Apple digital car key arrives with updated BMW Connected app

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited July 2020
BMW on Thursday added Digital Key support to its BMW Connected app, a little over a week after Apple announced a digital car key feature set to debut with iOS 13.6.

Credit: BMW
Credit: BMW


The digital car keys feature will allow users to store "digital keys" within the Wallet app, allowing them to lock, unlock or start their vehicles with an iPhone or Apple Watch.

BMW was announced as the first adopter of the vehicular technology, and the automaker has updated its BMW Connected app to support the feature with what it calls BMW Digital Key.

"The BMW Digital Key for the iPhone will enable you to lock and unlock your car by holding iPhone up to the door handle and start it up by placing iPhone in the smartphone tray," BMW said of the update.

Digital Key users will also be able to share access with up to five of their friends or family members. The setup process is carried out within the BMW Connected app, while actual Digital Keys are stored in Wallet.

The feature will be available on the iPhone XR and iPhone XS and newer, as well as the Apple Watch Series 5 and newer.

While BMW has updated their app to support digital keys, Apple will introduce compatibility with the feature in the forthcoming iOS 13.6 and watchOS 6.2.8. The feature will also be present in iOS 14 and watchOS 7.

As the carmaker said on June 22, the BMW Digital Key feature will also be compatible with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 series models, as well as the X5, X5M, X6, X6M, X7 and Z4.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    furryonefurryone Posts: 6member
    Wow, BMW and Apple are right on the bleeding edge - of what is laughable, especially for Tesla owners, who have been using their phones as a car key for years.  Oh, and we don't need to "Hold the iPhone up to the door handle, or put the phone in a tray" to drive our cars.  Teslas unlock upon approach - no fumbling for the phone required - that's so last decade...
    chemengin1
  • Reply 2 of 13
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,728member
    Only Apple could get people to change out their high end cars just to use the latest iOS App lol.  Kudos.  I only partially joke, because I know I selected cars based on Car Play over the last few years.

    I expect Jaguar, Mercedes and Audi will follow BMW soon.
  • Reply 3 of 13
    JBSloughJBSlough Posts: 92member
    Just not getting this. Why would I want to take my phone out? My Focus key fob does this and it never has to leave my pocket or bag. Seems like a step backwards. 
    chemengin1
  • Reply 4 of 13
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,808member
    furryone said:
    Wow, BMW and Apple are right on the bleeding edge - of what is laughable, especially for Tesla owners, who have been using their phones as a car key for years.  Oh, and we don't need to "Hold the iPhone up to the door handle, or put the phone in a tray" to drive our cars.  Teslas unlock upon approach - no fumbling for the phone required - that's so last decade...

    Plz.....Its not like Tesla isn't without their issues and many of them. And your Tesla app can't unlock more than one vehicle if you happen to own more than one which many do in the US at least.
  • Reply 5 of 13
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,360member
    JBSlough said:
    Just not getting this. Why would I want to take my phone out? My Focus key fob does this and it never has to leave my pocket or bag. Seems like a step backwards. 
    Yeah, I like the idea of keyless entry and ignition, but this isn't my preference for implementation.

    "The BMW Digital Key for the iPhone will enable you to lock and unlock your car by holding iPhone up to the door handle and start it up by placing iPhone in the smartphone tray" 

    Seriously? A digital key has a lot of advantages, especially if you can send it to a friend or limit someone's access such as a valet mode, etc. But it's only marginally faster and possible more convenient than a traditional key, as far as convenience goes. Setting the phone in a tray – does that start the car or allow an button to be pushed to start? Probably the latter, also not much of a convenience/time save.

    Given that a lot of people might be on their phone anyway as they approach, it would seem to be a logical step. 

