Apple Preparing to Support Digital Car Keys for Genesis Vehicles

You stopped carrying keys around because that's a choice you made. But that still doesn't mean it's a problem. Using a physical key takes literally seconds to unlock a car. And failing that, wireless keys have been a thing for a long, long time and are actually faster than using a phone.

So again, this is one of those progress-for-the-sake-of-progress things that the world just didn't need. It's more for the people making the money off the phones and the cars than it is for you or me, or to solve some sort of real-world problem.

You don't have to "use the phone" to unlock the car. It behaves the same way a passive entry key fob does; walk up to the car it unlocks, walk away it locks. I've been doing it since 2018.

Solving a problem doesn't have to be the only reason for technology to exist. Plenty of things have been invented simply for convenience.

A single device we're carrying has already replaced cameras, music players, computers, wallets, notepads, maps, books, newspapers, boarding passes, etc. None of those were a problem before that but it's much more convenient to carry an iPhone than all that stuff. There's no reason not to add car keys, house keys, and building access cards to that list if it can be done effectively and securely.

You stopped carrying keys around because that's a choice you made. But that still doesn't mean it's a problem. Using a physical key takes literally seconds to unlock a car. And failing that, wireless keys have been a thing for a long, long time and are actually faster than using a phone.

So again, this is one of those progress-for-the-sake-of-progress things that the world just didn't need. It's more for the people making the money off the phones and the cars than it is for you or me, or to solve some sort of real-world problem.

It's a major improvement for me.

1. No need to carry around a key, it's also easier to find a lost iPhone or Apple Watch than a physical car key. The cost of replacing a lost cary key can be a lot. Say I irretrievably lose my iPhone, I can wipe it and replace it (and thus the digital key) easier than replacing a physical key.
2. Not needing to carry a key is great for when I go to the beach, gym, etc.
3. Having to carry round a car key seems archaic to me and something that can be easily replaced with a phone. What if I need to lend my car to a friend? I can easily send him a digital key for a time.

You've not really thought through the advantages it brings.

More like Genesis is starting to prep support for Apple's Digital Car Keys.

Phil Collins is hard at work on that.

Another solution to a problem that did not exist.

Disagree.

I completely stopped carrying keys around when I got my Tesla. My phone is the key. The backup keycard, for the rare occasion where my phone dies, is in my phone case.

It's nice to not have keys anymore.

I guess the one small improvement that could be made would be if my Apple Watch also acted as a key unlocking the car. Does Apple's implementation allow that?

"...without having to remove your iPhone from your pocket."

- shows photo of an iPhone literally against the door handle

:p

Explain it to me. What am I missing?

Unless it opens the door for you, what’s the point? Having a key in the pocket means you can unlock the door as soon as you touch the handle, which you have to grab to open the door.

The advantage is I can use the phone or Apple Watch I'm already carrying which will wirelessly unlock the car when I touch the handle or approach - similar to a wireless key without having to carry a key fob.

Say I'm going to the gym, it means I don't have to carry anything in my pockets. Or swimming, hiking, etc etc. What if my key is stolen? I can lock my iPhone down as soon as it's missing.