Frequently Asked Questions

Sentry Pro offers two subscription options, both of which come with a free 7-day trial period, plus an one time lifetime purchase:

• Monthly subscription: $5.99/month
• Annual subscription: $49.99/year (saving over $22 compared to monthly)
• Lifetime purchase: $223.32 $133.99 (one-time payment that permanently unlocks all Pro features) - Currently 40% off as a limited-time promotion!

The prices listed above are for US customers. Prices may vary in other regions due to local currency exchange rates, app store pricing, and applicable taxes. For the most accurate pricing in your location, please check the app store listing directly.

To put the cost in perspective: Sentry Pro’s subscription cost is minimal compared to the electricity consumed by running Sentry Mode. A typical 8-hour Sentry Mode session can use around 3-5 kWh of energy, which depending on your electricity rates, could cost more than a full week of Sentry Pro subscription.

There is absolutely no excuse not to use Sentry Pro if you’re already utilizing Sentry Mode and appreciate the peace of mind it offers.

Yes, you can configure Sentry Pro to honk or flash its lights when Sentry Mode is triggered.

However, we recommend using this feature sparingly, especially in busy areas or residential neighborhoods, as frequent honking or flashing lights could cause disturbances and potentially lead to complaints.

Additionally, this feature might draw unwanted attention to your vehicle, which could potentially make it a target for theft or vandalism.

Use this feature to deter potential security threats, but stay aware of your surroundings and comply with local noise regulations.

Yes, you can try Sentry Pro with our one week free trial on iOS, and on selected Android devices.

Schedule Sentry Mode is a Sentry Pro Premium feature that automatically turns Tesla Sentry Mode on and off at the same times every day. You set an ON time and an OFF time, enable the schedule, and Sentry Pro’s backend dispatches the commands to your Tesla through the official Tesla Fleet API at the chosen times — no need to keep the app open or your phone awake.

Setting it up

1. Open Sentry Pro and select your vehicle
2. Tap the Schedule tile on the main vehicle screen
3. Toggle Enable Schedule
4. Set your ON and OFF times (minimum 30 minutes apart)
5. Close the app — the schedule runs from then on

Common use cases

• Overnight protection when the car is parked on the street or in an open driveway
• Daytime-only protection when the car sits in a secure garage at home overnight
• Cutting daily battery drain by skipping the hours when the car is somewhere you already trust

For a full walkthrough including the math on energy savings, see our scheduling battery-savings guide and the feature announcement.

Battery savings from scheduling scale roughly linearly with the number of hours Sentry Mode is turned off.

On Tesla firmware 2024.38 and later, Sentry Mode averages about 150W, which is roughly 3.6 kWh and 4-8% of pack capacity over 24 hours. On older firmware (pre-2024.38) it’s closer to 250-300W and 7-14% per day. Cold weather adds another 20-40% on top of either figure.

Per-hour impact

Each hour Sentry Mode is off instead of running saves approximately:

• ~150 Wh of energy
• ~0.6 miles of range at typical Model 3 / Model Y efficiency (~250 Wh/mi)
• ~0.2% of pack on a 75 kWh battery

Realistic daily savings

A 10-hour daily off-window adds up to roughly 550 kWh and ~2,000 miles of range saved per year.

For a deeper breakdown see Tesla Sentry Mode Battery Drain 2026 and our practical scheduling guide.

Sentry Pro supports the following Tesla vehicles:

• Model 3 (all years)
• Model Y (all years)
• Cybertruck
• Model S (2021 and newer)
• Model X (2021 and newer)

Pre-2021 Model S and Model X are not supported. In 2024 Tesla deprecated the legacy owner API that older Model S and Model X vehicles relied on, and progressively shut it off through 2025. Sentry Pro has now removed legacy API support and connects exclusively through Tesla’s official Fleet API, which requires hardware and firmware that pre-2021 Model S/X (vehicles built on the Intel Atom MCU2 or earlier MCU1 platforms) do not provide in a way Sentry Pro can use. Unfortunately there is no workaround on our side for these older vehicles.

If you have a 2018–2020 Model S or Model X and your car is on a recent firmware (2025.20 or later), Tesla added an optional “Allow Third-Party App Data Streaming” toggle on the vehicle touchscreen. Even with that enabled, support is limited and not officially covered by Sentry Pro at this time.

