keyfob button works at a distance whereas the boot handle button needs the keyfob to be near as with the other door handle buttons.

I've had the car over two years and didn't realise that!

 

[Caramaddy]

If anyone does lose/destroy a key, it is usually much cheaper to get a locksmith to program a new one, rather than go to a dealer. My Lexus key was going to cost around £500 IIRC and the locksmith did it for £180 using a VW fob! Much stronger than the original.

 

[Rolfe]

I didn't know that was possible.