What you need to know
- BMW offers Digital Key Plus support for a few compatible Google and Samsung Android devices.
- Digital Key Plus allows drivers to use their compatible Android phone as their car key with some additional features as well.
- At the moment, the listed devices are only compatible with BMW vehicles produced from November 2022 onwards.
German auto brand BMW is now including the Android OS in its support for Digital Key Plus in its press release. BMW’s Digital Key Plus, accessible from the My BMW app, allows the driver to use a compatible Android phone as their car key.
Quick Mode is a programmable feature of the Digital Key Plus that allows users to customize their hands-free experience. If the user is walking away, their car will lock itself. If approached, their car will unlock and start as it senses the compatible Android device in their pocket. This function will last for five hours if your phone’s battery is dead.
Digital Key Plus uses Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology to communicate closely with your vehicle (using accurate translation) for convenient security. BMW states that its use of UWB ensures that if a relay attack (jammed or intercepted signal) occurs it is “virtually eliminated”.
Support for Android phones is not currently widespread. BMW only supports the following Google and Samsung devices with Android 13.1 or later to begin with. In addition, those with a Samsung device listed can use their BMW Digital Key Plus if they are in a market that supports Samsung Wallet.
The list of compatible Android devices provided by BMW can only use the Digital Key Plus feature with vehicles produced from November 2022 onwards. The German manufacturer reports that a future upgrade will be required to provide the full service with its vehicles produced before November 2022.
With the My BMW app, drivers can share access to their vehicle with up to five other Android users.
BMW reiterates that, until now, the Digital Key Plus was only available for Apple’s iPhone and Apple Watch. It further states that the next stage after the initial welcome of Android is to offer a “full suite of convenient access functionality” to newly embedded devices. In addition, BMW users can share access to the Digital Key Plus between iPhone and compatible Android phones securely via email, text message or other messaging service.
Samsung already has its own “digital car key” for BMW, Kia, and Genesis. However, this version required the phone to support NFC, indicating that the phone’s physical touch to the car was necessary. With BMW rolling out its own official support – and using UWB – users can leave their phones in their pockets and hop straight into their cars.
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