According to a report from last month, it was discovered within the code of iOS that Apple seems to be toying with the idea of allowing users to use their iPhones as car keys to unlock their car doors. This isn’t that much of a stretch, especially given that modern cars these days sometimes use key fobs instead of regular keys.However, since Apple doesn’t make their own cars, obviously this feature would need to be adopted by a carmaker, but the question is who will be the one to adopt it? According to a report from 9to5Mac, it seems that new evidence discovered within iOS 14 has suggested that BMW will be the first to adopt the feature in their cars.
When 9to5Mac reached out to BMW for a comment, the company did not deny or confirm their findings, but instead directed them to a press release published in December. According to the press release, “The BMW Group took a leading role in the seamless integration of smart devices and the customers’ digital ecosystem in the early stages. Providing customers with simple, connected and ‘keyless’ access to their vehicles has been a key area of innovation.”
Basically it sounds like the company has already been working on such a system, so maybe it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch for them to adopt Apple’s CarKey system, although whether or not they will remains to be seen.