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Apple's Upcoming 'CarKey' Feature Will Let You Send Digital Keys Using Messages App

iGeneo said:
BMW is generally on the forefront of new vehicle tech. Still one of the very few with wireless CarPlay. May make my decision this summer much easier.
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Indeed, and already offering all the features offered in this new product from Apple for some time now.

You can already send a "key" to a guest and activate and deactivate them remotely.


Annoyingly it only works with Android since Apple refuse to allow developers access to the NFC element of an iPhone. Having said that, I believe it's being challenged in the EU courts as anti-competitive, so we'll see the outcome of that.
 
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JJayguy23 said:
Uh, don't do that. What about a dead phone?
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I honestly cannot remember the last time my iPhone completely died. I have my battery set to show the percentage, so when it gets below 75% I start thinking of getting it close to a charger. 50% is the red zone to get charged now.

I also have chargers in my office, my room, and kitchen.

My wife on the other hand, she is happy when she gets to the charger with 1%.
 
ArtOfWarfare said:
Are there still cars in production that can be unlocked with just a metal key? I thought all now include some chips inside the plastic part that electronically talk with the car before it unlocks (PK3 has been around for decades - I figured all cars were using that or something newer, if they even had key slots at all.)

That plastic part makes it a good deal bulkier than just a credit card.
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I assume he’s talking about the emergency key that cars come with to just open the door, not the entire fob.
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xxray said:
This would be less slower and less useful to me than my current keyless entry feature that came with my car. I just have to press the button on my door handle and my car can sense whether or not my fob and I are nearby. If I am, it'll unlock for me.

This feature would force me to take my phone out of my pocket, do a FaceID unlock, and make sure my phone was against the NFC sensor. Seems useful if you get locked out of your car, but less useful for daily use.
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With the Bluetooth and UWB options presumably you would be able to do all the same things you do now minus the fob, similar to Tesla.You’d only use NFC if your phone is completely dead thanks to iPhone 11’s power reserve.
 
It’s interesting that Apple doesn’t have the key sharing feature for smart locks in the Home app yet. With my Schlage smart locks, I have to use the Schlage app to issue and revoke the electronic key (code combination).
Why not start with smart locks, since there have been smart locks compatible with HomeKit for several years now.
 
konqerror said:
How does one steal a car? Regulations, primarily in the EU and Australia, require immobilizers, which makes hot-wiring and picking locks a thing of the past. Today, thieves are either towing the whole car away, something that attracts attention, or breaking into homes and stealing keys.

Having somebody hack into a system remotely, reading the car's built-in GPS (also required by EU regulations), and having somebody walk up, get in, and drive away, is far less visible and less risky than methods of theft today.

Not only that, the fact that Apple lets you send keys to others suggests a wide-open opportunity for social engineering. The system can be completely sound only merely coupled with a clueless user.
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Exactly.
 
69Mustang said:
Wait... you want to throw shade at Hyundai regarding fun, but you're talking about buying a nearly 3 ton mall crawling SUV. Tee hee. Different strokes I guess.
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You obviously don't know how BMWs drive...also it's 0-60 in 4 sec.
 
LeBronMvP said:
What about a dead fob?
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Usually there is an actual metal key built into your fob. Take a look/read the manual. Also, usually you can hold the "dead" fob up against the Start button and it will read it and allow you to start and drive.

**Covered in other posts, never mind***
 
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macpro2000 said:
You obviously don't know how BMWs drive...also it's 0-60 in 4 sec.
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I've driven multiple BMW's off and on for 14 years. I know exactly how they drive. 0-60 means absolutely nothing in general unless you're on a drag strip. So that we're clear, I'm not shading BMW. I'm shading your shading of Hyundai as fun when you're talking about an SUV... the antithesis of fun. This is so far off topic it's useless. The point is Digital Key is already out and will be coming to a ton of vehicles since most of the major automakers are part of the consortium.
 
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69Mustang said:
I've driven multiple BMW's off and on for 14 years. I know exactly how they drive. 0-60 means absolutely nothing in general unless you're on a drag strip. So that we're clear, I'm not shading BMW. I'm shading your shading of Hyundai as fun when you're talking about an SUV... the antithesis of fun. This is so far off topic it's useless. The point is Digital Key is already out and will be coming to a ton of vehicles since most of the major automakers are part of the consortium.
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The X7 is a blast to drive if you know how to drive. Yes, my NSX is totally different kind of fun to drive. No one buys a Hyundai for fun, they buy then because they're cheap and you think get a lot for your money, or so you think at first, but they don't last worth crap and then you know better.
 
macpro2000 said:
The X7 is a blast to drive if you know how to drive. Yes, my NSX is totally different kind of fun to drive. No one buys a Hyundai for fun, they buy then because they're cheap and you think get a lot for your money, or so you think at first, but they don't last worth crap and then you know better.
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If that prosaic opinion works for you, by all means enjoy it. In the interim, if you're not going to discuss the actual topic lets end this interaction.
 
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tongxinshe said:
What about a dead key fob?
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Good question. A lot of newer vehicles with technology today, will actually alert the driver if the key fob battery is starting to degrade with a message on the infotainment center, in this case, I suspect the iPhone would have something remotely similar implemented.

[Quick Side note: Also, if the key fob is completely Drained, there’s also usually alternative way where you specifically place the key fob in a vehicle that allows it to start.]
 
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This is just a really cool toy, wont filter down to most vehicles for 5-7 years and even then they cost too much. I have never seen more used car lots in my life these days. The high end cali crew will probably be using this right away, the rest of murica, not so much
 
ozziegn said:
Old tech with Tesla....... *yawn*
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Not true, on Tesla, the phone key is based on bluetooth technology.
Not as secure as NFC, cannot be used when the phone runs out of battery, not shareable, not integrated natively into iOS (wallet) like this will be.

Teslas key is not bad, but this will be better and way more secure.
Since Tesla already has an NFC reader on the door and gets updated regularly, there should be no reason not to support this as well.
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dontwalkhand said:
I should have been more clear, NFC via the iPhone.
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Tesla can't do NFC or RFID via the phone - only via the key card.
This new iOS feature will basically virtualize your Tesla (or BMW or whatever) keycard just like Apple Pay virtualizes you Credit Card.
 
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