OWNER ANSWER
DOLPHIN SURF says key not detected
For a SURF “key not detected” message, try the spare fob away from your phone first. If its battery is exhausted, the handbook gives a backup start using the marked key-recognition area beside the cupholders on the centre console.
- If locked out, release the fob’s mechanical key with PUSH; lift the driver’s outer handle, insert the key and turn counterclockwise to unlock, then remove it and open the door. Safety note: Keep nobody locked inside and loose coin batteries away from children. A forced handle or an electrical reset can create another fault; the backup uses only the identified key and controls.
- With the car secured in Park, press the brake and START together as the handbook describes.
- After the key warning and beep, hold the fob at the marked recognition area shown on PDF 173 within 30 seconds.
- When the second beep sounds and the key warning goes out, start within five seconds.
What to expect
The second beep sounds, the key warning goes out and the car starts within the stated five-second window. If recognition does not occur, do not substitute another model’s reader position.
If that did not work
Ask BYD for fob-battery replacement promptly. If the diagram does not match, the second beep does not occur or neither authorised key can start the car, use BYD Assistance.
What to note down for support: Give the exact message, which fob was tried and whether locks/lights and the two beeps responded.
Which area?
Use the key-symbol area illustrated beside the centre-console cupholders, matching your actual SURF. This is the exhausted-fob backup sequence; it is not a phone-NFC setup procedure or a DOLPHIN reader instruction.
When the whole car is dark
If locks, lights and displays are also unresponsive, use the separate low-voltage wake-up guide rather than treating every symptom as a fob battery.
Related links
Source: DOLPHIN SURF handbook (PDF 41–45, 173; printed 40–44) (BYD UK). Checked 22 October 2026.