Apple · iOS · Google · Engadget
Everything to know before putting a car key on your iPhone
Compiled by KHAO Editorial — aggregated from 1 source. See llms.txt for citation guidance.
◌ Single Source
You can access your car without even having to unlock your iPhone.
Key facts
- The feature launched on devices running iOS 14 and iOS 13 simultaneously, and Apple later introduced the ability for anyone with an iPhone or Apple Watch that has a U1 ultra-wideband chip
- For example, you can now use digital keys on Hyundai's Tucson, Ioniq 5 and 6, as well as the Rivian R1T and R1S
- At a minimum, Apple's digital car keys require an iPhone running iOS 13 with an NFC chip built
- The iPhone's digital car keys were only available on the BMW 5 Series at launch, but several major car makers have adopted the feature
Summary
With Apple Pay, Apple helped make tapping your phone at point of sale terminals ubiquitous, but the same technology that exchange possible has plenty of other uses. When it launched in 2020, Apple's digital car key feature offered compatibility with only a select number of cars, but that has meaningfully expanded in the years since. Apple added support for digital car keys in its Wallet app with the release of iOS 14. Depending on your car, the Wallet app can unlock, lock and start your car.