Several months after Apple announced its CarKey feature for its devices, Google has now revealed that its upcoming Android 12 operating system will also come with digital car key support baked in. The company made the announcement during its recent Google I/O 2021 developer conference, with the feature set to be available on Pixel and Samsung phones later in the fall of this year.
The goal here is the same regardless of the platform, and that is to have a phone unlock and start a car without having to rely on a bulky key fob. This is achieved via ultra-wideband (UWB) radios on the device that interacts with your car and lets it know when you’re nearby, or with near-field communication (NFC). The latter will require the phone to be tapped on a sensor, which kind of makes it more trouble than a key fob if you think about it.
As current Pixel phones don’t come with UWB radios, it’s only NFC until the next generation of models arrive. For Samsung, the S21+ and S21 Ultra come with both UWB and NFC, while it’s just the latter for the base S21.
Moving on, Google says that selected BMW models will be compatible with Android 12’s digital car key system, although other members of the Car Connectivity Consortium (a group that sets standards on digital keys) are likely offer support for the feature in their vehicles. Among the members of the CCC besides BMW are General Motors, Hyundai, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo.
The post Google confirms digital car key support for Android 12 appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.
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