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Nope. The ultra wideband version of car keys functions like a modern keyless entry. You can approach the door and the car will unlock when you put your hand to the door handle. You can start the car and drive with the phone in your pocket.
Not even. Mine unlocks the doors while I’m approaching the car, like 5-10’ away.
 
I never use this on my Telluride. Amazing vehicle, but the car key implementation blows. First of all, you have to hold it very carefully in a very specific spot and sometimes you have to wave it around and move it back and forth closer and further away to get it to work.

But the worst part? After the first year free of Kia Connect, you lose access to this feature! Apple should go after companies that lock their features behind a paywall. Either it supports it or it doesn’t. And to make it worse you have to subscribe to the highest tier to get it to work, which is $20/mo. It’s insane.
 


In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further.

iPhone-Car-Key-Kia.jpg

Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that support iPhone car keys, but it has not been updated in a while, so it is missing some recent additions. Our list below is more up to date, but if we are missing any vehicles, let us know.

Existing Vehicles
Audi

  • 2025 and newer A5
  • 2025 and newer Q5
  • 2025 and newer SQ5
  • 2025 and newer A6
  • 2025 and newer S6
  • 2025 and newer Q6
  • 2025 and newer SQ6
BMW
  • 2021 and newer 1 Series
  • 2021 and newer 2 Series
  • 2021 and newer 3 Series
  • 2021 and newer 4 Series
  • 2021 and newer 5 Series
  • 2021 and newer 6 Series
  • 2021 and newer 8 Series
  • 2021 and newer X5
  • 2021 and newer X6
  • 2021 and newer X7
  • 2021 and newer X5 M
  • 2021 and newer X6 M
  • 2021 and newer Z4
  • 2022 and newer i4
  • 2022 and newer iX
  • 2022 and newer iX1
  • 2022 and newer iX3
  • 2023 and newer i3
  • 2023 and newer i7
  • 2024 and newer i5
MINI
  • Aceman (produced from May 2024)
  • Cooper (3-door) C / S (produced from March 2024)
  • Cooper (3-door) E / SE (produced from November 2023)
  • Cooper (5-door) (produced from July 2024)
  • Countryman (produced from November 2023)
Hyundai
  • 2023 and newer Palisade
  • 2024 and newer Elantra
  • 2024 and newer Kona
  • 2024 and newer Santa Fe
  • 2024 and newer Sonata
  • 2025 and newer Tucson
  • 2025 and newer Santa Cruz
  • 2025 and newer IONIQ 5
  • 2023 and newer IONIQ 6
  • 2026 and newer IONIQ 9
Kia
  • 2023 and newer Telluride
  • 2023 and newer Niro
  • 2023 and newer Seltos
  • 2024 and newer EV3
  • 2024 and newer EV6
  • 2024 and newer EV9
  • 2024 and newer Sorento
  • 2025 and newer Carnival
Genesis
  • 2023 and newer GV60
  • 2023 and newer G90
  • 2024 and newer G70
Mercedes-Benz
  • 2024 and newer E‑Class
  • 2025 and newer EQE
  • 2025 and newer EQS
Polestar
  • All models of the Polestar 3
  • All models of the Polestar 4
RAM
  • 2025 and newer RAM 1500
Volvo
  • 2024 and newer EX30
  • 2024 and newer EX90
Lotus
  • 2024 and newer Eletre
  • 2024 and newer Emeya
A few other automakers have started rolling out iPhone car keys, such as BYD and Lynk & Co.

Availability may vary by country.

Future Vehicles

During its WWDC 2025 keynote last month, Apple said that the following 13 automakers would "soon" offer vehicle models with iPhone car keys:
  • Acura
  • Chevrolet
  • Cadillac
  • GMC
  • Porsche
  • Rivian
  • Smart
  • Lucid Motors
  • Tata Motors
  • Hongqi
  • WEY
  • Chery
  • Voyah
For Rivian, this will include the second-generation R1S and R1T and newer, according to a press release from more than a year ago.

