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iPhone Car Keys Support Coming to More Audi Vehicles

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Apr 12, 2001
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Apple is preparing to bring support for its digital car key feature to select Audi vehicles in China, based on evidence uncovered by MacRumors on Apple's backend.

iPhone-Car-Key-Kia.jpg

Specifically, the car key support relates to Audi's partnership with Chinese company FAW, which manufactures and sells Audi vehicles in the Chinese market. The joint venture produces both combustion engine and all-electric vehicles. The partnership is now on an internal Apple list of vehicles that offer car key integration, but it is not known which models the support pertains to.

Last month, car key support was implemented for models produced by SAIC-Audi, another China-based collaboration that produces Audi EVs in the country. For car key to come to Audi vehicles, the automotive company will need to add the functionality.

Introduced in 2022, Car Keys allows an iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock a vehicle through the Wallet app. A digital version of a car key is stored in Wallet, and unlocking can be done 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, and while Face ID authentication is a security option, Apple offers an Express Mode that eliminates the need to authenticate for a faster unlocking process.

At WWDC 2025, Apple confirmed that 13 vehicle brands would "soon" add support for digital car keys, and Audi was on the list. Other brands included were Acura, Porsche, GMC, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Rivian, Smart, Lucid Motors, Tata Motors, Hongqi, WEY, Chery, and Voyah.

Vehicles from BMW, Genesis, Kia, Hyundai, Lotus, Mercedes, Volvo, and more offer car keys support, with a list available on MacRumors.com.

Article Link: iPhone Car Keys Support Coming to More Audi Vehicles
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/12/03/iphone-car-keys-support-audi-vehicles/
Mr_Ed said:
I have a car key in my phone for backup but honestly, having the fob in my pocket is easier than pulling out my phone and tapping the door handle.
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Not required these days if you have an enhanced version of the digital key. For instance, my BMW has Digital Key Plus, which uses the iPhone's UWB capabilities. One can lock and start the car without having to take the phone out of a pocket or bag.

Audi sure is late to the game. BMW have had this for eons.
 
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I have this in my 2026 BMW (not listed in article) but I do not need to tap. It works with the phone in my pocket. I find it a little glitchy. Sometimes as soon as I walk in my garage it unlocks, sometimes I need to be standing right next to my door for a few seconds before it works.
 
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Glad to see the Korean cars (Kia/Hyundai) are getting this now on even the middle of the pack models (still an optional package with some) but odd that there is still nothing from most Japanese cars. No Honda, Mazda, Subaru. Really wish Toyota would get on this and stop with their stupid subscription services.
 
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HouseLannister said:
Glad to see the Korean cars (Kia/Hyundai) are getting this now on even the middle of the pack models (still an optional package with some) but odd that there is still nothing from most Japanese cars. No Honda, Mazda, Subaru. Really wish Toyota would get on this and stop with their stupid subscription services.
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I can only think that if this is offered to owners of Audi of America-based vehicles it will be an optional subscription priced at some ridiculous amount … and, because they can, require the ultra-expensive AudiConnect subscription!
 
Mr_Ed said:
I have a car key in my phone for backup but honestly, having the fob in my pocket is easier than pulling out my phone and tapping the door handle.
Click to expand...
Hopefully they are not doing it this way. On my old 2020 Outback with just the fob I would walk up to the car and pull the handle and it would unlock. Not with my Tesla it is the same, key is on my phone. If the CarKey is actually going to be something useful then Apple needs to implement it this way, using the iPhone and proximity and Auto Unlock or lock when you walk away. It would be way more of a hassle to pull out a phone to unlock and lock the car then it would be a fob which you can do by feel in your pocket.
 
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It would be nice if they specified which version of Digital Key is being implemented. There is a big usability difference between 2.0 (NFC) and 3.0+ (UWB+BLE). My car has 2.0 and it's not really very practical, so I still carry the fob. 3.0 makes the fob essentially redundant.
 
