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Audi A6 Avant e-tron Supports Apple Car Keys, Porsche Likely to Follow

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Audi has enabled support for Apple's digital car key feature in its latest A6 Avant e-tron model, bringing Apple Car Keys to the automaker's electric car platform for the first time (via Mac4Ever).

audi-avant-a6-e-tron.jpg

Car Keys allows an iPhone or Apple Watch with NFC capabilities or Ultra Wideband to unlock a vehicle through the Wallet app. A digital version of a car key is stored in Wallet, and unlocking can be done simply by holding an Apple Watch or ‌iPhone‌ near a compatible vehicle's NFC reader.

A tap on the door handle is enough to initiate an unlock. Face ID authentication is a security option, but Apple also offers an Express Mode that eliminates the need to authenticate for a faster unlocking process.

The Audi A6 e-tron is the second model on on Premium Platform Electric (PPE) platform. Audi shares its PPE with Porsche, and it is expected that all the next vehicles in the group will support digital car keys.

Code changes discovered last October by MacRumors in Apple's Wallet app backend indicated that Apple has been preparing support for digital car keys for certain Volvo, Polestar, and Audi vehicles.

Apple introduced ‌digital car key support‌ in 2022, and select car brands like BMW, BYD, Hyundai/Genesis/Kia, Lotus, Mercedes-Benz, and RAM have implemented support for the feature‌. Apple maintains a full list of vehicles that support ‌car keys‌ on its CarPlay model availability webpage.

Article Link: Audi A6 Avant e-tron Supports Apple Car Keys, Porsche Likely to Follow
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/03/17/audi-a6-avant-e-tron-apple-car-keys-porsche/
Last edited:
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MacRumors said:
Car Keys allows an iPhone or Apple Watch with NFC capabilities to unlock a vehicle through the Wallet app. A digital version of a car key is stored in Wallet, and unlocking can be done simply by holding an Apple Watch or ‌iPhone‌ near a compatible vehicle's NFC reader.
Click to expand...
NFC for iPhone 16e users.

iPhone 11 and later will unlock the door using Ultra Wideband as you approach the car. NFC can be used if the phone battery is dead and it's in power reserve mode.
 
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This is great, but it sure seems like putting all our proverbial eggs (car keys, driver's license, bank security codes, etc) in one basket (the phone) creates a single, potentially disastrous point of failure.

Lose or break your phone and all of a sudden you are an outsider to your life, locked out
 
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Hopefully Audi have fixed the abysmal build and material quality I saw this time last year in the showroom.

I drove a brand new (at the time) 2019 A4 and it was excellent, however what I saw in the current A4 and A5 wasn't even close to that 2019 version. Never left a car showroom feeling more disappointed than that in my life, the money being asked for wasn't worth it by a country mile.
 
ifxf said:
I am always going to carry my keys just in case of a accident a the car needs to be towed. The car already supports walk up unlocking with the keys.
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I feel this is the best way too. I have keyless entry in my Alfa Giulia, I just touch the door handle and it unlocks, then press the start button and it goes. When I'm done, click the button on the door handle and it's locked again. Whole time the key never leaves my pocket.

I would be worried about the case where I needed the key and couldn't access it either through the phone failing, being lost / stolen, etc. While it's never happened to me personally (and I hope it never does!), it would still be a concern for me. There's a comfort knowing there is a physical key in my pocket, and I can mechanically access the car. I'm also aware I could just as easily lose the key itself, but there are a lot of "eggs in the basket" with my phone as it is already.
 
wanha said:
This is great, but it sure seems like putting all our proverbial eggs (car keys, driver's license, bank security codes, etc) in one basket (the phone) creates a single, potentially disastrous point of failure.

Lose or break your phone and all of a sudden you are an outsider to your life, locked out
Click to expand...
EVERYONE needs to seriously think through losing your phone and what that means. Let’s say you lose your phone on vacation, how does that impact you? You buy a new iPhone and how do you login to all of your accounts, especially if you have two factor turned on. Do you know anyone’s phone number any more? Need to get into email or your wallet for air plane tickets?
 