Article Link: Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys
I'm in China and we have NIO 2025 all models support UWB Apple Carkey, I got my ET5T last week.
 


In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further.

iPhone-Car-Key-Kia.jpg

Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that support iPhone car keys, but it has not been updated in a while, so it is missing some recent additions. Our list below is more up to date, but if we are missing any vehicles, let us know.

Existing Vehicles
Audi

  • 2025 and newer A5
  • 2025 and newer Q5
  • 2025 and newer SQ5
  • 2025 and newer A6
  • 2025 and newer S6
  • 2025 and newer Q6
  • 2025 and newer SQ6
BMW
  • 2021 and newer 1 Series
  • 2021 and newer 2 Series
  • 2021 and newer 3 Series
  • 2021 and newer 4 Series
  • 2021 and newer 5 Series
  • 2021 and newer 6 Series
  • 2021 and newer 8 Series
  • 2021 and newer X5
  • 2021 and newer X6
  • 2021 and newer X7
  • 2021 and newer X5 M
  • 2021 and newer X6 M
  • 2021 and newer Z4
  • 2022 and newer i4
  • 2022 and newer iX
  • 2022 and newer iX1
  • 2022 and newer iX3
  • 2023 and newer i3
  • 2023 and newer i7
  • 2024 and newer i5
MINI
  • Aceman (produced from May 2024)
  • Cooper (3-door) C / S (produced from March 2024)
  • Cooper (3-door) E / SE (produced from November 2023)
  • Cooper (5-door) (produced from July 2024)
  • Countryman (produced from November 2023)
Hyundai
  • 2023 and newer Palisade
  • 2024 and newer Elantra
  • 2024 and newer Kona
  • 2024 and newer Santa Fe
  • 2024 and newer Sonata
  • 2025 and newer Tucson
  • 2025 and newer Santa Cruz
  • 2025 and newer IONIQ 5
  • 2023 and newer IONIQ 6
  • 2026 and newer IONIQ 9
Kia
  • 2023 and newer Telluride
  • 2023 and newer Niro
  • 2023 and newer Seltos
  • 2024 and newer EV3
  • 2024 and newer EV6
  • 2024 and newer EV9
  • 2024 and newer Sorento
  • 2025 and newer Carnival
Genesis
  • 2023 and newer GV60
  • 2023 and newer G90
  • 2024 and newer G70
Mercedes-Benz
  • 2024 and newer E‑Class
  • 2025 and newer EQE
  • 2025 and newer EQS
Polestar
  • All models of the Polestar 3
  • All models of the Polestar 4
RAM
  • 2025 and newer RAM 1500
Volvo
  • 2024 and newer EX30
  • 2024 and newer EX90
Lotus
  • 2024 and newer Eletre
  • 2024 and newer Emeya
A few other automakers have started rolling out iPhone car keys, such as BYD and Lynk & Co.

Availability may vary by country.

Future Vehicles

During its WWDC 2025 keynote last month, Apple said that the following 13 automakers would "soon" offer vehicle models with iPhone car keys:
  • Acura
  • Chevrolet
  • Cadillac
  • GMC
  • Porsche
  • Rivian
  • Smart
  • Lucid Motors
  • Tata Motors
  • Hongqi
  • WEY
  • Chery
  • Voyah
For Rivian, this will include the second-generation R1S and R1T and newer, according to a press release from more than a year ago.

Article Link: Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys
2026 Genesis GV70 supports digital key with both my iPhone and Apple Watch.
 
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Reactions: Joe Rossignol


In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further.

iPhone-Car-Key-Kia.jpg

Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that support iPhone car keys, but it has not been updated in a while, so it is missing some recent additions. Our list below is more up to date, but if we are missing any vehicles, let us know.

