If I have an iPhone, do I need a Tailwind Vehicle Sensor (TVS) for my vehicle?

If you have an iPhone you will require a Tailwind Vehicle Sensor (TVS) in your vehicle if you want the convenience of having Tailwind automatically open / close your garage door as you come and go using the proprietary, patented auto-open / close features of Tailwind. Apple will not allow the Tailwind app to detect the vehicle Bluetooth connection, making an external sensor necessary for the app to know which vehicle you're driving.

HOWEVER, if you've updated your firmware to V9.97, your Tailwind controller is compatible with Apple HomeKit, and this may provide you with the functionality you're looking for. If you set up your Tailwind controller in the Apple Home app, you can configure an automation to open the garage door as you approach. You'll need to unlock the phone and confirm you want it to open, and HomeKit does not seem to know which door you want to open if you have more than one.  This solution does not require any vehicle sensors and still has some decent security because you need to unlock the phone to get the door to open.

In addition, since Tailwind is compatible with HomeKit it also works in CarPlay - but with a caveat. Apple controls how / when the garage door icons are visible in CarPlay. When you are close to home, they're visible. When you're further away from home, Apple hides them. We have no control over this.

Some customers have success using Tailwind's integration with IFTTT to automatically open / close the door as they come and go. This approach does not need a Tailwind Vehicle Sensor. However, anyone who may get their hands on your phone could open your garage door by simply going to your house. If you're ok with that risk, then this may be an option that interests you. Our testing has also shown some significant time delays for the auto-open feature using the IFTTT integration for this purpose. Nobody wants to sit in their driveway for 10 minutes waiting for the door to open.

We can't help you troubleshoot any delays in auto-opening using the IFTTT solution, but we do want you to know that some customers are having good results with it. Others not so much.

In the meantime, we will keep asking Apple to reconsider.