Audi A6 Avant e-tron Supports Apple Car Keys, Porsche Likely to Follow

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Audi has enabled support for Apple's digital car key feature in its latest A6 Avant e-tron model, bringing Apple Car Keys to the automaker's electric car platform for the first time (via Mac4Ever).

audi avant a6 e tron
Car Keys allows an iPhone or Apple Watch with NFC capabilities or Ultra Wideband 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 tap on the door handle is enough to initiate an unlock. Face ID authentication is a security option, but Apple also offers an Express Mode that eliminates the need to authenticate for a faster unlocking process.

The Audi A6 e-tron is the second model on on Premium Platform Electric (PPE) platform. Audi shares its PPE with Porsche, and it is expected that all the next vehicles in the group will support digital car keys.

Code changes discovered last October by MacRumors in Apple's Wallet app backend indicated that Apple has been preparing support for digital car keys for certain Volvo, Polestar, and Audi vehicles.

Apple introduced ‌digital car key support‌ in 2022, and select car brands like BMW, BYD, Hyundai/Genesis/Kia, Lotus, Mercedes-Benz, and RAM have implemented support for the feature‌. Apple maintains a full list of vehicles that support ‌car keys‌ on its CarPlay model availability webpage.

Tag: Car Keys Guide

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Top Rated Comments

wanha Avatar
wanha
9 months ago
This is great, but it sure seems like putting all our proverbial eggs (car keys, driver's license, bank security codes, etc) in one basket (the phone) creates a single, potentially disastrous point of failure.

Lose or break your phone and all of a sudden you are an outsider to your life, locked out
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheMacDaddy1 Avatar
TheMacDaddy1
9 months ago

This is great, but it sure seems like putting all our proverbial eggs (car keys, driver's license, bank security codes, etc) in one basket (the phone) creates a single, potentially disastrous point of failure.

Lose or break your phone and all of a sudden you are an outsider to your life, locked out
EVERYONE needs to seriously think through losing your phone and what that means. Let’s say you lose your phone on vacation, how does that impact you? You buy a new iPhone and how do you login to all of your accounts, especially if you have two factor turned on. Do you know anyone’s phone number any more? Need to get into email or your wallet for air plane tickets?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mystery hill Avatar
mystery hill
9 months ago

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.
NFC for iPhone 16e users.

iPhone 11 and later will unlock the door using Ultra Wideband as you approach the car. NFC can be used if the phone battery is dead and it's in power reserve mode.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DEMinSoCAL Avatar
DEMinSoCAL
9 months ago

My 2024 Santa Fe doesn't have an Apple key but it lets you add the key to your Apple Wallet, its pretty nice to not have to carry a fob around and start your car with your watch or phone.
Let's not forget the side benefit of not being able to leave your phone behind at a restaurant!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ifxf Avatar
ifxf
9 months ago
I am always going to carry my keys just in case of a accident a the car needs to be towed. The car already supports walk up unlocking with the keys.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sahajesh Avatar
sahajesh
9 months ago

This is great, but it sure seems like putting all our proverbial eggs (car keys, driver's license, bank security codes, etc) in one basket (the phone) creates a single, potentially disastrous point of failure.

Lose or break your phone and all of a sudden you are an outsider to your life, locked out
So don't use it. I'm confused.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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