BMW Digital Key: Unlocking Your Car With Your iPhone
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BMW Digital Key: Unlocking Your Car With Your iPhone

Photo by:   BMW AG
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Alejandro Enríquez By Alejandro Enríquez | Journalist and Industry Analyst - Tue, 06/23/2020 - 14:05

During Apple's first-ever online WWDC keynote, the tech giant announced its partnership with BMW to incorporate a new CarKey feature to the iPhone. "In cooperation with Apple, BMW is the first car maker in the world to offer customers a digital car key on their iPhone. In the future, you will be able to set up a car key on a compatible iPhone and share it with up to five friends," said BMW on a statement. 

The new feature assures maximum security and data privacy. BMW's Digital Key will allow users to lock, unlock and start their vehicles and will function even when the device has no battery at all. CarKey will be compatible on BMW's Series 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, X5, X6, X7, M5 and M8 models manufactured from July 2020 onwards using an iPhone XR, XS or above or an Apple Watch Series 5.

The functionality of BMW's Digital Key is quite simple. By putting the device at 1.5in or less from the door handle, the vehicle's driver door will be unlocked. After the first time, there's no need to unlock the device for the vehicle to unlock, but this is a customized feature as users can choose FaceID, TouchID or a password to open their vehicle. Five more people are allowed to use CarKey for the same vehicle and there can be limited access for some of them, including restricting speed and avoiding advanced safety systems to be disabled by the driver.

According to BMW, "car and phone information are not shared with Apple or BMW," which ensures data privacy and security. The key can be reset in case the vehicle is sold. In case the phone is stolen, the key can be reset from the vehicle and remove users from there. 
BMW is betting heavily on developing a vehicle for the future. Just recently, the company was the first one to release a comprehensive safety self-assessment about their Level 3 automated driving systems in the US. BMW's level three ADSs would be available to those users who request it. As a level 3 system, the driver should stay alert and able to resume driving when needed.  BMW's focus is on the system being a premium feature on luxury vehicles rather than a mass-market system.  

When the company presented the new BMW 5 Series, BMW warned they will give the user the ultimate experience of cutting-edge innovations. "The world is constantly evolving; business is changing and leadership is changing. Today, there is a new generation of leaders and they have different needs and desires, just think about digitalization and climate change," said Pieter Nota, Board Member of BMW and Head of Customer, Brands and Sales when introducing the new generation of the company’s best seller.
 

Photo by:   BMW AG

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