Rivian's Latest Vehicles Support Apple Car Keys for Unlocking With Wallet App

Rivian today announced second-generation versions of the R1S SUV and R1T pickup, and the reengineered models include support for the Car Keys feature that's available on iPhones and Apple Watches.

rivian r1s v2
Car Keys allows an iPhone or Apple Watch with NFC capabilities to unlock a vehicle through the Wallet app. A digital version of a car key is stored in Wallet, and unlocking can be done simply by holding an Apple Watch or ‌iPhone‌ near a compatible vehicle's NFC reader.

A simple tap on the door handle is enough to initiate an unlock, and while Face ID authentication is a security option, Apple offers an Express Mode that eliminates the need to authenticate for a faster unlocking process.

Prior Rivian vehicles supported unlocking through the Rivian app, but ‌Car Keys‌ is a different feature that is better integrated into the ‌iPhone‌ and Apple Watch. While the Rivian app was able to sense a user approaching and unlock the car, it was slow to work and not as accurate or as simple as ‌Car Keys‌.

Rivian has added Ultra Wideband technology to its new vehicles for improved accuracy.

Use your phone or smartwatch to automatically lock or unlock doors when you're nearby. Accessing your vehicle is easier than ever -- thanks to ultrawideband technology enabled by the wallet feature on iOS and Android.

Rivian says that ‌Car Keys‌ feature can be used with the R1S and R1T for unlocking and starting their vehicles, plus sharing digital keys with family and friends.

Along with ‌Car Keys‌, the updated Rivian models also feature Connect+, a streaming service that provides access to over 3,000 apps, including music services. Rivian says that it worked with the Apple Music team to "deeply integrate" ‌Apple Music‌ into Rivian's Connect+ platform. Customers can access ‌Apple Music‌'s more than 100 million songs, and with Rivian Premium Audio, ‌Apple Music‌ Spatial Audio is supported.

More information on the upgraded vehicles can be found on Rivian's website.

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Top Rated Comments

DaveOP Avatar
14 months ago

meanwhile they're about to go bankrupt soon lol

cost control is a bitch. Tesla figured this out years ago
This refresh is entirely about cost control, they dropped their costs significantly with these refreshes. Nothing indicates they're about to go bankrupt.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hogswarts Avatar
14 months ago
Rivian needs to support CarPlay
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
6787872 Avatar
14 months ago

Tesla figured this out years ago
Telsa's are garbage and built with the quality of a soviet-era car lmao
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bobbuilds69 Avatar
14 months ago

meanwhile they're about to go bankrupt soon lol

cost control is a bitch. Tesla figured this out years ago
Tesla sucks…

Attachment Image
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
14 months ago


Telsa's are garbage and built with the quality of a soviet-era car lmao
model y was world's best selling car in 2023 lmao


Tesla sucks…
model y was world's best selling car in 2023

?
What does one have to do with the other?

If someone said "Microsoft Windows is garbage" or "Windows sucks," would you respond with "Microsoft Windows 10 was world's best selling operating system in 2023."?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jaytv111 Avatar
14 months ago

amazon and Rivian cut ties. they're no longer exclusive for vans. doesn't seem like their relationship is getting stronger
They did not cut ties. Amazon is the biggest single investor in Rivian, owning 16.33% of the company. Yes Amazon is buying other vans from other companies (because they need a lot of vans), but they would not likely let their investment go to 0 and probably would buy up Rivian or invest enough to keep it alive.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)