Apple’s digital car key feature could soon come in handy for unlocking more than a handful of BMW models. in your most recent Newsletter, BloombergThe company’s Mark Gurman stated that Hyundai and its luxury Genesis badge will support Apple CarKey “through the summer”. It’s not certain which models would provide the option, but it’s notable that some trim levels on the Ioniq 5 and other Hyundai cars include NFC for a (currently proprietary) digital key.
While lock remotes have been available on smartphones for some time now, CarKey (and its Android equivalent) treats the phone more like a physical key. You just need to bring your phone or Apple Watch to the door handle to unlock it, and you can even place your phone in a certain area to start your car. People with ultra-wideband iPhones (like the iPhone 11 and newer) can even leave the phone in their pocket when opening and starting the vehicle.
If the leak is accurate, Apple’s move could significantly expand the audience for digital car keys — you wouldn’t need to buy from a high-end brand to even consider it. A settlement would also suggest that the dispute over a possible EV collaboration wasn’t enough to stop Apple and Hyundai from exploring a CarKey team.
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