CarKey Screenshots Reveal Digital Keys in Wallet App, BMW Likely to Support Feature at Launch

[MikeX]

I think you don't understand how business works: when apple first developed carplay, Ferrari was their first customer and success story. They brought something exclusive as success and were able to negotiate with other car manufacturers and enforce their guidelines based on that success. That's one of the reasons you can find it on many cars, which in comparison to car entertainment systems, is a big improvement.

Carkey will be similar. it makes sense for apple to work with bmw. I have the latest 7 series. I drove porsche, latest S-class mercedes and many others. Currently none of them have technology close to BMW although it is no brainer to expect this from Merc soon.

 

[_karrol]

No - they had the credit-card-sized key. It even had an emergency physical key in it that could be used for opening the door and such.

My Lexus was a 2009 model year, so it would have been designed only a year or so after the first iPhone was released. I don't think apps were even on Jobs' radar at that point.

Tbh, cars need way longer than one year to be designed (usually one year before the launch you already make test drives of the more less final product), so your Lexus was designed maybe even before the original iPhone launched. Having said that, keyless go using a card or the likes instead of a key is hardly a new technology - Mercedes introduced it in 1998 and it really took off a few years later (at least in Europe when Renault started introducing this in its mainstream models). I’d say that the apps which control the car via NFC are more of a novelty.

 

[danniexi]

I will be impatient with my first comment and rational with my second.

1. Why isn't this in all cars already?! Cmon Apple, BMW first? For real? How about you pick a company that starts with a more blue collar kind of demographic?

BMW is first because some of their new cars already support it with other phone manufacturers (namely Samsung). Apple didnt pick anyone. They are just late to the party and will eventually support it on their phones for other car manufacturers that have the hardware in place.

 

[extrachrispy]

It's not really a complete solution -- it doesn't work for valet and when dropping the car off for service or loaning the car to a friend. If the phone breaks or dies, you lose multiple critical functions (can't make calls, can't drive the car). Why create additional attack vectors for getting the car hacked into?

Many, if not most, existing keyless entry fobs already offer an attack vector, because the brain trust who designed the protocol didn't bother to incorporate time-of-flight checks. You're sleeping on the far side of the house from the driveway, with your fob in a drawer or on your nightstand. Your car is broadcasting a beacon to see if the fob is available, and at the moment, the car stays locked because the fob is out of radio range, else it would respond with a rolling key that the car would recognize and allow unlocking (and starting). Clever thieves have developed a handheld booster (they're surprisingly cheap to make) that forwards the car's broadcast at higher power so that it reaches your fob on your nightstand, and then receives the rolling code from the fob and forwards it to the car. Bingo! Car is open, car is started, car is driven away. Fortunately, this attack vector (which has indeed been seen in the wild) is easy to defeat: keep your fob in a ferrometallic container when not in use (I use an empty tin from Piroullines--as a bonus, I got to eat them first). There are also RF-shielding fob holders that one could purchase, though this defeats the convenience of leaving the fob in your pocket and walking up to your car. They might be useful, however, while you're in the office (once we can return to offices).

Apple already got time-of-flight correct to allow you to unlock your Mac with an Apple Watch. I don't doubt they'll do a better job at keyless entry than the auto manufacturers have done.