BMW Digital Key Plus Unlocks Car with Apple Gear’s Ultra Wideband

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03 JUNE 2022 - BMW is letting users unlock their cars with iPhone or Apple Watch - almost without even trying. Used to be if you wanted to unlock your BMW, you had to use a key like a caveman. Then the company enabled an NFC app that let users ditch the key. Instead, they held their iPhone or Apple Watch close to the driver-side door to gain admittance.

But they had to hold something near the lock - like a caveman. “Nuts to that,” says BMW. According to a piece from MacRumors, the automaker’s new Digital Key Plus uses the Ultra Wideband tech in relatively recent phones and watches from Apple to know when a user is near the car, so they don’t have to reach for their phone the way a caveman would.

Good for such BMW models as the 2022 i4, 2022 iX, 2023 X1, and 2023 iX1, the feature requires an Apple Watch Series 6 or later on the watch side, or iPhone 11 or later for the phone. You can catch a demo video of the whole thing in action below. MacRumors says, “BMW also offers the standard NFC-based Digital Key feature on a wider range of 2021 and newer vehicles…” you know… if you’re driving around, talking on the phone, and telling time like a caveman.