iPhone car keys: soon on other vehicles too
Opening the car with an iPhone or Apple Watch is practical, even if only with certain models so far. Now three more manufacturers are to be added.
Apple-Car-Key on a BMW: Take the strain off your trouser pocket.
(Image: BMW)
Apple is expanding support for its NFC and UWB-based car key technology. After Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lotus, Hyundai and BYD, three more brands are now to be added, including another German brand. This is the result of code changes in the Wallet app within iOS that Macrumors has discovered.
Audi, but no other VWs
According to the leak, Audi will also receive the function for the first time. This would be the first brand in the VW Group to support Apple Car Keys. The exact implementation is still unclear, as is which models will actually be able to use it. Depending on the manufacturer, this could only be particularly expensive vehicles – However, almost the entire BMW fleet down to the 1 Series is now supported. It is not yet clear whether other VW subsidiaries will follow.
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The second brand family with a digital car key from Apple will be Volvo and its e-car sister Volvo. The Swedish-Chinese company has not yet been represented here. Model names have not yet leaked out. The Apple Car Key was introduced for the first time in 2022. Since then, other models have been added, albeit more slowly than quickly.
Use via iPhone or Apple Watch
The digital car key is always stored in the Apple Wallet and can then be used on the iPhone and Apple Watch. To open the vehicle, simply approach it with your cell phone or computer watch and hold the device up to the reading area – then you can get in and start the vehicle.
Using IDS (Apple Identity Service), the car key can also be shared with other people, such as children or friends. However, this "Shared Car Keys" functionality recently caused problems: In BMW models, it was temporarily not possible to use shared keys; users were left standing in front of the car without being able to get in. The problem also appears to exist in iOS 18.0.1, but it is not yet possible to say whether the bug is on the Apple or BMW side. The "Passive Entry" feature, which some manufacturers (such as BMW in this case) integrate to make car key use even more convenient, is affected. The main owner of the vehicle can still get in.
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