BMW announced its plans to update its Digital Key protocol with the new version of Apple CarKey with Ultra-Wideband technology.
In 2018, BMW popularized the iPhone-compatible Digital Key feature on its vehicles. In cooperation with Apple, the premium car manufacturer offered its customers the ability to set up a digital car key on compatible iPhones and share it with up to five family members or friends. Today, BMW announced that it would be updating its Digital Key protocol with a new version of the Apple CarKey, which is a more secure version and has Ultra-Wideband radio technology. This allows users to replace their physical key fobs with supported iPhone models.
Called the Digital Key Plus, it allows users to unlock or start their vehicles without taking their iPhones out of their pockets or bags. BMW says the new Apple CarKey with Ultra-Wideband technology is more advanced compared to the current BMW Digital Key, which still requires users to hold their iPhones against a door handle to unlock or lock the vehicles. They also need to put their iPhone in a Qi-enabled tray to start the car.
Developed in tandem with the Cupertino tech giant, the BMW Digital Key Plus incorporates Apple CarKey API and depends on Ultra Wideband's security backbone, as well as the technology's high precision in thwarting breaches such as relay attacks that try to intercept or jam digital key signals. According to BMW, it plans to roll out this new technology with its iX, the premium car manufacturer's all-electric "Sports Activity Vehicle," which is set to launch in North America within 2021 and Europe later this year.
Apple's CarKey to integrate Ultra Wideband tech, BMW among first adopters later this year BMW on Wednesday announced plans to update its Apple CarKey-compatible Digital Key protocol with a more secure version that relies on Ultra Wideband radio t https://t.co/lHBJGi28NQ pic.twitter.com/cz8qqisR9r — of today (@_oftoday_) January 14, 2021
The upcoming Digital Key Plus implementation of BMW seems to be a variation of the Digital Key Release 3.0, which uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Ultra-Wideband technology to deliver a passive and location-aware keyless entry. In a recent press release, BMW revealed the company has been working with the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) and Apple so that Digital Key Release 3.0 would gain a foothold as the global standard in the automotive industry. With the integration of the Apple CarKey API and Ultra-Wideband technology, BMW believes the goal of adopting Digital Key Release 3.0 as a global standard is achievable.
Apple brought the Ultra-Wideband technology to its ecosystem with the U1 chip in iPhone 11. The company then integrated the silicon into the Apple Watch Series 6 family and the iPhone 12 lineup only in 2020. Rumors say that Apple plans to introduce the location-aware silicon chip in other Apple products, including AirPods and the iPad, though there is no confirmation whether such talks are true. Aside from BMW, rumors say Hyundai is also working on developing a compatible digital key that will work with Apple's CarKey with Ultra-Wideband technology. There are few details as regards this report, though the Hyundai's system appears based on technology that is already in use by BMW, which means it might not support features offered by Ultra-Wideband technology.