Sentry Pro is highly secure and places a strong emphasis on user privacy for several reasons:

Direct Authentication with Tesla: Sentry Pro users authenticate directly with Tesla, ensuring that the app itself never accesses or stores your Tesla account login credentials. This means your password and any sensitive account information remain private and are not handled by the app.

No Personal Data Collection: The app is designed to operate without collecting personal data such as names, emails, passwords, or phone numbers. Your interaction with Sentry Pro is kept anonymous, significantly reducing the risk of personal data exposure.

Privacy-First Approach: Sentry Pro’s development and operational framework prioritize user privacy. The app safeguards your information by not collecting or storing data beyond what is necessary to provide its services, adhering to a principle of minimal data usage.

Officially Licensed Developer: As an officially licensed Tesla application developer, Sentry Pro and its developer company, Sentry Brain S.M.P.C., meet the security and privacy standards set by Tesla. This official recognition ensures that the app adheres to practices that protect user data and maintain application integrity.

Encrypted Notifications: Notifications sent to your device are processed in a manner that ensures they are secure and private.

In conclusion, Sentry Pro’s architecture and operational protocols are meticulously crafted to ensure that your use of the app is secure and your data remains private. With direct authentication, minimal data collection, and a privacy-first approach, Sentry Pro stands out as a secure option for Tesla owners looking to enhance their vehicle’s security through comprehensive Sentry Mode notifications.

Yes. If you set the ON time later in the day than the OFF time — for example ON at 8:00 PM and OFF at 7:00 AM — Sentry Pro automatically detects an overnight schedule and runs Sentry Mode through midnight without any extra configuration.

The schedule panel will show a confirmation: “Sentry ON overnight (crosses midnight).”

There’s no need to create two separate schedules or split the window in half. The only constraint is the 30-minute minimum gap between ON and OFF times, which prevents schedules that immediately cancel themselves.

Times are stored along with your timezone offset, so the schedule stays anchored to your home time even when you travel across timezones.

Yes. The schedule does not run on your phone. It runs on Sentry Pro’s backend, which dispatches the ON and OFF commands directly to your Tesla through the official Tesla Fleet API at the times you configured.

That means the schedule continues to fire on your vehicle every day even when:

• Your phone is off or dead
• You’re in airplane mode or have no cell signal
• You’ve closed the Sentry Pro app
• You’re traveling and your phone is on a different network

If a command fails to reach the car (for example, due to a Tesla connectivity issue at the vehicle’s location), the schedule screen will show the failure with a manual Retry option the next time you open the app.

Use both. They solve different problems and are designed to complement each other.

Tesla’s location exclusions are where-based

Tesla’s built-in exclusions (Controls → Safety → Sentry Mode → Exclude Home / Work / Favorites) turn Sentry Mode off when the car is parked at your saved trusted locations. Anywhere else, Sentry Mode runs around the clock.

Sentry Pro’s Schedule is when-based

Schedule Sentry Mode turns Sentry Mode off during specific hours of the day, regardless of where the car is parked. That covers cases Tesla’s exclusions miss — for example, parking overnight at a friend’s house, a hotel, or a relative’s driveway, none of which are saved as Home or Work.

Configured together

• Tesla handles your trusted locations
• Sentry Pro handles your trusted hours
• Sentry Mode only runs when the car is parked somewhere unfamiliar and during the hours you’ve chosen for protection

This is the configuration that gives the largest battery savings without sacrificing real protection. See our practical scheduling guide for example schedules and the savings breakdown.

Yes, Sentry Pro fully supports Apple Watch notifications. When you receive a Sentry Mode alert on your iPhone, the notification is automatically delivered to your Apple Watch as well. This means you’ll get instant alerts on your wrist when your Tesla’s Sentry Mode detects activity, even if your iPhone is in your pocket or bag.

The Apple Watch notifications include the same alert information as your phone, allowing you to quickly see that your vehicle needs attention. This is particularly useful when you’re in situations where checking your phone isn’t convenient - like during meetings, at the gym, or while shopping.

To ensure Apple Watch notifications work properly:

• Make sure your Apple Watch is paired with your iPhone
• Enable notifications for Sentry Pro on your iPhone
• Check that your Apple Watch mirror settings allow Sentry Pro notifications
• Keep your Apple Watch connected to your iPhone via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi

With Apple Watch support, you’ll never miss a critical Sentry Mode alert, giving you peace of mind that your Tesla is protected wherever you are.

