In the same way that Apple Wallet can make it easier to go out without a physical credit card, Apple Car Key can theoretically make it easier to leave the house without your car keys as well. The feature was first introduced in 2020, but adoption has been slow to say the least. Here’s a quick overview of how it works and how it’s set up.
How to use Apple Car Key
Apple Car Key works on both iPhone and Apple Watch. To set it up, you’ll first need to make sure your car supports the feature (there’s a list at the bottom of this article). Unfortunately, even in 2024, only a select few manufacturers have started supporting Apple Car Key, so the list is limited. You’ll also need to have an iPhone XS or later, iPhone SE (2nd generation or later), or Apple Watch Series 5 or later with the most recent operating system.
The exact instructions you need to follow vary depending on the car you own, but basically you’ll need to contact the manufacturer and make sure your account is associated with your car. Then you can use the car’s screen or the manufacturer’s app to set up a key and add it to the Apple Wallet app. From there, just hold your iPhone or Apple Watch near the reader, just like you would if you were using Apple Pay.
By default, your Apple Car Key should be added to the Apple Watch that you have synced with your iPhone. If not, you can add it by going to Wallet and Apple Pay > Add in the Apple Watch app on your phone.
Once you add your key to your Apple Wallet, you can take advantage of both passive entry and proximity entry. Passive entry is the most automated option: it lets your device unlock or lock your car when you pass a certain distance threshold, and as long as you have the iPhone in the car with you, you’ll be able to get started engine. Proximity mode works similar to keyless entry in that it detects your iPhone when you hold it near the door and then unlocks the car. You will then need to hold the iPhone or Apple Watch near the car’s player to allow you to start the car. With Apple Car Key, you can also easily share your car keys with other people, which can be useful for large families who share a vehicle or to give temporary access to someone who is house-sitting, for example .
Another convenient feature offered by Apple’s Car Key is that your iPhone will still function as a car key, even if it needs to be charged. This feature requires you to use Express Mode, which does not require TouchID or other biometric/security measures to unlock access to your keys. It’s a bit dangerous, given that anyone can grab your phone and access your keys, but Apple says it could work as long as you activate it up to five hours in advance. You can see which cards and keys are available when your iPhone needs to be charged by pressing the power button.
But what happens when the entire power reserve is used up? Well, according to an interview with The Verge, your phone should still work like a key to your car. It may not be as reliable, meaning you may have to hold it against the handle a few times, but it should still work. Indeed, when the reserve becomes low enough, it switches to NFC to make these connections. NFC chips don’t require any power source, so they should technically work even when the phone is dead. However, if you turn your phone off, Apple says the car key won’t work at all.
Which cars support Apple Car Key?
As I noted above, a few cars still support the Apple Car Key. You will need to contact your manufacturer to check if your car supports this feature. However, some users have managed to compile lists of all cars currently known to support Apple Car Key:
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BMW 1 Series 2021-2023
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BMW 2 Series 2021-2023
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BMW 3 Series 2021-2023
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BMW 4 Series 2021-2023
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BMW 5 Series 2021-2023
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BMW 6 Series 2021-2023
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BMW 8 Series 2021-2023
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BMW X5 2021-2023
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BMW X6 2021-2023
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BMW X7 2021-2023
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2021 – 2023 BMW X5M
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2021 – 2023 BMW X6M
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BMW Z4 2021-2023
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BMW i4 2022-2023
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BMW iX 2022-2023
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2022-2023 BMW iX1
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2022-2023 BMW iX3
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BMW i3 2023
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BMW i7 2023
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BMW i5 2024
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2022 – 2023 BYD HAN
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Genesis GV60 2023
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Genesis G90 2023
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2023 Hyundai Palisade
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Hyundai IONIQ6 2023
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Hyundai Kona EV 2024
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2023 Kia Telluride
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2023 Kia Niro
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Kia Seltos 2024
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Kia EV9 2024
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Lotus Emeya EV
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Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2024
Why is there so little support?
It may seem strange that this Apple Car Key technology is already four years old and yet there are still fewer than 150 car models that support it. Well, there’s a good reason for that. While having your car key on your iPhone may sound good on paper, there are many factors to consider, such as digital security.
The problem here is that hackers can theoretically access anything digital. Sure, we have varying levels of encryption, and Apple offers some of the strongest encryption you’ll find on a smartphone, but ultimately none of our cybersecurity systems are completely foolproof, and bad actors are always looking for new ways to get in. So even if a system is designed to be secure, hackers can find a way inside, giving them access to your car key. Even some of the best-known automakers that have pushed digital keys, like Tesla, have chosen to offer physical key fobs as well, simply because they’re less susceptible to hacking — and sometimes the apps that power phone systems as a key. but does not always work correctly. Of course, someone can still steal your physical key fob, but that requires physical interaction, rather than hacking your phone remotely and accessing your keys.
There’s also the fact that Apple and others trying to push these digital keys haven’t yet found standardization. Cars use different technologies inside depending on the manufacturer, which means you need to create a system that is both secure and capable of working with a multitude of different types of hardware and software configurations, or get every manufacturer in the world to do it. agree on a single technological configuration. This is a massive undertaking, and given the difficulties we’ve had convincing smartphone makers around the world to agree on basic standards, it’s unlikely to happen any time soon. early with car manufacturers (whose number is much higher). of). That’s not to say it’s impossible, it’s just going to take a lot longer for it to happen, in the same way that it’s going to take a lot of time for electric vehicle manufacturers to agree on a configuration standard charging.
Ultimately, the world just isn’t ready to overcome all the hurdles that Apple car keys and digital keys pose, both from a technical standpoint and from a consumer standpoint, and that’s why we don’t yet see them fully adopted by all automakers. Cybersecurity concerns as well as technical hurdles remain at the forefront of this technology. It’s possible that four more years will bring more cars under the Apple Car Key umbrella, or it’s possible that we’ll see manufacturers abandon digital keys altogether and look for other methods (it’s unlikely, but it This is still something that could happen if the technology stagnates enough, which is unlikely because Apple and others view the technology as “growing”). For now, however, Apple’s Car Key system will have to make do with its much smaller pool of supported vehicles. At least for a little longer.