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Audi playing catchup here and many other places. The other luxury German midsize sedans/wagons have supported this for a few years or longer. Mostly a symptom of Audi being very late to this generation of vehicles. BMW’s new generation 5 series will be getting a mid cycle refresh shortly after this Audi is available in the US. Mercedes’ new E class will probably be in its 3rd model year by the time the Audi A6 reaches the US.
 
MacRumors said:
unlocking can be done simply by holding an Apple Watch or ‌iPhone‌ near a compatible vehicle's NFC reader.
Click to expand...

"Simply"

I simply have to walk up to my car and it unlocks and the door handles come out - since 2017 - this isn't progress if you have to hold your watch on something.

It should work with UWB so when you're within 2 feet of the car it unlocks automatically and locks when you walk away - like a normal key fob but more secure in that it can't be repeated as thieves have done with basic key fobs, this technology should exist now.
 
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TheMacDaddy1 said:
EVERYONE needs to seriously think through losing your phone and what that means. Let’s say you lose your phone on vacation, how does that impact you? You buy a new iPhone and how do you login to all of your accounts, especially if you have two factor turned on. Do you know anyone’s phone number any more? Need to get into email or your wallet for air plane tickets?
Click to expand...

I'll always take my iPad mini with me and leave it in the safe in the room charging up.
 
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Unggoy Murderer said:
There's a comfort knowing there is a physical key in my pocket
Click to expand...

I've spent the last 20 years of life wishing/wondering how I could get rid of that physical key in my pocket. I had a friend who hated it so much he used to "hide" the key on the back tyre of his car. Which actually worked quite well until one day he went to retrieve it and pushed it down the back and it got stuck in the suspension so he had to get on the floor on a muddy rainy day to retrieve it.
 
attila said:
This is how Tesla managed to get ahead of the competition all those years ago. Only now Tesla hasn't innovated since either. The automotive industry seems to be very slow moving.
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not only that...but when tesla model 3 waas released was between 60k-100k based on trim options...many years later, even if the inflation went up, now tesla model 3 starts from 30k...so thats only because it has competition. Something like this very rare to see
 
mystery hill said:
NFC for iPhone 16e users.

iPhone 11 and later will unlock the door using Ultra Wideband as you approach the car. NFC can be used if the phone battery is dead and it's in power reserve mode.
Click to expand...

Ahhh that's more like it - that makes my complain null and void above. This is excellent. Does UWB also work from the Apple Watch?
 
My 2024 Santa Fe doesn't have an Apple key but it lets you add the key to your Apple Wallet, its pretty nice to not have to carry a fob around and start your car with your watch or phone.
 
dannys1 said:
"Simply"

I simply have to walk up to my car and it unlocks and the door handles come out - since 2017 - this isn't progress if you have to hold your watch on something.

It should work with UWB so when you're within 2 feet of the car it unlocks automatically and locks when you walk away - like a normal key fob but more secure in that it can't be repeated as thieves have done with basic key fobs, this technology should exist now.
Click to expand...
My BMW 540i (G60 generation, 2024+) supports CarKeys with UWB. Prior to the iDrive 8+ generation vehicles, BMWs supported digital keys but in the way you described. I've rather enjoyed the UWB car keys feature because I rarely carry my key fob with me. BMW provides a Tesla-like card key I keep in my wallet as a backup. I essentially only carry the physical key fob with me when I'm going out-of-town and/or somewhere that is likely going to involve valet parking.
 
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TheMacDaddy1 said:
EVERYONE needs to seriously think through losing your phone and what that means. Let’s say you lose your phone on vacation, how does that impact you? You buy a new iPhone and how do you login to all of your accounts, especially if you have two factor turned on. Do you know anyone’s phone number any more? Need to get into email or your wallet for air plane tickets?
Click to expand...
Bring an iPad then.
 
TheMacDaddy1 said:
EVERYONE needs to seriously think through losing your phone and what that means. Let’s say you lose your phone on vacation, how does that impact you? You buy a new iPhone and how do you login to all of your accounts, especially if you have two factor turned on. Do you know anyone’s phone number any more? Need to get into email or your wallet for air plane tickets?
Click to expand...
Agree 100% and not only regarding with the car..everything is build and used around the smartphone now...some people put too much importance in this
 
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