NFC World

BMW adds UWB to digital car keys

BMW iX electric car with UWB digital car key

Apple iPhone users who purchase a BMW iX electric car will be able to lock, unlock and start the vehicle without taking their smartphone out of their bag or pocket using ultra wideband (UWB) functionality built into an upgraded version of the vehicle manufacturer’s Digital Key... More


NFC World

Apple unveils NFC car keys

Apple's Emily Schubert introduces Apples NFC car key during the iPhone maker's virtual WWDC event

Apple iPhone users will be able to lock, unlock and start vehicles using a new NFC CarKey feature from next month, Apple has announced, with BMW the first vehicle manufacturer to add support for the new service... More






NFC World

Skanska deploys mobile keys at new headquarters in Warsaw

HID Global helps create an integrated mobile experience and enhances security at the new Skanska office complex in Warsaw — HID Global — PARTNER NEWS — “Spark building employees and their guests can now move throughout the building with nothing more than a smartphone, without the risk of them gaining access to restricted areas — unless the proper access rights are granted. When users arrive at the door, they simply tap their iOS and Android devices to an iClass SE reader using near field communications (NFC) or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and HID’s ‘twist and go’ feature to gain access from a distance. Any changes to the user’s access rights are remotely managed by the administrator through a cloud-based portal.”


NFC World

Car manufacturers back NFC for digital keys

Car Connectivity Consortium announces publication of the Digital Key Release 1.0 Specification, delivering to the industry a standardized smartphone as a car key solution — Car Connectivity Consortium — “The Release 1.0 specification provides a generalized deployment method that allows vehicle OEMs to securely transfer a digital key implementation to a smart device, using an existing Trusted Service Manager (TSM) infrastructure. By leveraging NFC distance bounding and a direct link to the secure element of the device, CCC is assuring the highest state-of-the-art security level for vehicle access.”


NFC World

Apple to add new NFC features in iOS 12?

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference will be held in California next week

Apple is set to announce that iOS 12 will include “a significant change” to the iPhone’s NFC capabilities that “could pave the way for people to use iPhones for other security-sensitive interactions, from paying transit fares and opening car doors to verifying their identity in other ways”, according to a report in The Information... More


NFC World

Ford gets patent for smartphone key case

Ford patents a smartphone case that turns your phone into a key fob — Ford Authority — “Ford Motor Company was just this week granted a patent on a new type of smartphone case with all the necessary integrated electronics to allow the phone to function as a vehicle key fob… The device would communicate with the encased smartphone through the Bluetooth or NFC (Near Field Communication) protocols, the patent says, giving the user access to a virtual keyfob on the smartphone’s screen.”


Avis pilots mobile car rental keys

Continental, Avis turn phones into rental car keys — Roadshow — “Using a smart device, renters will be able to lock, unlock and even start their rental car without needing to hunt down a physical key or key fob… For now, the pilot program is limited to a single market — the Kansas City area. But, if all goes according to plan, it’s likely to roll out to additional markets in the future.”


BMW ‘is reviewing the necessity of car keys’

BMW says car keys may be replaced by mobile phone apps — Reuters — “BMW is reviewing the necessity of car keys, Ian Robertson, the company’s board member responsible for sales told Reuters. The fact that customers now all carry a smartphone and the availability of a BMW app which allows customers to unlock their vehicle has made old fashioned keys less relevant.”


Jet.com is installing Latch access systems in 1,000 NYC apartment buildings for easier deliveries

Jet.com is installing Latch access systems in 1,000 NYC apartment buildings for easier deliveries — TechCrunch — “Residents can use their phone as a key, grant access to guests without walking downstairs and of course get packages delivered safely without being home. Building managers can also use Latch’s system to grant access to trusted delivery providers like USPS at their discretion, but all of these 1,000 units will already be set up to provide access to Jet’s delivery partners.”