I forgot this was even a thing with legacy auto still 🤣 Tesla has been doing this for 10 years with their mobile app with no monthly subscription fee
 
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adrteo said:
Not required these days if you have an enhanced version of the digital key. For instance, my BMW has Digital Key Plus, which uses the iPhone's UWB capabilities. One can lock and start the car without having to take the phone out of a pocket or bag.

Audi sure is late to the game. BMW have had this for eons.
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Not practical since if you walk by your car in the garage or street it unlocks then locks the car. I don’t want to take the chance that it skips the locking while on tHe street and it leaves the car locked while in the garage.
 
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I will research the next car I get, and as long as they offer features like CarPlay, and CarKey without a subscription they will be on my list to purchase. I don't want to support any company that has subscription models built into the car models or having a paywall of features. I don't mind paying extra one time at the purchase for features, but these other auto manufacturers need to be put in their places.
 
I purchased a car this week that offers an app (the Lexus app) with a remote key capability. I installed it and used it today. But I don't have anything in my Wallet app like the screen shot above. Should I?

(I don't know that I like it enough to keep using it. The key isn't big enough that I'm saving any space).
 
ifxf said:
Not practical since if you walk by your car in the garage or street it unlocks then locks the car. I don’t want to take the chance that it skips the locking while on tHe street and it leaves the car locked while in the garage.
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That is...not how it works lol. You have to pull the door handle for the car to unlock with your phone key in your pocket.
 
Dorv said:
I purchased a car this week that offers an app (the Lexus app) with a remote key capability. I installed it and used it today. But I don't have anything in my Wallet app like the screen shot above. Should I?

(I don't know that I like it enough to keep using it. The key isn't big enough that I'm saving any space).
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Toyota and Lexus vehicles do these functions via its app, similar to Tesla, instead of using the Apple Wallet app.
 
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adrteo said:
Not required these days if you have an enhanced version of the digital key. For instance, my BMW has Digital Key Plus, which uses the iPhone's UWB capabilities. One can lock and start the car without having to take the phone out of a pocket or bag.

Audi sure is late to the game. BMW have had this for eons.
Click to expand...
Yeah, don't get me wrong. It's a decent feature. It just doesn't add much in my particular situation because I keep a couple of house keys on my fob so if I leave the house, the fob goes with me. Makes the phone vehicle key redundant. I still have it enabled as "backup."
 
Good to hear about this. Would like to see faster adoption of this feature in more cars and countries as soon as possible.
 
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Mr_Ed said:
Yeah, don't get me wrong. It's a decent feature. It just doesn't add much in my particular situation because I keep a couple of house keys on my fob so if I leave the house, the fob goes with me. Makes the phone vehicle key redundant. I still have it enabled as "backup."
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Given you always carry your phone (and/or Apple Watch): Why would you not instead leave the fob at home and only take the house keys with you?

I have activated both my phone plus the watch as car keys, this redundancy gives me enough peace of mind to keep the fob in a drawer at home until I sell the car.
 
Is there an aftermarket version that uses Apple Watch express mode and you just tap your Apple Watch onto the car door and it unlocks?
 
rom3o said:
Given you always carry your phone (and/or Apple Watch): Why would you not instead leave the fob at home and only take the house keys with you?

I have activated both my phone plus the watch as car keys, this redundancy gives me enough peace of mind to keep the fob in a drawer at home until I sell the car.
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It's obviously all personal preferences, but I have several reasons.

1. I find it far easier to use the fob for some remote operations, such as start/ventilation, flash/horn to locate in a crowded lot, or remote hatch open, than pulling out the phone and dealing with an app.

2. I got in the habit of keeping house keys on the fob many years ago for convenience and consistency (I've never misplaced either) and given the extra functionality on the fob these days (like the above), I just don't see an up side to changing that habit.

3. No Apple Watch, and not really interested in one.

For redundancy, I do have a digital car key in my phone, as well as a card in my wallet that can also be used to unlock/operate the car.
 
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