More car brands with support for Apple’s CarKey feature might show this year
Unless you are riding down the highway with one of the specific BMWs that have it, chances are you haven’t had the chance to experience Apple’s CarKey feature. It was first introduced at WWDC in 2020, but it is yet to become widely adopted by car manufacturers.
For now, the number of car models that support CarKey is meager, not to mention they belong to just one brand. Well, it seems that this might be changing in the summer of 2022, as reputable Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman states in his latest Power On newsletter.
Mr. Gurman shares that he has received information suggesting that Hyundai will allegedly release its Genesis line, which might support CarKey.
Well, it is simple to explain, actually. CarKey is a feature that allows you to add your car key to the Wallet app and then use your iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock, lock, and start your car. To use the feature, you have to have an iPhone XS (or 2nd-gen iPhone SE) or later or an Apple Watch Series 5 or later.
You need an iPhone 11 Pro/Apple Watch Series 6 (or later) to start your car remotely, though. That's all thanks to the U1 chip inside, which also allows unlocking the car without taking your phone out.
CarKey does not require any additional authentication as, by default, it is in Express Mode. So, if you want to have extra security for your new “car keys” you might find it better to disable that mode, which will make it, so you need to verify every time with Face ID or Touch ID.
As an added peace of mind, Apple’s CarKey feature will work for an additional five hours even if your iPhone or Apple Watch have died, thanks to something called Reserve mode.
For now, the number of car models that support CarKey is meager, not to mention they belong to just one brand. Well, it seems that this might be changing in the summer of 2022, as reputable Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman states in his latest Power On newsletter.
Remember CarKey, the Apple feature announced a year and a half ago that lets you unlock and start your car from your iPhone’s Wallet app? I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re unfamiliar with it, given that Apple hasn’t discussed the feature in a while and it only works on select BMW models. I’m told that’s going to change soon. In line with code findings several months ago in iOS 15, I’m hearing that the next cars to get support for the feature will be models from Hyundai and its Genesis line. I’m told the functionality will roll out by the summer.
But what is CarKey to begin with?
Well, it is simple to explain, actually. CarKey is a feature that allows you to add your car key to the Wallet app and then use your iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock, lock, and start your car. To use the feature, you have to have an iPhone XS (or 2nd-gen iPhone SE) or later or an Apple Watch Series 5 or later.
But how does it do that? Is it magic? As much as Apple likes to use that word, no, it is not. By using NFC technology, you can unlock your car just by holding your iPhone or Apple Watch next to the car’s door.
You need an iPhone 11 Pro/Apple Watch Series 6 (or later) to start your car remotely, though. That's all thanks to the U1 chip inside, which also allows unlocking the car without taking your phone out.
As an added peace of mind, Apple’s CarKey feature will work for an additional five hours even if your iPhone or Apple Watch have died, thanks to something called Reserve mode.
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