Yes, Sentry Pro supports iOS Critical Alerts, ensuring you never miss an important notification about your Tesla. Critical Alerts are a special type of notification that can break through Silent Mode and Do Not Disturb settings, making them perfect for urgent Sentry Mode alerts.

What are Critical Alerts?

Critical Alerts are high-priority iOS notifications designed for time-sensitive and important information. Unlike regular notifications that respect your phone’s silent or Do Not Disturb settings, Critical Alerts will always play a sound and appear on your screen, even when your device is muted or in focus mode.

Why Critical Alerts Matter for Sentry Mode

When Sentry Mode detects suspicious activity around your Tesla, you need to know immediately - regardless of your phone’s notification settings. Critical Alerts ensure that:

• You receive alerts even when your phone is on Silent Mode
• Notifications come through during Do Not Disturb or Sleep Focus modes
• You’re notified at night or during meetings without missing important security events
• Your Tesla remains protected 24/7 with guaranteed alert delivery

How to Enable and Configure Critical Alerts

When you first launch Sentry Pro or update to a version with Critical Alert support, iOS will ask you to allow Critical Alerts for the app. Once granted, you can configure how Sentry Pro uses Critical Alerts:

1. Open the Sentry Pro app
2. Select your vehicle
3. Tap “Pro Settings” on the main screen
4. Enable “Critical Alert Escalation”
5. Choose your preferred escalation mode: Auto or Always

Note that Critical Alerts require explicit iOS permission because of their ability to override system settings. If you haven’t granted permission yet, iOS will prompt you when you first enable Critical Alert Escalation.

Escalation Modes

Sentry Pro offers two Critical Alert escalation modes to match your notification preferences:

Auto Mode (Recommended)

Auto mode intelligently escalates notifications based on threat severity:

• Sends a normal notification when Sentry Mode first detects activity
• Automatically escalates to a Critical Alert if a new threat is detected within 90 seconds
• Provides a balanced approach that minimizes disruption while ensuring you’re alerted to ongoing threats
• Ideal for most users who want important alerts without constant Critical Alert interruptions

Always Mode (Maximum Urgency)

Always mode delivers every Sentry Pro alert as a Critical Alert:

• Every notification is sent with maximum urgency and sound volume
• Breaks through Silent Mode and Do Not Disturb for all alerts
• Ensures you never miss any Sentry Mode event, regardless of your phone’s state
• Best for users who want guaranteed immediate awareness of any vehicle activity

Choosing the Right Mode

Use Auto mode if:

• You want intelligent escalation that adapts to threat severity
• You prefer fewer Critical Alert interruptions
• You’re concerned about false positives or minor events
• You want a balance between awareness and convenience

Use Always mode if:

• Your Tesla is parked in a high-risk area
• You need absolute certainty that you’ll hear every alert
• You’re willing to accept more frequent interruptions for maximum security
• Your vehicle contains valuable items that require constant monitoring

With Critical Alert Escalation, Sentry Pro gives you complete control over how urgently you’re notified about your Tesla’s security, ensuring you’re always protected in a way that fits your lifestyle.

If you receive Sentry Pro notifications with timestamps that are off by one hour after a daylight savings time (DST) transition, this is caused by the server holding an outdated time zone offset for your device.

Why This Happens

Sentry Pro’s server stores your phone’s time zone information so that notification timestamps appear in your local time. This information is refreshed each time you open the app. When daylight savings time begins or ends, your phone automatically adjusts its local time, but the server has no way of knowing about the change until your app communicates with it again.

In practice, most users never need to open Sentry Pro at all once it’s set up. The app runs quietly in the background, and when something happens you simply tap the notification and jump straight into the official Tesla app to view the camera feed or check on your vehicle. Because of this, it’s completely normal for Sentry Pro itself not to be opened for weeks or even months at a time — which means the server can be working with a time zone offset that’s long out of date by the time DST rolls around.

If you haven’t opened Sentry Pro for a long period before a DST transition, the server will continue to use the previous offset and apply it to incoming notifications. The result is timestamps that are one hour off from your actual local time.

