Volkswagen Is Finally Speeding Toward Apple Digital Car Keys
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In the years immediately following Apple’s 2020 debut of “Car Key,” the technology often seemed destined to be limited to at least higher-end vehicle brands, if not outright luxury cars. Thankfully, the past year has seen a rapid democratization of the technology, and there’s no sign of that pace slowing down as a new carmaker looks set to soon join the party.
Yesterday, the folks at MacRumors found server-side Apple code revealing that Volkswagen is planning to bring Apple’s digital car keys to at least some of its vehicles. Sadly, the code doesn’t give us any insight into which vehicles those may be, or when it’s coming, but it’s still a glimmer of hope for fans of the German automaker’s vehicles.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen back-end code telegraph new additions to Apple Wallet. In fact, it’s becoming a bit of a trend. In December, code for Toyota showed up on the same list, accurately predicting the 2026 RAV4’s official adoption into the car key family a few months later.
This means we’ll likely see a similar timeline for Volkswagen, although again it’s anyone’s guess which vehicles will gain car key support. It’s very common for carmakers to roll the feature out to their vehicles at a very slow and calculated pace, focusing on their best-selling models first. Such moves aren’t even limited to things like car keys; in 2021, Nissan rolled out wireless CarPlay exclusively on the Rogue, leaving more premium models like the Murano and Pathfinder waiting in the wings.
It also doesn’t help that, while Apple offers a list of which vehicles support digital car keys, it doesn’t appear to get much love. Technically, it’s a list of over 800 vehicles that work with CarPlay, annotated with a key icon beside those that also offer car key, so perhaps it’s not too surprising that the digital key-related updates lag behind.
Apple rolled out a more limited version of car key in the summer of 2020 with iOS 13.6 that was exclusive to BMW vehicles and worked solely over NFC. This means you had to pull your iPhone out of your pocket and hold it near the vehicle door to unlock your car and, to make matters even more complicated, place your iPhone in a specific spot on the console to act as the digital starter key. Wearing an Apple Watch made it easier to unlock the doors, but didn’t do anything to alleviate the console requirement.
For most folks, the fob in their pocket was far easier, but fortunately the NFC-only era was relatively short-lived. In January 2021, Apple and BMW added Digital Key Plus, which brought Ultra Wideband (UWB) support to the mix, introducing a truly hands-free unlocking experience. Still, that rollout proceeded at a glacial pace, coming only to BMW’s iX that year.
The feature also remained exclusive to BMW until early 2022, when rumors began swirling that Hyundai was getting on board, planning to bring Apple’s digital car keys to its Genesis and Kia vehicles. This kicked off with the 2023 Genesis GV60, followed by the 2023 Kia Telluride and Niro, along with the Hyundai Palisade and IONIQ 6.
In 2024, Mercedes-Benz added car key to its E-Class, Audi rolled it out across its entire refreshed lineup, including the A5, A6, Q5, and Q6, and Volvo brought it to the EX30 and EX90 EVs.
Car key has also become popular among performance and EV-specific brands including the Porsche Macan EV, Lotus Eletre and Emeya, the Polestar 3/4, and Rivian, BYD, MINI, and NIO.
However, it’s in the past year that the floodgates have truly opened to everyday North American vehicles. There’s already evidence that a few Lexus models are certain to follow Toyota’s RAV4 announcement, and while Volkswagen is likely next on deck, Apple’s roadmap also lists Acura, Lucid Motors, and — perhaps ironically, considering GM’s attitude toward CarPlay — Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMC.
Still, a few outliers remain, most notably Tesla (which should surprise no one), along with Ford and other Japanese brands like Honda, Mazda, Subaru, and Nissan. I’d hoped that last one would be on board by now, but as I prepare to swap my trusty 2021 Rogue for a 2026 model in a few hours, there’s no sign of Apple digital car key support — nor any hints that it’s coming soon. That means I’ll still be fiddling with Nissan’s iPhone app, but at least I can bask in a smooth wireless CarPlay experience.
