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Apple is planning to expand its support for digital car keys to vehicles made by Volvo, Polestar and Audi, giving more car owners the ability to unlock their vehicle simply by using their iPhone.
Although the expanded support hasn’t yet been officially announced, code hinting at it has apparently been discovered by news outlet MacRumors. The site claims to have noticed the code in Apple’s Wallet app, which is used to store digital car keys.
MacRumors didn’t go into too much detail with this revelation, other than to say that “certain” cars from Volvo, Polestar and Audi would be supported.
That implies that the feature won’t be coming to every vehicle made by these companies – for one thing, cars need to include an NFC key reader, which not every model has – although we don’t yet know which specific cars will be supported.
We also don’t know when this support will be added, and it could be some time before we see these brands join Apple’s car key roster. Still, the new code does at least suggest that Apple is working on integrating these cars into the system.
How it works
Using the Wallet app to unlock your car is pretty simple and straightforward, although the exact method varies by manufacturer and model.
With your phone in your pocket, some cars unlock and start up as you approach and enter the vehicle. Others do so when you hold your iPhone close to the door handle or key reader. And some can also be unlocked or locked remotely from your device.
Some manufacturers even let you share your digital car keys with other users, and you can stop sharing them at any time from the Wallet app. And the feature doesn’t just run on your iPhone – if you have a compatible Apple Watch, that can also be used to lock, unlock, or start your car.
Right now, Apple’s digital car key system works with vehicles from BMW, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Kia, Lotus, Mercedes-Benz, and more. You can check which specific models are compatible on Apple’s website.