How to Fix It

The fix is simple: just open the Sentry Pro app once. As soon as the app launches, it sends your current time zone information to the server, which then stores the updated offset. From that point on, all notifications will show the correct local time.

You don’t need to change any settings or re-configure anything — simply opening the app is enough to resync the time zone.

How to Avoid It

To prevent this from happening in the future, open the Sentry Pro app at least once shortly after each daylight savings time change. This ensures the server always has your current time zone offset and that every notification arrives with an accurate timestamp.

Sentry Pro takes your privacy seriously and only requests permissions that are absolutely necessary for providing you with a seamless experience:

Required permissions:

• Vehicle Information: This permission allows Sentry Pro to access basic information about your Tesla vehicle, such as model type and Sentry Mode status. We simply access Sentry Mode information in real-time and never collect or store any of it. No information is shared with third parties. This permission is essential for the app to function properly and provide you with accurate monitoring.

Optional permissions:

• Vehicle Commands: This permission enables Sentry Pro to automatically activate Sentry Mode on your behalf when needed, saving you the hassle of manually enabling it through the Tesla app. Rest assured, we only send commands that you’ve explicitly authorized, and you maintain complete control over this feature at all times.

• Vehicle Location: Sentry Pro respects your privacy and does NOT need your vehicle’s location data to function. This permission should remain set to ‘Denied’ as our app is designed to work without tracking where your car is. We believe your location information should stay private.

• Profile Information: This permission allows us to send you important email notifications only when there are potential issues with your vehicle that require your attention. We value communication but will never spam you or share your contact information with any third parties.

You can easily review and adjust these permissions at any time through the app settings. Your privacy and security are our top priorities.

No, Sentry Pro does not access or store any video feed from your vehicle. This is by design to maintain the highest level of privacy. When Sentry Mode is activated and records video, Sentry Pro will only notify you that video is being recorded. You can then use the official Tesla app to view the recorded video feed. This approach ensures that your vehicle’s video data remains secure and private, only accessible through Tesla’s official channels.

No, you don’t need to keep the app running in the background.

Yes, Sentry Pro will automaticaly turn off when you are driving. Sentry Pro will only monitor the vehicle for threats if it is parked and has Sentry Mode activated.

Sentry Pro, will automatically get activated and monitor your vehicle when you park and have Sentry Mode activated.

No, you don’t need multiple subscriptions. One Sentry Pro subscription allows you to monitor and protect multiple Tesla vehicles from the same app. Simply add each vehicle to your account through the app’s vehicle management interface, and you’ll be able to seamlessly enjoy full protection and monitoring capabilities for all your vehicles.

Sentry Pro allows you to choose between several notification sounds.

No, Sentry Pro does not require a Tesla Premium Connectivity data package. However, without it you will not be able to view the video live feed after a notification.

When you already have a subscription you need to tap on:

“Restore purchases”

at the bottom of the subscriptions screen. Tapping on “Subscribe” will result in a error as you already have a subscription!

The app will work on all countries that allow Sentry Mode to work, regardless of whether live camera feed is supported.

This is an indication confirming that the app is functioning correctly, and you will receive notifications when Sentry Mode is activated in your car.

The Tesla app automatically activates Sentry Mode to access the video feed, prompting the system to notify you of this activation, even if no external event has triggered it.

If you would like to verify whether you will receive notifications when someone walks by your car, you can test this by approaching the car until Sentry Mode is activated. Ensure you do not have your phone with you, as its presence will prevent Sentry Mode from activating, recognizing that you are not a threat. Alternatively, you can have someone else trigger the activation.

Sentry Pro enhances the functionality of Tesla’s Sentry Mode by managing all monitoring from the server side, eliminating the need to keep the app running in the background on your device. The system receives Sentry events directly from Tesla and sends notifications to you. This allows for efficient communication and timely alerts about your vehicle’s status without draining your mobile device’s resources.

To avoid overwhelming users with notifications, Sentry Pro has a conservative notification strategy. If Sentry Mode is activated consecutively without a 15-second pause between activations, Sentry Pro will treat this as a single continuous event and will not send multiple notifications. This approach helps keep the number of notifications manageable while ensuring you’re informed of significant events. We are considering adding a sensitivity setting to allow users to receive notifications for every Sentry Mode activation, though we aim to maintain simplicity to avoid confusing users.

