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Your Android Phone Can Now Unlock and Start Your Car, With a Huge Catch

Apple users have been able to unlock the doors and start the engines of their cars with an iPhone for quite some time, though this feature was only available on very select vehicles.
Samsung limits its feature to South Korea only 6 photos
Photo: Samsung
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In the case of Android devices, the rollout of such capabilities was happening at a rather slow pace, with Samsung unsurprisingly one of the companies involved in the whole thing.

Last year when the South Koreans launched the Galaxy S21, the so-called Digital Car Key was by far one of the highlights. With the help of NFC chips and the Ultra-Wideband support, a Galaxy S21 was supposed to unlock the doors of a Genesis GV60 without the need for traditional car keys.

Obviously, this was big news, but on the other hand, the very limited support made Digital Car Key support also irrelevant.

This week, the world’s number one phone maker expanded the feature to more car models, though the whole thing once again comes with a huge catch.

First and foremost, you need a new-generation Samsung device, such as the company’s latest foldables, the Galaxy S21 and S22, and the Note20 Ultra.

Then, you must own one of the supported cars. In addition to the Genesis GV60 and G90, Digital Car Key now works on other models, too, including several 2022 BMWs and select Kia cars, such as the new Niro.

And last but not least, you must be living in South Korea because, for some reason, Samsung doesn’t allow the Digital Car Key to be used in a different region.

At this point, it’s still not clear if Samsung plans to bring this highly anticipated feature to more users worldwide, but there’s no doubt the international rollout should be a priority for the company. After all, South Korea isn’t Samsung’s only market, and Digital Car Key support is something that would come in handy to many other Samsung customers across the world.
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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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