Automakers Will Soon Enable ‘Apple Car Key’ to Start and Unlock Your Vehicle from Your Pocket or Bag

Last year, Apple surprised us with a new Car Key feature that suddenly arrived in iOS 13.6. While the initial implementation had more than few limitations, it looks like that will soon change thanks to the new Digital Key 3.0 specification. More on that below.

The first version of Car Key has been little more than a proof of concept, although it still worked well within its limited scope. For example, it’s only been available on new BMW vehicles, and since it relies on Near-Field Communications (NFC), it requires that you actually pull your iPhone out of your pocket and hold it near your car door.

To be fair, you can also use your Apple Watch, however this only works for unlocking. Starting up your vehicle still requires you to set your iPhone down in a specific location on your console so that your vehicle can communicate with it via NFC. You also have to ensure that your iPhone is unlocked with Face ID or your passcode before it can be used to start your vehicle.

You’re probably thinking that’s kind of a hassle when you consider the fact that most standard vehicle car keys will allow you to unlock and start your car while they remain in your pocket.

However, Car Key does offer a few unique benefits that were there at the outset, such as the ability to share keys for your vehicle with friends and family using iMessage, along with setting time and usage restrictions on those shared keys.

Most importantly, Apple’s initial Car Key release was really just laying the foundation for what would eventually come. We already know that Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology can offer a much richer user experience, and earlier this year, BMW committed to adding that to future vehicle models.

BMW dubbed its version of the feature “Digital Key Plus” and it was squarely aimed at iPhone users with U1-equipped devices.

While it wasn’t mentioned specifically, we also sort of hope that this will include the Apple Watch Series 6, since it also packs in a U1 chip that doesn’t otherwise have any reason to exist yet.

What’s New in Digital Key 3.0?

The good news is that BMW is merely ahead of the curve on this new technology, which has just been made official by the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) in the form of Digital Key Release 3.0.

Apple has been a charter member of the CCC for several years, so it has a voice in actually developing these specs. This means that Apple’s Car Key isn’t so much a response to what the CCC is doing as an integral part.

Other charter members of the CCC include automakers like Audi, BMW, GM, Hyundai and Volkswagen, along with other tech firms such as Samsung, Panasonic, and LG.

To be clear, the Digital Key 3.0 spec has been around in draft form for a while now, so it’s almost certain that BMW’s previously announced Digital Key Plus is based on the same specification.

However, now that the CCC has made it final, the door is open for all carmakers to actually start including it in their vehicles.

The CCC Digital Key already enables your mobile device to be used as a key for your vehicle. With the CCC Digital Key Release 3, the user experience just got even better. The combination of Ultra Wideband and Bluetooth Low Energy will allow you to leave your mobile device in your bag or pocket when approaching to unlock and start your vehicle — making Digital Key even more convenient.

Daniel Knobloch, President, CCC

The new spec will still support NFC, which will not only ensure backward compatibility with older vehicles, but also enable a low-power mode, so you’ll still be able to unlock and start your car even when your iPhone battery is dead.

Apple first implemented this important low-power mode with Express Transit back in 2019. It’s already included in the current version of Car Key, and will expand to digital home, office, and hotel keys in iOS 15.

In practical terms, while a fully UWB-compatible digital key requires the iPhone to be powered on, the NFC capabilities mean that you’ll still be able to get into your car and start it by tapping your iPhone — even when the battery is completely dead.

The Digital Key 3.0 spec also includes new security features to prevent hackers from finding ways to copy and relay digital keys.

Firstly, the digital keys will be stored in the same Secure Enclave that’s used for Apple Pay cards and biometric Face ID data. In addition, however, UWB will use “secure and accurate distance measurement” so that cars can locate authenticated mobile devices — even more accurately than they can determine the position of your key fob.

UWB offers secure and accurate distance measurement allowing cars to locate authenticated mobile devices so that Release 3.0 not only prevents attacks but also adds a new level of convenience when entering, interacting and starting the car.

Car Connectivity Consortium

While it’s debatable whether Car Key will be any more convenient than just using your standard key fob, it’s expected to be considerably more secure. Car thieves have long known how to hack the lower-tech digital keys that are used by most vehicles, however the Digital Key 3.0 spec will take that to a whole new level thanks to UWB and more sophisticated encryption technology. It also has the advantage of letting you leave your physical car key at home so you’ll have one less thing to carry.

At this point, however, it’s not entirely clear which carmakers other than BMW plan to embrace the new standard. BMW expects its first vehicle with Digital Key 3.0 — the new all-electric BMW iX — to be available in Europe later this year, and in North America by early 2022.

A report out of South Korea has also suggested Hyundai is at work on the technology for its 2022-year models, but we have yet to hear an official announcement.