    Now if your Watch allowed the same functionality that would be notable, especially if it functioned like a fob via proximity and not 'touch'.. The Watch already unlocks my Macs. I'd still want to carry a real key though. Still, I'm happy to see this much for Apple and car manufacturers. I'd happily take that over not having a choice.
    edited July 2020
  • Reply 6 of 13
    furryonefurryone Posts: 6member
    macxpress said:

    Plz.....Its not like Tesla isn't without their issues and many of them. And your Tesla app can't unlock more than one vehicle if you happen to own more than one which many do in the US at least.
    Actually, you can.  Just give each car a different name and they'll show up in the app.
    chemengin1
  • Reply 7 of 13
    steve_jobssteve_jobs Posts: 86member
    Of curiosity, if you leave the iphone inside your bmw but take the standard key plus the apple watch with you did the car is able to close?
    etc...   :)
    edited July 2020
  • Reply 8 of 13
    CloudTalkinCloudTalkin Posts: 916member
    steve_jobs said:
    Of curiosity, if you leave the iphone inside your bmw but take the standard key plus the apple watch with you did the car is able to close?
    etc...   :)
    CarKey is a software option connected to your iPhone.  It doesn't replace your standard key.  You can use either. 
  • Reply 9 of 13
    furryonefurryone Posts: 6member
    steve_jobs said:
    Of curiosity, if you leave the iphone inside your bmw but take the standard key plus the apple watch with you did the car is able to close?
    etc...   :)
    I can tell you how Tesla works, but not BMW.  Tesla doesn't use keys per se, they use what looks like a credit card, and you can also use more than one phone as a key too.  The cards work by NFC to the B pillar to open the car, and need to be placed on the center console in order to place the car in motion.  If you leave the card on the console and exit, I think the doors will remain unlocked (I don't use the cards).  If you leave your phone in the car and exit, the doors will remain unlocked.  (You can also set the doors to remain unlocked, or to remain unlocked at chosen GPS locations.)
  • Reply 10 of 13
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,808member
    furryone said:
    macxpress said:

    Plz.....Its not like Tesla isn't without their issues and many of them. And your Tesla app can't unlock more than one vehicle if you happen to own more than one which many do in the US at least.
    Actually, you can.  Just give each car a different name and they'll show up in the app.

    As long as its a Tesla....

    You're totally missing the point in all of this. Apple is the first major company to do this with the potential to support multiple vehicles via a standard. Not everyone has a Tesla and not everyone will own one so your point is moot about Tesla doing this first. Apple never gives 2 shits who does something first. They're more concerned about getting it right and supporting a platform as a whole, not just one single thing.

    You sound like you work for Tesla or something.
    edited July 2020
  • Reply 11 of 13
    kent909kent909 Posts: 731member
    My last car I updated the head unit to get wireless Carplay. It was nice getting into my car and not having to take my phone out. My new car that has wired Carplay. Why they don’t do wireless escapes me. Same thinking here. My new car fob remains in my pocket. Why is this not the obvious more convenient way?
  • Reply 12 of 13
    JamieLeeCurtisJamieLeeCurtis Posts: 6member
    macxpress said:
    furryone said:
    macxpress said:

    Plz.....Its not like Tesla isn't without their issues and many of them. And your Tesla app can't unlock more than one vehicle if you happen to own more than one which many do in the US at least.
    Actually, you can.  Just give each car a different name and they'll show up in the app.

    As long as its a Tesla....

    You're totally missing the point in all of this. Apple is the first major company to do this with the potential to support multiple vehicles via a standard. Not everyone has a Tesla and not everyone will own one so your point is moot about Tesla doing this first. Apple never gives 2 shits who does something first. They're more concerned about getting it right and supporting a platform as a whole, not just one single thing.

    You sound like you work for Tesla or something.
    Well, in the Apple Bubble perhaps, but the first major company who did this first with BMW ... yes you guessed it ... is Samsung. Samsung owners are enjoying this with their BMWs since one year. BMW and Samsung implemented this standard first. Apple's implementation is an exact copy of what you can do with a Samsung flagship.
    As always those who watched Apple's presentation could believe Apple was here the driver or the pioneer.

    As a rule: whenever you believe that Apple does something first, go and google for an existing Samsung implementation.
  • Reply 13 of 13
    furryonefurryone Posts: 6member
    macxpress said:
    As long as its a Tesla....

    You're totally missing the point in all of this. Apple is the first major company to do this with the potential to support multiple vehicles via a standard. Not everyone has a Tesla and not everyone will own one so your point is moot about Tesla doing this first. Apple never gives 2 shits who does something first. They're more concerned about getting it right and supporting a platform as a whole, not just one single thing.

    You sound like you work for Tesla or something.
    1.  I, like you, didn't say Tesla did it first - just that Tesla owners have been able to use their phones to do this for some time now.

    2.  I have nothing do with Tesla except that I own one, and as I said before, I'm a long time Apple user and BMW owner
    chemengin1
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