[LittleJoe]

This article from BMW explains how it works in some detail. What I didn't find is if your iPhone or Apple Watch must remain on the charging pad after starting the vehicle.

https://www.bmw.com/en/innovation/bm...w-car-key.html

[Heimdall]

Originally Posted by LittleJoe

This article from BMW explains how it works in some detail. What I didn't find is if your iPhone or Apple Watch must remain on the charging pad after starting the vehicle.

https://www.bmw.com/en/innovation/bm...w-car-key.html

Theoretically speaking
I don't think so. It might just nag about the key being missing

[CruiseControl]

Originally Posted by LittleJoe

This article from BMW explains how it works in some detail. What I didn't find is if your iPhone or Apple Watch must remain on the charging pad after starting the vehicle.

https://www.bmw.com/en/innovation/bm...w-car-key.html

If your iPhone must remain on the charging pad after starting the vehicle that will be a problem. My phone tends to get hot in that compartment because there is no ventilation for the phone. BMW did not think the location of that compartment through approximately.

[Heimdall]

iOS 13.6 is out and says it supports Digital Car Key

[ComingInHot]

Originally Posted by Heimdall

iOS 13.6 is out and says it supports Digital Car Key

Yeah I saw that when my phone upgraded.


iOS 13.6 adds support for digital car keys, introduces audio stories in Apple News+, and contains a new symptoms category in the Health app. This release also includes bug fixes and improvements.

Digital car keys
Unlock, lock, and start your compatible car with your iPhone
Securely remove digital keys from a lost device via iCloud
Share digital keys easily with iMessage
Driver-specific profiles so you can configure shared keys for full-access or restricted driving
Power reserve lets you unlock and start your car for up to five hours after iPhone runs out of battery

[m344]

Does the key on the iPhone works at your car? My App doesn’t show the tap for the key

[Heimdall]

Originally Posted by m344

Does the key on the iPhone works at your car? My App doesn’t show the tap for the key

Nothing is showing
Although my Android key is working 🤔

[m344]

Maybe the X7 ist too old and it must be a 07/2020 build? Does anybody know?

[adamjs83]

Originally Posted by m344

Maybe the X7 ist too old and it must be a 07/2020 build? Does anybody know?

It must be a late summer build. I'm guessing at this point it will be MY21 vehicles.

[Heimdall]

Originally Posted by adamjs83

It must be a late summer build. I'm guessing at this point it will be MY21 vehicles.

You're probably right as the website now says summer built or something like that

[adamjs83]

Originally Posted by Heimdall

You're probably right as the website now says summer built or something like that

Here's a twist make it even more frustrating 😂. I had a second identical backup car on order as well with a different center which would have been delivered this week as well but it's been on Quality Check for 5 days. I'm starting to think this isn't meant to be or it's the works telling me to wait for a MY21.

[LittleJoe]

It is interesting that Apple Car Key will not work with any existing X7's even though they all support NFC via the FOB's. I wonder what is different about the way an iPhone (or Apple Watch) communicates with a X7 compared to the FOB. Why does Car Key require new or additional hardware the FOB doesn't require?

[Heimdall]

Originally Posted by adamjs83

Here's a twist make it even more frustrating 😂. I had a second identical backup car on order as well with a different center which would have been delivered this week as well but it's been on Quality Check for 5 days. I'm starting to think this isn't meant to be or it's the works telling me to wait for a MY21.

All I can tell you is.
"Never ignore a sign"
If you feel it is a sign
Listen to it.

[MomoM3]

Originally Posted by adamjs83

Here's a twist make it even more frustrating 😂. I had a second identical backup car on order as well with a different center which would have been delivered this week as well but it's been on Quality Check for 5 days. I'm starting to think this isn't meant to be or it's the works telling me to wait for a MY21.

I backup ordered 2 identical spec 2018 M3 ZCP and the losing dealer wasn't too happy when I walked away from the 1 - don't think I'll do that again. Curious to know why you did that and what the build looks like as there are not many 2020 left out there!

