According to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple will soon be making its CarKey feature available to more users.
When the product first launched in 2020, the digital key attached to an iPhone or Apple Watch was only available to owners of new BMWs. Gurman, however, has suggested that the technology will soon be supported by models from Hyundai and Hyundai’s luxury Genesis line of vehicles.
It is not yet certain which Hyundai models will see the addition of CarKey. However, it’s worth noting that some trim levels of the Ioniq 5 and other Hyundai models include NFC for a digital key.
Remote lock controls are not a new addition to smartphones, but CarKey allows users to treat their phone more like a physical key. Just bringing their iPhone or Apple Watch to the door handle is enough to unlock it, and users can place their device in a given area to start the car. Those with ultra-wideband iPhones (iPhone 11 and newer) don’t even need to remove their phone from their pocket when opening and starting their vehicle.
Assuming the leak is accurate, Gurman said we can expect to see the new feature roll out by the summer.