If your Tesla is parked in a location like an underground parking lot where mobile coverage is low, Sentry Pro might not be able to communicate with your car. In such cases, if the server cannot establish communication with the vehicle for over two minutes, Sentry Pro will notify you of the service disruption. This feature ensures you’re aware of potential monitoring interruptions due to connectivity issues.

When the Tesla app automatically triggers Sentry Mode to access the video feed, Sentry Pro will notify you of this activation even if no external event has initiated it. Currently, there is no way for Sentry Pro to differentiate between automatic and event-driven activations of Sentry Mode. This notification acts as a confirmation that Sentry Pro is operational and monitoring your vehicle, providing an extra layer of reassurance about your vehicle’s security status.

If you appreciate the benefits of Sentry Mode, Sentry Pro could be highly valuable, especially considering it is priced as a fraction of the cost of the power Sentry Mode consumes. While we acknowledge our bias, we believe Sentry Pro offers significant enhancements by providing streamlined notifications and added functionality.

Direct Telemetry in Sentry Pro is a cutting-edge system designed for immediate and accurate data transmission between your vehicle and Sentry Pro. It’s based on an advanced framework which ensures that you receive prompt notifications and detailed system diagnostics like battery temperatures and service alerts.

How Secure is Sentry Pro’s Direct Telemetry?

• End-to-End Encryption: Sentry Pro utilizes industry-standard End-to-End Encryption (E2EE) for all data transmitted, ensuring that your vehicle’s data remains confidential and secure from the point of transmission to the reception at our servers. This encryption method guarantees that no third party can intercept your data.

Is Direct Telemetry Energy Efficient?

Yes, Sentry Pro’s Direct Telemetry system is designed to be highly energy efficient, ensuring that it does not impact your vehicle’s battery life.

What Are the Requirements for Using Direct Telemetry with Sentry Pro?

• Vehicle Firmware: Your vehicle must have a firmware version of 2023.20.6 or later installed.
• Virtual Key: This feature requires the use of a Virtual Key. This key is installed to your vehicle to allow Sentry Pro to receive data from your vehicle. You will be prompted to install this key in the Sentry Pro app.
• Compatibility: Pre-2021 Model S and Model X are not supported. These vehicles do not have the hardware required for Tesla’s Fleet API telemetry, which Sentry Pro now uses exclusively after Tesla retired the legacy owner API.

Troubleshooting Virtual Key Installation

If the Tesla app doesn’t launch after pressing Finish Setup, try the following solutions:

For All Users:

• Open https://tesla.com/_ak/sentrypro.app on a computer and use your phone to scan the displayed QR code

For iOS Users:

1. Ensure Safari is set as your default browser in iOS Settings
2. When the webpage loads, look for and tap the blue “Open” button at the top (might be hidden and you need to scroll up)

For Android Users:

1. Install Firefox browser if not already installed
2. Open the link in Firefox
3. Tap the menu (three dots) and select “Open in app”

If issues persist, try uninstalling and reinstalling the Tesla app.

If you continue to experience issues, please contact our support team for further assistance.

Yes, Sentry Pro notifications will directly open the official Tesla app to view the video feed. Sentry Pro does not access your video feed, in line with its high privacy standards.

This was a quirk of pre-2021 Model S and Model X vehicles connected through Tesla’s legacy owner API. Those vehicles required Sentry Mode to be activated in order to deliver a live camera feed in the official Tesla app, and that activation triggered a notification from Sentry Pro that wasn’t tied to a real security event.

This no longer occurs. Tesla retired the legacy owner API, and Sentry Pro now uses Tesla’s official Fleet API exclusively. As a result, pre-2021 Model S and Model X are no longer supported by Sentry Pro. On all currently supported vehicles (Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck, and 2021+ Model S/X), notifications correspond to real Sentry Mode events. If you’re seeing unexpected duplicate notifications on a supported vehicle, please contact support.

Yes, you can use Sentry Pro on multiple mobile devices simultaneously. To do this, simply authorize the app with the same Tesla account on each device. You will receive notifications on all authorized devices.

When you reinstall Sentry Pro and already have a subscription, you need to tap “Restore purchases” at the bottom of the subscription page.

Sentry Pro never wakes up your vehicle.

Yes, you can get a refund by visiting your subscription management page for iOS users instructions, or by following the relevant procedure for Google Play.