Back when Apple announced iOS 14 during WWDC, the company mentioned the ability for an iPhone to unlock cars. The feature is simply called CarKey, and the company said it is also making it available on iOS13. And with the rollout of iOS 13.6, as well as watchOS 6.2.8, the feature is now live.
As reported before, CarKey basically makes you use your Apple device as your car’s keyless remote. The feature initially makes use of NFC, with intentions to make it use Ultra Wideband wireless tech in the future. Once this is done, CarKey will allow you to unlock your car while keeping your registered iPhone in your bag or wallet.
But of course, to make use of Apple’s CarKey, you’ll need a car that supports it in the first place. For now, only BMW has openly announced support for the feature. And even then, only cars made after 1 July supports it. So for now, chances are it won’t see any real use.
If you’re interested in finding out which new BMW model supports Apple CarKey, you can find out from the German carmaker’s website, linked below. On the surface, it seems like virtually every series of vehicle made by the company supports the feature, as long as it’s made from summer 2020 – the aforementioned 1 July – or later.
