Some BMW Owners Experiencing Issues With Shared Car Keys on iOS 18

Following the release of iOS 18 last month, some BMW owners have experienced issues with shared car keys in the Apple Wallet app, according to messages on the Apple Support Community and the largest BMW discussion forum.

bmw digital key plus wallet app car key
Affected users said that the "passive entry" feature that allows you to lock, unlock, and start compatible BMW vehicle models by simply having your iPhone on you no longer works for secondary Wallet keys shared with others, such as a spouse or other family member. The primary key still works for passive entry, the people said.

The issue does not appear to be fixed in the iOS 18.0.1 update released last week, or in the latest iOS 18.1 beta. The underlying cause is unclear.

We will share any new information about this issue as it becomes available.

Tag: BMW
Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Apple Fitness Plus hero

Apple Announces New Fitness+ Workout Programs, Strava Challenge, and More

Friday January 2, 2026 6:43 am PST by
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch. The key announcements include: New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January. "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
Mac Pro Feature Blue

What's Happening With the Mac Pro?

Wednesday December 31, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Mac Pro since 2023, and according to recent rumors, there's no update coming in the near future. In fact, Apple might be finished with the Mac Pro. Bloomberg recently said that the Mac Pro is "on the back burner" and has been "largely written off" by Apple. Apple apparently views the more compact Mac Studio as the ideal high-end pro-level desktop, and it has almost...

Top Rated Comments

applesith Avatar
16 months ago
Critical access and information for everyday life (car keys, door locks, ID, payments, etc.) are too important for me to rely on one piece of technology that can go wrong with an update, a bug, a dead battery, or something unexpected. It's nice to have some of these on my phone, but I will never fully rely on my phone.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
A418t81 Avatar
16 months ago
iOS 18 (not the beta) straight up broke apple car key on my iX and iPhone 15. Absolutely refused to connect to reissue the key or communicate with the car in any way. I had a 16 PM delivered about a week later and that phone works without any issue. Really unacceptable. This is the first and only issue I have ever had with the car key and iX in 15 months. The tech has been literally flawless. This problem has been in the betas with people complaining about it for many months. Super crappy of apple not to fix it before release. I could have easily been stranded had the phone update occurred anywhere other than at home.

Also, ACK works for several hours after your iPhone battery is dead FYI.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsound1 Avatar
16 months ago
I always wondered if people used digital keys regularly. I could see it being useful if you're at the beach or something where you don't have pockets or want carry your keys and wallet and phone, but otherwise I'm way to paranoid to trust everything in my life to a single device and not have a backup.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EU-Regulations Avatar
16 months ago
Well, since I updated to TVOS18.0 everything hurts.
Support demands to upgrade everything, but hey, all the trouble really started since the update.

Software deployment and "Support" is no fun anymore.

Will stay on 17 for now, no matter what !

>>I got too much Apple stuff here, I must the one to blame <<
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarpalMac Avatar
16 months ago

Critical access and information for everyday life (car keys, door locks, ID, payments, etc.) are too important for me to rely on one piece of technology that can go wrong with an update, a bug, a dead battery, or something unexpected. It's nice to have some of these on my phone, but I will never fully rely on my phone.
Absolutely agree. It boggles my mind that people choose to rely on something that has so many potential (and more likely) risks of failure.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AbSoluTc Avatar
16 months ago
FWP lol. Good to know though. Seems 18 broke quite a few things that still arent fixed.

Several iOS versions later - STILL get the stupid squared off lock screen notifications that switch to curved. The dumbest crap I have ever seen and it's annoying as it causes a second or two of delay as it refreshes the animation.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)