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Apple Preparing to Support Digital Car Keys for Genesis Vehicles
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IIRC Apple Digital Keys doesn't use BT/BLE it uses UWB and/or NFC. So auto makers would need to add it to their vehicles in order for Apple Digital Keys to work. It is much easier to use BLE/BT to work on existing cars, with it being even easier to just use the existing RF bands that practically every fob known to man uses (Tesla being the oddball that actually uses BLE for their "recent" fobs).
The person I quoted appears to say it will be easier to use Apple over BLE, not sure how that would be easier..
The advantage is I can use the phone or Apple Watch I'm already carrying which will wirelessly unlock the car when I touch the handle or approach - similar to a wireless key without having to carry a key fob.
Say I'm going to the gym, it means I don't have to carry anything in my pockets. Or swimming, hiking, etc etc. What if my key is stolen? I can lock my iPhone down as soon as it's missing.
If that happens, you use/borrow any internet connected device to login to your Tesla website and lock down your Tesla (disable the keys, lower the max speed and acceleration if it's already in motion, contact the police and let them know your car is stolen and where it is/where it's heading).
A bigger threat is probably having your Tesla account compromised. Then you'd need to contact customer support and have them lock down your vehicle for you and get your account back under your control.
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Wireless keys are probably a step back, not forward, compared to ordinary keys. Now there's an extra battery that needs to be kept charged. Now there's a thing that can get lost in the car. You don't seem to grasp what I'm saying when I say I have no keys. Whereas your mental checklist before leaving a room likely consists of "keys, wallet, phone", mine is just "phone". There is nothing else for me to forget.
And it's actually difficult to forget my phone now - I can't drive away from someplace without it because my car won't unlock without it. (There are ways to unlock the car without the phone, but those would be conscious workarounds - I can't accidentally unlock and start my car by logging into the website from another device.)
Tesla S and X come with 2 fobs + the phone lock, The 3 and Y have a fob option ($175) you can buy at any time.
I am old-fashioned and prefer the fob since I don't always have my phone with me.
Does the new S/X come with a fob still? I thought they switched to the card like the 3/Y. The "old" S/X allow you to unlock and start the car with your phone, but it requires internet for both the phone and the car. That method doesn't use BLE.
It is still listed on my X order, but since the car may not be delivered until well into 2022 who knows what it will come with. Last X came with fobs.
This is incorrect. You can unlock, lock, and start the vehicle using the digital key.
NFC implementation requires you to have the device close to the door for locking and unlocking, and then on a mat for starting the vehicle.
The UWB implementation will allow you to leave the device in your pocket to lock/unlock/start the vehicle.
Why does there have to be a "problem" to have a feature implemented? If there had to be a problem, there would still be no cell phones, and if there were cell phones, still no need to have a smart phone at all.
I'd like to stress that this is incorrect. You can start the car, what people may have missed is that you need the phone to be put into the wireless charging pad to start (it uses NFC to read the phone and NFC has short range). It does kind of suck but that's been the problem of the current NFC system, the UWB system fixes this.
I think they use Bluetooth but as a communication layer. The UWB is used for relative position of phone to car, and NFC is the backup system you use for reserve power mode or non-UWB iPhones.
I would argue it will make huge waves when it comes to renting cars. You could rent a car dropped off anywhere and leave it anywhere, no need to exchange car keys. Plus it would save you time renting a car from the airport where you always have to wait a while to actually get the keys, but instead with this you can get the key to your phone instantly. That's a huge problem solved by itself. Also it means not needing to go to the dealership to get a new key, you can program the infotainment screen to add a new phone.
I really look forward to this. I go to a park in the early morning to run. And I want to carry nothing. I can leave my iPhone in my car because my Apple Watch with a data plan covers that. I can leave my wallet and water bottle in the car too. But I cannot leave my car keyfob in the car. And the keyfob is quite dense and it bounces in the pocket of my running pants. I really hate that and sometimes just hold my keyfob in my hand when I run fast. I really look forward to a day when all I need to carry is an Apple Watch.