Existing Vehicles
Audi

  • 2025 and newer A5
  • 2025 and newer Q5
  • 2025 and newer SQ5
  • 2025 and newer A6
  • 2025 and newer S6
  • 2025 and newer Q6
  • 2025 and newer SQ6
BMW
  • 2021 and newer 1 Series
  • 2021 and newer 2 Series
  • 2021 and newer 3 Series
  • 2021 and newer 4 Series
  • 2021 and newer 5 Series
  • 2021 and newer 6 Series
  • 2021 and newer 8 Series
  • 2021 and newer X5
  • 2021 and newer X6
  • 2021 and newer X7
  • 2021 and newer X5 M
  • 2021 and newer X6 M
  • 2021 and newer Z4
  • 2022 and newer i4
  • 2022 and newer iX
  • 2022 and newer iX1
  • 2022 and newer iX3
  • 2023 and newer i3
  • 2023 and newer i7
  • 2024 and newer i5
MINI
  • Aceman (produced from May 2024)
  • Cooper (3-door) C / S (produced from March 2024)
  • Cooper (3-door) E / SE (produced from November 2023)
  • Cooper (5-door) (produced from July 2024)
  • Countryman (produced from November 2023)
Hyundai
  • 2023 and newer Palisade
  • 2024 and newer Elantra
  • 2024 and newer Kona
  • 2024 and newer Santa Fe
  • 2024 and newer Sonata
  • 2025 and newer Tucson
  • 2025 and newer Santa Cruz
  • 2025 and newer IONIQ 5
  • 2023 and newer IONIQ 6
  • 2026 and newer IONIQ 9
Kia
  • 2023 and newer Telluride
  • 2023 and newer Niro
  • 2023 and newer Seltos
  • 2024 and newer EV3
  • 2024 and newer EV6
  • 2024 and newer EV9
  • 2024 and newer Sorento
  • 2025 and newer Carnival
Genesis
  • 2023 and newer GV60
  • 2023 and newer G90
  • 2024 and newer G70
Mercedes-Benz
  • 2024 and newer E‑Class
  • 2025 and newer EQE
  • 2025 and newer EQS
Polestar
  • All models of the Polestar 3
  • All models of the Polestar 4
RAM
  • 2025 and newer RAM 1500
Volvo
  • 2024 and newer EX30
  • 2024 and newer EX90
Lotus
  • 2024 and newer Eletre
  • 2024 and newer Emeya
A few other automakers have started rolling out iPhone car keys, such as BYD and Lynk & Co.

Availability may vary by country.

Future Vehicles

During its WWDC 2025 keynote last month, Apple said that the following 13 automakers would "soon" offer vehicle models with iPhone car keys:
  • Acura
  • Chevrolet
  • Cadillac
  • GMC
  • Porsche
  • Rivian
  • Smart
  • Lucid Motors
  • Tata Motors
  • Hongqi
  • WEY
  • Chery
  • Voyah
For Rivian, this will include the second-generation R1S and R1T and newer, according to a press release from more than a year ago.

Article Link: Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys
BMW iX2 also supported, I´m using it.
 
Good to see the list. Expecting more vehicles, i.e all newer ones released from now on from the manufacturers in the list to definitely support it.
 
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Reactions: mganu
Tesla itself would not directly gain anything. However, Telsa's customers would benefit from all the benefits of standard Apple car keys, including the ability to share car keys (either temporarily or on a more permanent basis) with others who do not have the Tesla app installed. There are also potential privacy benefits -- Apple has a pretty good reputation when it comes to privacy, and Tesla's is not so great. There are plenty of Tesla owners would prefer that Elon Musk not have the (potential) ability to know every time they lock and unlock their vehicles.
I understand the privacy part - and besides Tesla can offer almost anything that an Apple Car Key can do.

Tesla will need to keep all the data about their products to themselves, to help their engineers debug, develop new features and gather specific streams of incident data to get a better picture on how their systems are working as a whole - to further develop FSD and more.

