CarKey Privacy Policy Detailed in iOS 13.5.1, Suggesting Launch Could Come Soon

Buried in the iOS 13.5.1 update, there's a privacy policy for the "CarKey" feature that Apple has in the works, suggesting that a launch could perhaps be coming soon. CarKey is designed to allow an iPhone or Apple Watch to be used in lieu of a physical key in certain vehicles with NFC connectivity.

First noticed by German site iPhone-ticker.de, the CarKey privacy info can be found in the current iOS 13.5.1 release and the iOS 13.6 beta. There's no word yet on when CarKey will be released, but quite a bit of info about the feature has leaked over the course of the last few months as signs of it have shown up in various versions of iOS 13.

There's not a lot of new info about CarKey in the privacy policy, but it does sum up how CarKey works, setup, and the sharing of CarKey keys through Messages. It makes it clear that Apple does not collect or retain information on vehicle usage, though the vehicle manufacturer still may collect vehicle usage information based on their own privacy policies.

Wallet allows you to add and share car keys for certain vehicles. You may add a car key by signing in to your vehicle manufacturer's app or entering a pairing code in Wallet to claim the vehicle as your own and to pair your device with your vehicle. If successful, your device sends Apple a one-time owner redemption token. Apple uses the redemption token, information about your Apple account and your device, and your location at the time of provisioning (if Location Services is enabled) for fraud prevention purposes.

To set up your car key, Apple shares a unique device identifier with your vehicle manufacturer. This device identifier is different for each vehicle manufacturer to help protect your privacy. Your vehicle manufacturer may connect this device identifier with other information it has about you and will process information it has about you according to its privacy policy.

You may share car keys by tapping Invite on the back of your car key pass, selecting the access type that you would like to grant, and sharing the car key pass using iMessage. To help set up and manage car key passes, Apple forwards to the vehicle manufacturer information about with whom a pass is shared and what level of access was granted. Apple also shares a unique device identifier for the pass recipient with the vehicle manufacturer to enable them to manage your pass. For pass recipients, just as with owners, the vehicle manufacturer may connect the device identifier with other information it may have about the recipient and process such information according to its privacy policy.

Apple does not collect or retain information on vehicle usage, such as when you use your car key pass to lock or unlock the vehicle. Your vehicle manufacturer may collect vehicle usage information according to agreements you have with them. We encourage you to review your vehicle manufacturer's privacy policy for more information.

Digital CarKey keys will be stored in the Wallet app alongside credit cards, rewards cards, gift cards, and other items on ‌iPhone‌ and Apple Watch. These keys will let an ‌iPhone‌ or Apple Watch unlock, lock, and start vehicles equipped with NFC.

Vehicle owners will be able to share a digital CarKey with another person, which is useful in valet situations, if a friend needs to borrow a car, and more. CarKey access is authenticated biometrically using Face ID or Touch ID, though there is an "Express Mode" that vehicle owners can take advantage of.

Apple will be partnering with vehicle manufacturers for CarKey, and it may be a factory installed option similar to CarPlay. CarKey requires NFC to function, so it is something that needs to be implemented by car makers.

Screenshots found in iOS 14 have suggested that BMW may be one of the first manufacturers that will support the CarKey feature. CarKey functionality could be released at any time as the NFC-based Digital Key Release specification that powers it was finalized in May and provided to Car Connectivity Consortium members including Apple.