Apple Preparing to Add Support for Digital Car Keys on Hyundai and BYD Vehicles

Apple is preparing to begin supporting digital car keys in the Wallet app for two new car brands: Hyundai and BYD. The feature allows users to lock, unlock, and start their vehicles using a pass stored in the Wallet on the iPhone or Apple Watch, and Ultra Wideband with Express Mode in iOS 15 can even automatically lock and unlock a compatible car as you approach without needing to wake your device.

hyundai sonata digital key android
BMW was the first manufacturer to launch digital car keys in Wallet back in 2020, and two months ago Apple began listing several Genesis and Kia models as supporting the functionality. Over the last several days, Apple has added entries for both Hyundai and BYD to its Apple Pay configuration file. A similar change last September revealed the pending addition of Genesis support.

hyundai byd digital car key
The inclusion of Hyundai on the list of car brands supporting digital car keys on iOS isn't much of a surprise, considering that Genesis and Kia were among the earliest adopters. Genesis is a luxury brand of Hyundai, while Hyundai is the largest stakeholder in Kia and the two companies are closely interrelated. Bloomberg also reported in January that both Hyundai and Genesis models would be adding the feature "by the summer."

BYD is a Chinese brand that has been trying to expand into other countries and recently announced that it will be moving to exclusively sell full electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

We've yet to hear which specific models from the two brands will support digital car keys on ‌iPhone‌ and Apple Watch, but a number of Hyundai models have supported digital car keys on Android for several model years.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
iphone pocket%402x

Apple Debuts iPhone Pocket, a Limited Edition iPod Sock-Style Accessory

Tuesday November 11, 2025 1:23 am PST by
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items. The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...
homepod mini colors

New HomePod Mini Coming Soon With These Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 7:30 am PST by
Apple is expected to announce a new HomePod mini imminently, headlining with new chips. Here are all of the new features we're expecting. The second-generation HomePod mini is highly likely to contain a more up-to-date chip for more advanced computational audio and improved responsiveness. The current HomePod mini is equipped with the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip from 2019. Apple is likely ...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Announces Launch of U.S. Passport Feature in iPhone's Wallet App

Wednesday November 12, 2025 9:15 am PST by
Apple today announced that iPhone users can now create a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app based on information from their U.S. passport. To create and present a Digital ID based on a U.S. passport, you need: An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on An Apple Account ...
homepod mini thumb feature

New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and AirTag Were Expected This Year — Where Are They?

Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen. Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
Tesla Charging

Tesla Working to Add Apple CarPlay Support to Vehicles

Thursday November 13, 2025 8:31 am PST by
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
iphone air thinness

iPhone Air Sales Are So Bad That Apple's Delaying the Next-Generation Version

Monday November 10, 2025 11:41 am PST by
The thin, light iPhone Air sold so poorly that Apple has decided to delay the launch of the next-generation iPhone Air that was scheduled to come out alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, reports The Information. Apple initially planned to release a new iPhone Air in fall 2026, but now that's not going to happen. Since the iPhone Air launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales...

Top Rated Comments

TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
45 months ago
Why not add the high-end vehicle to the list first? Can we have it on an Audi, please.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
45 months ago

You do you, I do me. I'd rather not buy from a Chinese car manufacturer regardless if Buffet is behind it. Period.
But you'll buy products manufactured by Chinese companies if it's got an :apple: logo on it. Gotcha.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
45 months ago

Do you have much personal sway with Audi? I'm sure Apple wouldn't mind the help.
I do. I just bought a brand new 2022 Audi. Would be nice to use my iPhone to start the car with a simple tap. :)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CWallace Avatar
45 months ago

Anyone else find it kind of funny that the phone image in the article is not an iPhone? ?
That is the stock footage from Hyundai showing their Digital Key which currently only works on Android devices. ;)
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wildkraut Avatar
45 months ago

I agree. Never letting that company near me.
Heh ahh it’s a Company, i was trying to derive some fancy abbreviation like Bring Your Device Vehicles ?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jav6454 Avatar
45 months ago
BYD? Yuck.

That said, Apple should pitch this further to American car makers like Ford.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)