Apple CarKey coming to Rivian

[Sgt Beavis]

I'm watching the Apple WWDC stream and they spoke up about updates for Car Keys in Apple Wallet. Rivian is being shown as a newcomer to using this. I'm hoping we can get this on the 1st gen R1 platform. IMO that would be decently useful.

Not as useful as Carplay (with Apple Music that actually works) but it's something..

List of companies listed as Apple CarKey supporters today:

• Acura
• Audi
• Avatr
• BMW
• BYD
• Cadillac
• Chery
• Chevrolet
• Exeed
• Genesis
• GMC
• HiPhi
• Hongqi
• Hyundai
• Kia
• Leapmotor
• Lotus
• Lucid
• Lynk & Co
• Mercedes-Benz
• MINI
• Neta (Nezha)
• NIO
• Polestar
• Porsche
• Rivian
• Smart
• Tata (EV)
• Volvo
• Voyah
• Wey
• XPeng
• Zeekr

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[lefkonj]

The hardware for this isn't in the Gen1 vehicles, from what I recall.

 

[Rawrr_dinosaurs]

Didn't watch the event but how is this different than the Rivian App?

 

[Mellowyellow]

I thought they already said no soup for us!

 

[mpshizzle]

The hardware for this isn't in the Gen1 vehicles, from what I recall.

This is correct. Wallet based phone key uses UWB, and that's a Gen 2 feature. Unless Apple allows for Bluetooth keys in wallet (I don't think they do), it won't work for Gen 1, sadly

 

[mpshizzle]

Didn't watch the event but how is this different than the Rivian App?

It uses UWB, which is supposed to be faster and more accurate than Bluetooth (this is what air tags use). Also more power efficient than bluetooth

Additionally (and I could be wrong on this part), it includes an NFC component. So if your phone is dead you can tap it on your door handle, and it will wake the NFC in your phone enough to authenticate and unlock. Not sure if this is ACTUALLY part of the iPhone Wallet key, but I remember seeing something about that a while ago

----EDIT-----
That IS a feature of Apple wallet car keys. You can unlock, even with a dead phone. It also provides an easier way to send keys to other people without them having to have a rivian account, pair their phone, etc

Read more here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/118271

 

[lefkonj]

Additionally (and I could be wrong on this part), it includes an NFC component. So if your phone is dead you can tap it on your door handle, and it will wake the NFC in your phone enough to authenticate and unlock. Not sure if this is ACTUALLY part of the iPhone Wallet key, but I remember seeing something about that a while ago

That is correct. My BMW I4 does this. Haven't been in that position but they did explain that upon delivery.

 

[Sgt Beavis]

This is correct. Wallet based phone key uses UWB, and that's a Gen 2 feature. Unless Apple allows for Bluetooth keys in wallet (I don't think they do), it won't work for Gen 1, sadly

Oh well, I guess I'll get to enjoy it when I buy an R3X.

 

[Newtonrj]

It uses UWB, which is supposed to be faster and more accurate than Bluetooth (this is what air tags use). Also more power efficient than bluetooth

Additionally (and I could be wrong on this part), it includes an NFC component. So if your phone is dead you can tap it on your door handle, and it will wake the NFC in your phone enough to authenticate and unlock. Not sure if this is ACTUALLY part of the iPhone Wallet key, but I remember seeing something about that a while ago

----EDIT-----
That IS a feature of Apple wallet car keys. You can unlock, even with a dead phone. It also provides an easier way to send keys to other people without them having to have a rivian account, pair their phone, etc

Read more here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/118271

And Apple Watch.

 

[mpshizzle]

And Apple Watch.

Ha ha yes. And Apple watch

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I'm not sure what the use of this for my daily driving as I just use PAAK. However being able to send someone a key would be helpful.

 

[thrill]

It uses UWB, which is supposed to be faster and more accurate than Bluetooth (this is what air tags use). Also more power efficient than bluetooth...

UWB has built-in encryption so the developer doesn't have to roll their own or choose from multiple standards and hope the device on the other end has the same algorithms available. It is also directional with the right hardware, and offers position sensing to the other device within a few inches accuracy.

 

[portdirect]

I'm not sure what the use of this for my daily driving as I just use PAAK. However being able to send someone a key would be helpful.

It’s not going to change much if you use PAAK, other than being a better PAAK than what you have today, with WAAK as a bonus:

* using UWB to measure how close you are to the R1 (think AirTag precision location) so rather than using Bluetooth signal strength to guess if it’s time to unlock, it will have some better data to run off. This one’s also big in that it should mean that the army of folks who say ‘force quit the Rivian app on your phone at home’ will just vanish (good, as that was always a terrible solution - I just have it set to only proximity lock at home, which is fine but enough of this tangent for now)

* no longer using a proprietary and frankly rather odd handshake mechanism; part of the reason so many folks restart the app to get unlocking working in a quickish timeframe. (I spent a afternoon looking at it whist building a watch as key app before I got bored and wondered off…)

* able to use phone as NFC key when it’s battery is dead.

* it *should* also improve the response time to unlock as well - this one’s a little tenuous and based on my guesstimating.

 

[ksumnole]

Yes, finally CarPlay! Oh, wait, no, no CarPlay.

 

[theonetruestripes]

That IS a feature of Apple wallet car keys. You can unlock, even with a dead phone.

Well with a mostly dead phone. Basically the bottom *mumble* *mumble* percent of the iPhone battery is reserved for operating the wallet and the identified keys and transit cards. So if you need to use it say an hour after having run the battery so low the “phone turns off” it probbably works. If it is 3 days later, too bad, no keys for you.

Didn't watch the event but how is this different than the Rivian App?

It uses UWB not “just” bluetooth, so it is very hard to man in the middle attack it (so it needs to be your phone “close enough” to the Rivian not your phone and someone who is doing a relay attack’s endpoint near the Rivian and an unknown distance of other networking, and your phone). It is also likely to be able to relitabbably tell if you are inside or outside of the Rivian. Or maybe even stationary near the rear lift gate.

Also Apple has a “standard interface” for you to share keys to other people, and to revoke those keys. I think also a way to make time limited keys. So in theory you can send the key to your neighbor if you are away and someone needs to move your car. Like a key that works for “An hour” not “until they delete it”.

It might be a little more reliable than Rivian’s stab at it. Or not. Apple is pretty good at hardware and software (especially security software), but not perfect. Also Apple tends to focus on the simplest 60% of a market, and leave advanced uses for someone else to take care of. So it is actually a little unusual for them to tackle things Rivian/Tesla/GM hasn’t already (timed keys, sharing keys via messages at a distance and so on).

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