BMW will become the first carmaker to enable its customers to use iPhone as a fully digital car key. BMW was the first to integrate iPod in their vehicles, first to offer wireless CarPlay and now first to introduce support for BMW Digital Key stored securely in Apple Wallet for iPhone.
The upcoming BMW Digital Key for the iPhone will enable customers to just tap to unlock and easily get going by placing the iPhone in the smartphone tray and pushing the start button. Set-up of the Digital Key can be done through the BMW Smartphone App. The car owner can also share access with up to five friends including a configurable car access option for young drivers which restricts top speed, horsepower, maximum radio volume and more. Management of access can be done from inside the car as well as through Apple Wallet.
Additional features of the new Digital Key include:
• Storage in the Secure Element of your iPhone and access through Apple Wallet.
• Power reserve for iPhone where car keys will still function for up to five hours if the iPhone turns off due to low battery.
• Ability to share access with up to 5 friends via iMessage.
• Apple Watch compatibility.
The BMW Group was quick to recognise the potential of smartphones as digital keys – if done right. Standardising the Digital Key contributes to user experience, security and availability in smartphone models all of which were key to the BMW Group strategy for the Digital Key right from the start. Apple and BMW have been working closely with the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) to press ahead with the establishment of global standards. The Digital Key specification 2.0 for NFC has been released in May 2020 while the next generation of Digital Key using Ultra Wideband technology is already well underway.
BMW is excited to announce the availability of Digital Key for iPhone in 45 countries for a broad range of models: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, X5, X6, X7, X5M, X6M and Z4 if manufactured after July 1st 2020. Compatible iPhone models will be iPhone XR, iPhone XS or newer and Apple Watch Series 5 or newer.
For more information visit www.bmw.com/digitalkey
