BYD has announced that it has integrated its vehicles with the Samsung Galaxy Watch, which allows users to use their smartwatches as NFC digital keys. The feature is only available for the latest models, which include the Galaxy Watch7, the base Galaxy Watch8 and its Classic variant, and the Galaxy Watch Ultra.
Of course, to use this feature, the user needs to make sure their compatible BYD electric car and Samsung watch are up to date. In the case of the smartwatch, it needs to be running the latest version of Wear OS. In addition to this, it needs the Samsung Smart Card App and the BYD Auto App.
Once the apps are installed, the user must follow the in-app instructions to create the digital key. The user can also send the key to others if they wish, as the system supports key sharing. To use the key, the user only needs to tap the Galaxy Watch on a designated spot on the car door. The process reportedly only takes one second to complete.
According to BYD, it is the first Chinese company to officially support the Galaxy Watch as a digital car key. Unfortunately, this NFC key functionality is currently limited to China only. At the time of writing, global availability of this feature is unknown. Aside from the Samsung ecosystem, the brand’s digital keys also work on iOS and HarmonyOS.
