Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/MINI
Apple is betting big on digital car key support, not only because it's a way to expand its presence in the automotive market but also because it's a great method to test the technology and help it reach maturity before the debut of the Apple Car.
Apple will certainly offer digital car keys on the Apple Car, allowing owners to unlock the doors and start the engine with their iPhones, so with early releases with the help of partners, it can further polish the technology before it makes its way to its car.
MINI looks to be the next car brand in the queue to receive this feature, as a recent report points to references discovered in the Apple Pay configuration files to indicate that an expansion is imminent. MINI Operating System 9, announced earlier this year, integrates support for digital keys, and it looks like the company has been working with Apple specifically to allow owners to unlock their cars with a mobile device.
The feature will likely expand to the Android world, too, as devices like the Samsung Galaxy S23 come with UWB support, allowing for the smartphone to double as a car key. MINI's software also supports Android, so the company has likely worked with Android OEMs, too.
BMW, MINI's parent company, is already offering digital car key support. It was the first big name to partner with Apple on this technology, so the expansion to MINI vehicles makes sense. An announcement will likely be made in the coming weeks, with the new Countryman and MINI Cooper expected to become the first models to receive the upgrade.
The digital car key support is a great feature that makes unlocking the car more convenient, but it's not always as straightforward as it sounds. BMW owners figured this out the hard way earlier this year after the debut of the iPhone 15 when they ended up with broken smartphones due to a wireless charging problem. Using the wireless charger in a BMW fried the NFC sensor in the iPhone 15, eventually breaking down all functionality powered by the Wallet app.
The digital car key configuration is hosted in the Wallet app, so making contactless payments and unlocking cars no longer worked with an iPhone after the device was charged with the wireless adapter in a BMW. Apple has already released an update to address the problem, but it's unclear how many people ended up with fried smartphones due to the problem.
As for the Apple Car, it's unlikely to launch earlier than 2025 or 2026, and I wouldn't expect the tech giant to spill the beans on the project anytime soon. If anything, the company could come up with an announcement in 2025, approximately one year before the car becomes available in very limited numbers.
MINI looks to be the next car brand in the queue to receive this feature, as a recent report points to references discovered in the Apple Pay configuration files to indicate that an expansion is imminent. MINI Operating System 9, announced earlier this year, integrates support for digital keys, and it looks like the company has been working with Apple specifically to allow owners to unlock their cars with a mobile device.
The feature will likely expand to the Android world, too, as devices like the Samsung Galaxy S23 come with UWB support, allowing for the smartphone to double as a car key. MINI's software also supports Android, so the company has likely worked with Android OEMs, too.
BMW, MINI's parent company, is already offering digital car key support. It was the first big name to partner with Apple on this technology, so the expansion to MINI vehicles makes sense. An announcement will likely be made in the coming weeks, with the new Countryman and MINI Cooper expected to become the first models to receive the upgrade.
The digital car key support is a great feature that makes unlocking the car more convenient, but it's not always as straightforward as it sounds. BMW owners figured this out the hard way earlier this year after the debut of the iPhone 15 when they ended up with broken smartphones due to a wireless charging problem. Using the wireless charger in a BMW fried the NFC sensor in the iPhone 15, eventually breaking down all functionality powered by the Wallet app.
The digital car key configuration is hosted in the Wallet app, so making contactless payments and unlocking cars no longer worked with an iPhone after the device was charged with the wireless adapter in a BMW. Apple has already released an update to address the problem, but it's unclear how many people ended up with fried smartphones due to the problem.
As for the Apple Car, it's unlikely to launch earlier than 2025 or 2026, and I wouldn't expect the tech giant to spill the beans on the project anytime soon. If anything, the company could come up with an announcement in 2025, approximately one year before the car becomes available in very limited numbers.
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