Any way to remote start without paying 8 bucks a month?

I’ve got a '22 4Runner and a '23 Camry, and the free year of remote start is ending soon. Feels silly to pay $8 a month just to start the car remotely, especially since I don’t even pay for streaming services. I’ve tried different tricks I found online, but none of them seem to work. My car’s either in my driveway or parked close at work, so I don’t think I need the app. Anyone found a way around this?

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I never bothered with the subscription. I’ve always just used the key to start mine.

The $8 isn’t just for starting the car with your keyfob. It lets you start the car through the app, lock/unlock doors, get notifications if you left a window down, and track the car with GPS. I hardly use my key, mostly just the app or the ‘three taps on the back’ trick to start it. If you have the audio plus system, you should get 3 years free, and premium systems get 10 years.

@Finian
What’s the premium system? I have a 4Runner Limited trim. But I don’t use the other app features much. It’s faster for me to just use the key fob. If the car gets stolen, I’d just call insurance anyway.

@PaulMagnet
The premium system has built-in navigation.

Finian said:
@PaulMagnet
The premium system has built-in navigation.

I have that, but it still says my remote services expire in August.

PaulMagnet said:

Finian said:
@PaulMagnet
The premium system has built-in navigation.

I have that, but it still says my remote services expire in August.

Yeah, the remote start is only free for the first year. But the keyfob should still work after that.

@Finian
What’s the ‘three taps on the back’ thing? Can you explain that?

RadiantRaven said:
@Finian
What’s the ‘three taps on the back’ thing? Can you explain that?

Not sure about Android, but on iPhones, go to settings, then ‘Accessibility,’ and enable the ‘Back Tap’ feature. You can set it to do different things. I use it on my iPhone 13 Pro to start my car.

@Finian
Thanks! I’ll try it out!

@Finian
I tried it but kept accidentally triggering it, so it wasn’t for me. :cry:

You could get an aftermarket remote start system like Viper. It lets you start the car with the fob for free. But if you want to use your phone, you’d still need to pay a monthly fee.

If you have the ‘Remote Connect’ feature through the Toyota app, you can start the car using the key fob too. Just hit the lock button three times and hold it on the third press.

Alexander said:
If you have the ‘Remote Connect’ feature through the Toyota app, you can start the car using the key fob too. Just hit the lock button three times and hold it on the third press.

Will that still work after the subscription ends?

@PaulMagnet
Yeah, but sometimes it can be a bit annoying to get it to work right.

Delilah said:
@PaulMagnet
Yeah, but sometimes it can be a bit annoying to get it to work right.

It’s not working for me, unfortunately.

Delilah said:
@PaulMagnet
Yeah, but sometimes it can be a bit annoying to get it to work right.

Is it a range issue? Like, you need to be pretty close to the car?

@PaulMagnet
The key fob will still work, but the app won’t without a subscription.

How are you only paying $8? Did the price go up recently, or is this a special rate?