[MomoM3]

So I've been calling into BMWNA daily for a week asking about Digital Car Key on the MY2021 X7. The message throughout the week morphed from "some August builds will have them, some won't" to "you have the Exec Pkg and a 2021 naturally built in August so you will have it". Each Genius skims through the early July email, puts me on hold, and has their own interpretation of it. Just 1 Genius went as far as to confirm Digital Car Key in my build (MY2021 Aug build + Exec Pkg) but I'm still not holding my breath for it.

[huskerdoc2020]

Originally Posted by MomoM3

So I've been calling into BMWNA daily for a week asking about Digital Car Key on the MY2021 X7. The message throughout the week morphed from "some August builds will have them, some won't" to "you have the Exec Pkg and a 2021 naturally built in August so you will have it". Each Genius skims through the early July email, puts me on hold, and has their own interpretation of it. Just 1 Genius went as far as to confirm Digital Car Key in my build (MY2021 Aug build + Exec Pkg) but I'm still not holding my breath for it.

Yes and I was told my July Week 30 build won't have it.

[BayBavaria]

Originally Posted by MomoM3

So I've been calling into BMWNA daily for a week asking about Digital Car Key on the MY2021 X7. The message throughout the week morphed from "some August builds will have them, some won't" to "you have the Exec Pkg and a 2021 naturally built in August so you will have it". Each Genius skims through the early July email, puts me on hold, and has their own interpretation of it. Just 1 Genius went as far as to confirm Digital Car Key in my build (MY2021 Aug build + Exec Pkg) but I'm still not holding my breath for it.

Hopefully there is some clarity soon on which week August builds will have this feature. I'm currently holding back on submitting a finalized 2021 custom build pending confirmation that I don't lose out on this feature over a matter of days.

[Heimdall]

Ok guys seriously this is kind of making me scratch my head, isn't NFC a standard tech which phone manufacturers include in their phones regardless just like Bluetooth ?

Since the vehicle has android smart key enabled via NFC, doesn't it just take Apple to make a phone with NFC for it work ?

What's with the bmw hardware and all ? Are they using something else other than NFC for that and such is being added specifically for Apple to make use of and enable digital key ?

[m344]

I heard that there will be an update to all bmw with the new OS so that the feature will also come to earlier X7! But the new ones will have it direct from the factory!

[thenew3]

Originally Posted by Heimdall

Ok guys seriously this is kind of making me scratch my head, isn't NFC a standard tech which phone manufacturers include in their phones regardless just like Bluetooth ?

Since the vehicle has android smart key enabled via NFC, doesn't it just take Apple to make a phone with NFC for it work ?

What's with the bmw hardware and all ? Are they using something else other than NFC for that and such is being added specifically for Apple to make use of and enable digital key ?

I don't think they are using NFC for the new Apple digital key.
On Android, you'll have to hold the phone next to the door handle for the NFC to work, then place the phone in the charging tray to start the car.

On the Apple version (from what I've seen) You just walk towards the car and it will auto unlock. You don't need to hold the phone up to the door handle to unlock it. So maybe they are using bluetooth or wifi or some other means to detect the presence of the digital key enabled iphone.

[huskerdoc2020]

Originally Posted by thenew3

I don't think they are using NFC for the new Apple digital key.
On Android, you'll have to hold the phone next to the door handle for the NFC to work, then place the phone in the charging tray to start the car.

On the Apple version (from what I've seen) You just walk towards the car and it will auto unlock. You don't need to hold the phone up to the door handle to unlock it. So maybe they are using bluetooth or wifi or some other means to detect the presence of the digital key enabled iphone.

As our president would say..."Wrong."

[thenew3]

Originally Posted by huskerdoc2020

As our president would say..."Wrong."

Ok I'm not an iphone user so I'm just going by what the bmw genius guy said. He was trying to persuade me to switch to an iphone because he can't get my android working with digital key.

He said it's much better with iphone, you don't need to hold phone up to the handle, just walk up close to the car and it will auto unlock.