Not too long ago, BMW and Apple were making headlines around the world thanks to a new functionality introduced by the duo. The Apple Digital Key was first offered on BMW cars and it allows customers to use their iPhones to lock and unlock their cars, almost completely negating the need to use a dedicated key fob.
When it was first introduced, it was seen as a great breakthrough and yet another way in which we could use our phones. However, other car makers are not standing by idly right now and, according to a tidbit squeezed inside a newsletter from Bloomberg, Genesis might soon become the second car maker to offer this functionality.
Mark Gurman, from the aforementioned publication, claims that Hyundai will offer the Apple Digital Key option for its premium sub-brand Genesis, ‘by the summer’. That’s not too far off. However, Gurman didn’t specify exactly which models will get it and whether Hyundai cars with more advanced features (such as the Ioniq 5) will get it too. It’s also unclear what kind of digital key product we’re talking about as there are two available.
One solution uses a NFC port on the door handle. In this case, you’d have to take your Apple device out of your pocket and place it close to the NFC port in order to open the car. However, the ultrawide-band solution (UWB), which is compatible with more recent devices, doesn’t even require you getting your phone out. All you have to do is approach the car with the phone in your pocket and the car will recognize it and open automatically.
If this report turns out to be true, that means more car makers will soon follow suit. This would also mean that Apple is trying to reach a wider audience with its technology and sign deals with more automakers to make it happen. We would definitely like to see this tech, especially the UWB version, deployed on cheaper models too, not just higher-spec Genesis versions.
