Innovative feature for iPhone will replace car key

Budrigannews.com – Apple would like your iPhone to take the place of your car keys. At its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, or WWDC, the tech company made an announcement on Monday about a new feature that lets users unlock and start cars using their smartphones.

Apple’s CarPlay infotainment system is included in 97% of new cars, despite the company’s years-long plan to manufacture its own automobile.

Also, it thinks that the basic car key, which can be made to look like your car or even have its own screen on new cars, can still be improved.

Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, stated, “They’ve been around for over 100 years but they’ve become big, bulky, and ripe for reimagining.”

(AAPL) intends to implement the feature initially on the 2021 BMW 5 Series before extending it to other automobile models.

Emily Schubert, senior manager of car experience engineering at Apple, showed how to unlock a sedan by tapping the door handle with an iPhone. After that, to start the car, drivers place the iPhone on the charging pad in the vehicle and press the ignition key.

Near Field Communication, or NFC, enables wireless data exchange between devices within a few centimeters of one another in the Apple technology. Apple intends to switch to ultra wideband technology, which will enable unlocking from a greater distance. A driver’s iPhone could stay in their pocket or bag.

Through iMessage, BMW owners will also be able to share the virtual car key with friends. Similar to this, Volvo provides a service through which keys can be shared with smartphones.

Apple is collaborating with standards organizations to clear the way for the technology to be implemented in more automobiles. Federighi stated that support for the brand-new ultra wideband standard is anticipated in the coming year.

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A standardized method for storing digital keys was announced in May by the Car Connectivity Consortium, an industry group. Major automakers and technology firms like Apple, BMW, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Samsung, and Volkswagen are among its members.