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Another Tech Giant Wants to Make Traditional Car Keys a Thing of the Past

Unlocking cars with a phone or a smartwatch and therefore leaving the traditional keys at home is something that’s already possible on a handful of new models.
Huawei Watch 3 series 6 photos
Photo: Huawei
Huawei Watch 3 seriesHuawei Watch 3 seriesHuawei Watch 3 seriesHuawei Watch 3 seriesHuawei Watch 3 series
Powered by the technology available on Apple and Samsung devices, such capabilities are still in their early days, though it goes without saying it’s all just a matter of time until their adoption skyrockets.

Chinese tech giant Huawei wants to be part of the fun as well, so the company has started working with BYD on a way to unlock the car doors and even start the engine using nothing else than a smartwatch.

Using a dedicated app installed on a Huawei Watch 3 or a Huawei Watch 3 Pro, BYD drivers should be able to leave their car keys at home, therefore relying on Bluetooth and NFC for such functionality.

Again, this isn’t an industry-first, but on the other hand, this announcement reiterates Huawei’s ambitions of expanding in the car market on multiple fronts.

The Chinese firm has seen its mobile market share collapse after a series of sanctions announced by the U.S. government in May 2019, and since then, it’s been trying to find a way to recover by expanding its business to new sectors.

The automotive industry has therefore become the main priority for Huawei in the long term, though at this point, the company is just relying on partnerships with a series of traditional carmakers. People with knowledge of Huawei’s ambitions explained the tech firm might also be planning its very own EV, possibly launching in the second half of the decade, but for now, nothing has been confirmed.

Huawei obviously wouldn’t be the only company expanding in this direction, yet its big problem would remain the limited reach of its products. Huawei continues to rely mostly on the Chinese market, whereas its competitors are already aiming for a global expansion where they wouldn’t have to sidestep any restrictions from the United States or their allies.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
Bogdan Popa profile photo

Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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