Tesla never will offer any 3rd party provided to replace or access any core data. Tesla is not a car company that does not want to work with Apple. Tesla is a tech company in direct competition with Apple.
 
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Your phone dies while you are out and about and now you can’t get into your car. If you had Apple Car Key, even a dead iPhone will open your car. Plenty of other perks (see attached), though most of these are invisible to the end user. The Tesla app uses basic Bluetooth which can likely be cracked.
Tesla uses UWB and works even when your phone dies - maybe in earlier days it was BT based, but not only anymore.
 
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I'm in love with this function of my Apple Watch and iPhone. Every day again. Over and over. Yesterday I drove with my car to my parents with only my Apple Watch with me. I have chosen the Volvo EX30 specifically for this.
 
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I never use this on my Telluride. Amazing vehicle, but the car key implementation blows. First of all, you have to hold it very carefully in a very specific spot and sometimes you have to wave it around and move it back and forth closer and further away to get it to work.

But the worst part? After the first year free of Kia Connect, you lose access to this feature! Apple should go after companies that lock their features behind a paywall. Either it supports it or it doesn’t. And to make it worse you have to subscribe to the highest tier to get it to work, which is $20/mo. It’s insane.
This is totally my same experience with my 2025 Kia Niro. I still use it just to avoid carrying the key fob, but 1 out of 3 times I have to try it more than once to open it. Sometimes unlocking the phone helps, some times opening the wallet app, sometimes witchcraft and prayers do it.
 
Please check the BMW manufacturer. At least the BMW 3 series dont have this feature as the 7th generation 3 series is 2019 - 2022 (pre LCI) that I have and LCI is 2022 - 2025. Pre LCI can be updated to iDrive 7 without Digital Car Key feature and LCI have minimum iDrive 8 that supports Digital Car Key.
 
I have a 540i with Car Keys UWB support and it is a game changer. I just keep the key card in my wallet and just take my phone with me for daily driving. I basically only take my key fob when going on trips or somewhere with a valet.
I dunno - 'game changer' feels like hyperbole. My car works perfectly fine with a key - one press of a button and it opens. Lock it when I leave with another button press. The world keeps on turning and I go about my day. :)
 
Does this thing need FaceID? There're already enough gymnastics trying to get Apple Pay to work with inconveniently placed and angled card readers, now I'll need to bend over to unlock my car as well?
 
Does this thing need FaceID? There're already enough gymnastics trying to get Apple Pay to work with inconveniently placed and angled card readers, now I'll need to bend over to unlock my car as well?
No, it using Apple car keys does not require Face ID. This has already been address previously in this thread, go back through it if you want a more complete explanation.
 
Not even. Mine unlocks the doors while I’m approaching the car, like 5-10’ away.
Yeah, I have comfort access unlock turned off because it would unlock and lock again constantly when I was in my garage. BMW added a home address exception to comfort access unlock in a March-ish update but it worked for a day then the next my 5er forgot where it was once.

I just have the comfort access locking feature on walk away enabled.
 
If you don’t need to break in to a house and obtain the key…… then it’s easier for people to steel ……
How are they getting your phone if you’re in your home with your key fobs too?

You’re just as likely to have a key fob stolen as a phone by robber out in public. If you’re leaving your phone unsupervised in public then putting cards and access keys on your phone may not be advisable but hardly a failure of the manufacturer and Apple.
 
It’s normal for people to not trust some new technology. We all just have to learn about the new thing so we can feel more comfortable with it. I remember when key fobs came out, some people lost their minds. Especially the ones that didn’t require a physical key where you can just have the key fob on you.
You're way too easy on the person that made the statement -- which was, indeed, a statement of (assumed) fact, not a question. "Does this make your car easier to steal?" would have supported your defense of this guy, but instead he just comes in like he's all educated-up and says Apple Key makes your car easier to steal. He just deserves thumbs down.
 
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