Do you want to add a digital car key to your iPhone? Then we have good news, because this popular car brand finally works with Apple Car Key!
Apple Car Key
Apple Car Key is available from a new car brand! It concerns a popular car manufacturer, because Toyota cars finally have support for the digital car key. It has been clear for some time that Apple Car Key would be expanded to more car brands. At WWDC 2025, Apple shared a list of thirteen brands, including Porsche and Smart. Now it appears that Apple Car Key is coming to a popular and affordable car brand.
In December, Apple added a reference to Toyota to the software behind Apple Car Key. The company does this more often, but that does not necessarily mean that the digital car key will quickly become available in cars from a car brand. This is the case with Toyota, because Apple Car Key can already be activated in the brand’s first cars. Good news, so if you prefer not to use a physical car key, that is no longer necessary with the Apple Car Key.
This is how the digital car key works
Toyota itself has not yet responded to support for Apple Car Key. It is therefore not yet clear which cars exactly work with Apple’s digital car key. The Toyota 2026 RAV4 at least has support for Apple Car Key, the function may also come to earlier models. That is good news, because the digital car key has several advantages. This way you can open and start the car with the Apple Car Key, which you add to the Wallet app on your iPhone and Apple Watch.
It depends on the car manufacturer to what extent you can operate your car with the Apple Car Key. Car brands themselves determine which functions the digital car key has access to. They can choose between passive access, proximity and distance. With passive access, the car is automatically locked and unlocked when you are nearby and you can start the car once you have gotten in. With proximity, the car is only opened and closed when you are nearby, with the last option you can only do this via your iPhone.
More about Apple Car Key
It is clear that Toyota has support for Apple Car Key, but much is still unknown about the car brand’s supported vehicles and the functions that the digital car key will have. More will probably be known about this soon. It is expected that Toyota will provide further explanation about Apple Car Key. It will then become clear which cars work with the digital car key and to what extent you can operate Toyota cars with your iPhone and Apple Watch.
In any case, it is a big advantage that Toyota cars finally work with Apple Car Key. The digital car key works with the NFC chip in your iPhone and Apple Watch, so you can leave the physical key at home. This way you can always open and close your car, even if you have forgotten the car key. You may still need a physical key to start the car. That depends on the functions that Toyota assigns to the Apple Car Key. Don’t want to miss any new Apple features? Then sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter!
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