Digital car keys are rapidly evolving, offering vehicle owners a more convenient way to lock, unlock, and start their cars using smartphones or other digital devices. A recent advancement allows owners to securely share digital key access with others via text message, a feature poised to simplify a range of scenarios.
The latest developments were showcased at the 16th “Plugfest” event hosted by the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) in Palo Alto, California, last month. The event brought together over a dozen automotive and smartphone manufacturers to test the latest digital key technologies. The primary goal of Plugfest is to ensure interoperability and real-world performance across various vehicles, devices, and wireless technologies.
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Rivian Chief Software Officer Wassym Bensaid highlighted the complexities involved in developing this technology. “What we have is a hard technology problem when you’re trying to solve wireless access with very fragmented hardware and software,” he said. According to Bensaid, strong vertical integration is key to seamless phone-to-car connectivity, encompassing vehicle software, cloud systems, and a diverse ecosystem of devices like iOS and various Android versions.
Smartphone manufacturers as well play a critical role, ensuring that each car brand adheres to stringent security and data privacy standards. Apple, for example, announced support for car digital keys for 13 fresh vehicle brands – including Audi, Cadillac, Chevy, Hyundai, Kia, GMC, Volvo, and Rivian – at its WWDC event last year, bringing the total to 33 brands. These keys integrate with the Wallet app and can be used via NFC, UWB, or BLE, depending on vehicle support.
The CCC is central to these standardization efforts. The organization unites most major automotive companies, as well as tech giants like Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi. The FiRa Consortium, a non-profit supporting ultra wideband (UWB) technology and including Apple, Google, Cisco, Samsung, and Qualcomm, is also involved in the initiative.
CCC President Alysia Johnson reported a significant increase in the Digital Key Certification program. Since its launch at the end of 2023, the number of certifications has jumped from two in 2024 to 115 in 2025.
This year, the CCC launched version 4 of its specifications, bringing significant improvements, particularly in support for fleet owners such as city governments and car rental companies. Another key feature is enhanced “friend sharing,” allowing vehicle owners to securely and easily share access with others, regardless of the recipient’s phone type or manufacturer.
Johnson illustrated a scenario where someone could lend their car to a neighbor whose vehicle is broken down simply by sending a secure digital key copy via text message. The access can also be easily revoked once it’s no longer needed. “It’s like sharing a photo, if you’ve ever sent a photo to someone,” Johnson explained. “They don’t need to have an app for my vehicle. They don’t need to have the same type of phone as me.”
Still, digital key systems aren’t without issues. Various user complaints regarding digital key problems can be found on online forums, including for Kia, BYD, Rivian, and Volvo. One Tesla Model 3 owner, for instance, complained, “I’ll be standing there with the app open and it won’t recognize I’m there.” This demonstrates that, like other software-based systems, challenges persist.
From Rivian’s perspective, UWB technology offers the highest level of reliability. Bensaid explained that UWB’s superior accuracy and security, especially when combined with BLE for proximity-based locking and unlocking, provides a better customer experience. “Some of the anecdotal feedback we’ve gotten from our customers as we’ve rolled out CCC late last year, some of it pointed to accuracy at the edge, which is something they’ve really enjoyed now,” Bensaid concluded.
