The digital key 3.0 (car) is now ready

The Automotive Connectivity Consortium announced that its Digital Key 3.0 specification with support for Ultra Wideband and Bluetooth LE connectivity has been finalized and available to members, including Apple.

In 2020, Apple introduced a digital car key feature that allows users to unlock and start a compatible vehicle by holding an iPhone or Apple Watch near the driver's door. The feature works with the NFC-based Digital Key 2.0 specification, and once Apple upgrades to Digital Key 3.0, users will be able to unlock and start a compatible vehicle without removing the iPhone from their pocket or bag.

The upgraded ultra-wideband version of Apple's car key function would require devices with the U1 chip such as the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 models.

Digital Key 3.0 also improves security, as precise knowledge of the Ultra Wideband's location is said to prevent relay attacks, where the radio signal between the iPhone and the vehicle is intercepted elsewhere.

NFC support is maintained for backward compatibility and, in Apple's case, the ability to use the car key feature to unlock a vehicle for up to five hours after an iPhone runs out of battery.

Like credit cards and boarding passes, digital car keys are stored in the Wallet app on an iPhone or Apple Watch running iOS 13.6 or watchOS 6.2.8 or later.

So far, the feature is only compatible with select BMW models made from July 2020, but a Korean report says Hyundai plans to start offering the feature later this year.