Over the last several weeks, CarPlay has been in the headlines quite a bit thanks to GM’s decision to bail on the platform and Rivian’s continued resistance. Apple, however, isn’t concerned and has recently updated its website to promote the fact that over 800 cars on the market currently support the feature.
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Car Key was introduced in 2020 with iOS 13.6, and as the name suggests, the feature lets car owners use their iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock the doors and even start the car. Currently, Car Key works with both NFC and Ultra Wideband (UWB) technologies, but Apple may drop support for NFC in the future. This is what the latest beta of iOS 16.4 suggests.
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Apple’s Car Key feature was originally announced in July 2020 as a way to unlock your car using the Wallet app on your iPhone. The feature, however, has been limited in availability and only recently expanded beyond certain BMW cars.
In what could be a sign of the company ramping up the speed of Car Key adoption, Apple has launched a new “Car Keys Tests” app on the App Store this week.
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Drunk driving kills one person every 52 minutes in the US – which is a good reason for Apple to be exploring a Car Key breathalyzer feature, which would refuse to unlock your car if you’re over the legal alcohol limit.
The US Patent & Trademark Office has today published an Apple patent application for this functionality …
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One of the most interesting and limited features available within the iOS ecosystem is Car Key. Launched in 2020, only a limited number of BMW models could be unlocked with the owner’s iPhone and Apple Watch. Now, Apple is expanding this feature to some Kia and Genesis vehicles.
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One of the features Apple touted as being included with iOS 15 is expanded support for Car Keys, allowing you to unlock, lock, and start your car without having to take your iPhone out of your pocket. Ahead of iOS 15 launching to the public this fall, the Car Connectivity Consortium has officially published the Digital Key Release 3.0 specification and made it available to members.
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At WWDC last year, Apple introduced a new Car Key feature as part of iOS 13.6. The feature allows drivers to replace their physical car keys with their iPhone. An update to the Digital Key Release specification coming later this year will add support for Ultra Wideband and Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity…
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BMW was the first car manufacturer to adopt Apple’s Car Key feature – enabling an iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock your car – and has now announced an enhanced version known as Digital Key Plus.
Digital Key Plus uses the ultra-wideband tech found in the U1 chip in the iPhone 11, iPhone 12 and Apple Watch Series 6 …
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After being rumored for months, Apple announced Car Key last month as a feature of iOS 14 and also iOS 13. As the name suggests, this feature turns the iPhone into a real car key that can unlock, lock, and start a car. Read on as we detail Car Key options, compatibility, and availability.
Apple officially announced its new Car Key feature at WWDC 2020 last month, teasing that BMW drivers would be the first people able to use it. Now, the BMW Connected app for iPhone and Apple Watch has been updated with support for Car Key.
9to5Mac reported exclusively in February that Apple is developing a new ‘CarKey’ feature that will let drivers replace physical key fobs with their iPhone. The new virtual key technology was first discovered in a beta version of iOS 13.4.
New evidence in iOS 14 code obtained by 9to5Mac reveals that Apple is working with BMW to likely be the first carmaker to support the futuristic iPhone feature. 9to5Mac received this non-denial statement from BMW when asked about their involvement:
Please understand that at this point we cannot confirm your request nor give you further details. We would like to refer you to our press release.
The informative press release referenced was published in December and refers to BMW’s efforts to adopt a new smartphone and watch Digital Key standard:
Apple today released the first beta version of iOS 13.4 for developers, and now 9to5Mac has found evidence of a new feature that will make it possible to use the iPhone as a car key, and more.