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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.

genesis-gv70-nfc-key.jpg

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.

genesis-car-key.jpg

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.

Article Link: Apple Preparing to Support Digital Car Keys for Genesis Vehicles
 
My 2021 Hyundai Sonata Limited can use digital car key on Android so I hope it comes to iOS by the end of 2022 (as that is when my lease will be up and I will be swapping it for another Hyundai or a Genesis).
 
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But is it worth it? just curious...I just keep the car fob in my pocket and walk to the car and as I get near it the lights come on and I just open the door. It's a Subaru STi and has keyless entry. I would be very nervous not having the fob....just incase. If for some reason the battery died I would not be able to get in as there is a physical key that would open the drivers side door. Then I could get in the trunk and get out the jump battery.
 
I’d really like to see an Apple certified after market solution for existing vehicles.
I would love this for it to play with with solutions such as Viper SmartStart or MyCar Telematics, etc. Even if its not the driving part, just the unlocking the door part. Since the time most would use this is when they don't have their keys but say need to get something out of the car, etc.
 
My 2021 Hyundai Sonata Limited can use digital car key on Android so I hope it comes to iOS by the end of 2022 (as that is when my lease will be up and I will be swapping it for another Hyundai or a Genesis).
I really hope so... I have a 2020 Limited. Love the car SO much but Apple CarKey would make it almost perfect.
 
Another solution to a problem that did not exist.
Disagree.

I completely stopped carrying keys around when I got my Tesla. My phone is the key. The backup keycard, for the rare occasion where my phone dies, is in my phone case.

It's nice to not have keys anymore.

I guess the one small improvement that could be made would be if my Apple Watch also acted as a key unlocking the car. Does Apple's implementation allow that?
 
Disagree.

I completely stopped carrying keys around when I got my Tesla. My phone is the key. The backup keycard, for the rare occasion where my phone dies, is in my phone case.

It's nice to not have keys anymore.

I guess the one small improvement that could be made would be if my Apple Watch also acted as a key unlocking the car. Does Apple's implementation allow that?
You stopped carrying keys around because that's a choice you made. But that still doesn't mean it's a problem. Using a physical key takes literally seconds to unlock a car. And failing that, wireless keys have been a thing for a long, long time and are actually faster than using a phone.

So again, this is one of those progress-for-the-sake-of-progress things that the world just didn't need. It's more for the people making the money off the phones and the cars than it is for you or me, or to solve some sort of real-world problem.
 
Is it at all possible for Car manufactures to take advantage of this if their existing cars support unlocking the door through NFC with a key fob? My 2017 Ford Fusion unlocks when I put my hand on the handle if my keys are within close proximity to the door. Would be cool if this also worked with my phone in my pocket. But alas, I'm betting this is a feature that I won't be able to use until I get a new car in maybe 8 years or something lol
 
I had a Genesis G70, it was an awesome car. Got rid of it for a 2021 F150, its even better hopefully they can add this to Ford vehicle also
 
You stopped carrying keys around because that's a choice you made. But that still doesn't mean it's a problem. Using a physical key takes literally seconds to unlock a car. And failing that, wireless keys have been a thing for a long, long time and are actually faster than using a phone.

So again, this is one of those progress-for-the-sake-of-progress things that the world just didn't need. It's more for the people making the money off the phones and the cars than it is for you or me, or to solve some sort of real-world problem.
You don't have to "use the phone" to unlock the car. It behaves the same way a passive entry key fob does; walk up to the car it unlocks, walk away it locks. I've been doing it since 2018.

Solving a problem doesn't have to be the only reason for technology to exist. Plenty of things have been invented simply for convenience.

A single device we're carrying has already replaced cameras, music players, computers, wallets, notepads, maps, books, newspapers, boarding passes, etc. None of those were a problem before that but it's much more convenient to carry an iPhone than all that stuff. There's no reason not to add car keys, house keys, and building access cards to that list if it can be done effectively and securely.
 
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