Last year, Apple debuted support for digital car keys, which let users lock, unlock, and start their vehicles using a pass stored in the Wallet app on the iPhone. And with iOS 15, there’s now Ultra Wideband support on the iPhone 11 and later that will let the feature work without having to remove your iPhone from your pocket.
Car manufacturers need to add the NFC technology to their vehicles to support digital car keys, and so far BMW has been the only manufacturer to do so with Apple’s platforms.
It appears as if that’s about to change, however, as an Apple configuration file specifying various compatibility criteria for Apple Pay NFC functionality has been updated today to add mention of Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis.
We noted earlier this year that BMW was preparing to support the Ultra Wideband version of Apple’s digital car key feature and that Hyundai was reportedly moving to adopt digital car keys on iPhone as well, and that now appears to be coming to fruition.
We’ve yet to see an official announcement from Hyundai or Genesis about launching digital car key support on iOS, but the manufacturer debuted the feature on Android with its 2021 GV80 and G80 models and indicated that it was working with Apple on iOS support.
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Apple’s Digital Car Key Feature Will Soon Work With Your iPhone in Your Pocket
The Car Connectivity Consortium today announced that its Digital Key 3.0 specification with support for Ultra Wideband and Bluetooth LE connectivity is finalized and now available to members, including Apple. In 2020, Apple introduced a digital car key feature that allows users to unlock and start a compatible vehicle by holding an iPhone or Apple Watch near the driver-side door. The feature …
Apple’s Digital Car Key Feature Set to Gain U1 Ultra Wideband Support With Mid-2021 Spec Update
The Car Connectivity Consortium today announced that its Digital Key 3.0 specification with support for Ultra Wideband and Bluetooth LE connectivity will be made available to members like Apple by the middle of 2021. At WWDC 2020, Apple introduced a new NFC-based digital Car Key feature that allows users to unlock and start their vehicle by holding a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch near…
BMW Announces Plans to Launch Ultra Wideband Version of Apple’s Car Key Feature by Early Next Year
BMW today announced future plans to roll out Digital Key Plus, an enhanced version of Apple’s Car Keys feature that incorporates Ultra Wideband technology, enabling drivers to unlock and start their vehicle without needing to take their iPhone out of their pocket or bag. BMW says the feature will first launch in its new iX electric vehicle, slated to launch in Europe in late 2021 and in North…
Apple Watch Chief Kevin Lynch Now Leading Apple Car Efforts
Apple VP of technology Kevin Lynch is taking over the Apple Car project and will be replacing Doug Field, who is moving to Ford, reports Bloomberg. Lynch first joined the Apple Car team in July, with reports suggesting he had been called on to help lead Apple Car development. Now that Field has left the company, Lynch will be taking over his role and will be in charge of the Apple Car. Lynch …
Apple Reportedly in Talks With Toyota About Apple Car Production Starting 2024
Apple is rumored to be in Asia visiting Toyota as it prepares to lay the supplier groundwork to mass produce a branded car by 2024, according to a new report by DigiTimes. Apple representatives were said to have met with South Korea’s SK Group and LG Electronics last month to discuss Apple Car development, and now Japan’s Toyota is being touted as its next potential destination. Apple…
Apple Watch Chief Kevin Lynch to Work on Apple Car Development
Kevin Lynch, who is well known at Apple for overseeing work on the Apple Watch, is set to take on a role leading the development of the Apple Car, reports Business Insider. Several sources within Apple told Business Insider that Apple has been called on to help lead the Apple Car project, which has undergone several shifts in leadership over the years. Right now, Apple Car development is…
Apple Supplier Foxconn Eager to Break Into Electric Vehicle Manufacturing
Apple supplier Foxconn is making a major push into electric vehicle manufacturing and has long been aiming to get into the vehicle market, according to a new profile of Foxconn’s car ambitions that was shared by Nikkei. ”If we can make iPhones, why can’t we make EVs?” Foxconn founder and former chairman Terry Gou said in an internal meeting. “It is an iPhone with four wheels.” Foxconn has …
Apple Car Executive Doug Field Departs Company for Ford
Doug Field, Apple’s Vice President of Special Projects, is leaving Apple and abandoning his work on the Apple Car in favor of a position at Ford, Ford announced today. Field has jumped from company to company in recent years, and since 2018, he has been leading Apple Car development alongside Bob Mansfield and John Giannandrea, who took over leadership for the project in late 2020. Prior to…
