Apple’s car key feature allows the car owners to unlock their vehicle via an iPhone or an Apple Watch. BMW is the first-ever car company to adopt this feature of Apple. In fact, the automobile giant has itself introduced an upgraded version of the car key technology known as Digital Key Plus. Through this latest production, iPhone owners can unlock their BMW only by holding their phone or Apple Watch close to the car without having to take the iPhone out of their pocket. This extraordinary feature relies on the ultra-wideband, which was first debuted in the U1 chip of iPhone 11, iPhone 12, and the latest Apple Watch Series 6.
According to BMW, the most significant benefit of the Digital Key Plus is the ability to unlock the car without taking it out from your pocket or bag. However, the current version of the car key, i.e., the Digital Key system by Apple, requires the car owner to take out their iPhone and hold it (or an Apple Watch0 close to the tag of the car in order to unlock it. The current version functions on the basis of NFC; hence is a very short range.
The company has announced that the Digital Key Plus will initially roll out later this year in Europe and would work on the all-electric BMW iX. Whereas the feature will be launched in the USA in 2022.
