If a Digital Key isn’t convenient enough, you can also use the Digital Key Card, which is a card-based variation of the Digital Key. The Digital Key Card may be used independently of the key on your phone and has all of the same features as its phone equivalent. Several steps must be completed once more in order to obtain the Digital Key Card:
- Contact a BMW Center first to learn more about the Digital Key Card and to provide them your VIN.
- You can pick up your card from your local BMW Center when your order is ready.
- The Digital Key Card must be activated either by you or the dealer because it is specific to your car, just like the key fob is.
- You must insert your Key Card into the smartphone tray and follow the on-screen instructions to activate it.
In This Article...
Smart technology, but BMW’s iPhone Digital Key Isn’t Really a Fob Replacement
You can use your iPhone or Apple Watch as a key thanks to CR-tested technology created by BMW and Apple.
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Today’s new cars typically come with a keyless fob that you may use to start your vehicle and unlock the doors without ever taking the fob out of your pocket. However, they can be heavy, they add to your load, and you run the risk of losing them. BMW has joined a small but increasing group of businesses that are providing a digital key that enables a motorist to use a smartphone to unlock the doors and start the car in order to address those difficulties.
The Comfort Access option, which is standard on some models and available as part of a costly options package on others, is a requirement for the BMW digital key. As long as the fob is present, users can start the engine inside the car and unlock doors when approaching it with it and an iPhone or Apple Watch. Despite the fact that the key functions, it takes some getting accustomed to, and this innovative addition doesn’t completely replace the fob.
According to Alex Knizek, an engineer at CR’s Auto Test Center, “there is an advantage to just being able to hop in your car when all you have is your smartphone, but the app doesn’t accomplish everything the fob does.” It’s convenient to have the option of using a phone, but he notes that the fob was easier to set up and use.
The most recent vehicles from BMW can be unlocked with an iPhone in your pocket.
The 2023 X1 and a whole new electric SUV called the iX1 are two new vehicles that BMW introduced this week that would utilize its Digital Key Plus technology.
Without a physical key, eligible BMW automobiles can now be locked, unlocked, or started using an iPhone or Apple Watch thanks to Digital Key Plus. However, Digital Key Plus makes use of Ultra Wideband technology to detect when you are near the vehicle, allowing you to keep your iPhone in your pocket. The regular NFC version of the function requires the iPhone or Apple Watch to be held near the driver-side door in order to open the vehicle.
Additionally, Digital Key Plus enhances security by preventing relay attacks, in which a third party jams or intercepts the radio signal between the iPhone and the vehicle, thanks to Ultra Wideband’s precise location awareness.
With the digital keys stored in Apple’s built-in Wallet app, Digital Key Plus requires an iPhone 11 or newer, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or newer. More BMW vehicles are gradually receiving the function, including the 2022 iX and the present 2023 X1 and iX1. A complete list of BMW vehicles that use the standard NFC-based Digital Key function is accessible on Apple’s website for models manufactured in 2021 and later.
The My BMW app can be used to set up Digital Key Plus, and up to five additional users may share digital keys. The functionality continues to function for up to five hours even if your iPhone’s battery goes out thanks to a Power Reserve mode.
Where is my digital key for a BMW?
Choose the “Digital Key”tile from the My BMW App. Your Digital Key11 is located at the bottom of the display. iOS device and BMW Digital Key. Incorporating Apple Wallet
How much is a digital key for a BMW?
BMW Digital Key: Is it free? Yes, the first year of use is cost-free. If you want to continue using the Digital Key For5 option after the first year, you will be billed $88 per year.
How does the BMW smart key function?
The matching vehicle, which has embedded antennas that recognize it and authenticate its presence, is “spoken” to by the smart key via radio waves. On some models, such as recent BMWs (Comfort Access), the door automatically locks or unlocks with a touch of the door handle when the key is 1.5 meters or less from the driver’s car. According to the illustration above, the tailgate is raised by waving a foot beneath the back bumper.
Once inside, starting the car is as simple as pressing the ignition button, which is typically close to the steering wheel. Some smart keys, like those made by BMW, also have the ability to save specific user preferences, making it possible to alter the seat, mirrors, steering wheel, and even the audio system with the push of a single button.
A BMW display key: what is it?
The most impressive touch screen key fob feature without a doubt is remote parking. You can only move your automobile forward and backward by pressing arrows on the LCD screen from outside the BMW. It can be a little challenging, though, because you have to hold a button on the side of the key fob the entire time you’re using the arrows to drive the car. Not sure if you could complete the process without getting hurt? Not to worry. The Display Key will prevent your BMW from colliding with anything by using sensors to warn you about the proximity of other vehicles or objects to your vehicle. Additionally, the fob will only move your automobile a maximum of 1.5 car lengths and at a pace of one mile per hour, decreasing the chance that your BMW will sustain any harm.
When trying to avoid shimmying alongside your car to and from the entrance in confined places, remote control parking is extremely helpful. What’s key is that your BMW MUST have Remote Control Parking in order to use this feature. If not, get ready to do without since BimmerTech doesn’t provide any Remote Control Parking improvements for BMW.
The BMW Display Key was released when?
lint from a pocket The touchscreen display key fob for the BMW was first rumored to be for the BMW i8 back in December 2013. When the i8 arrived, the regular model did not have a fob, and just when we had given up hope, the device was unveiled at CES 2015.
Can the BMW key fob be upgraded?
The quick response is no. I’m not able to provide exact directions, however if you wanted to move the internals of your current fob to a new fob’s case and could make the adjustments required to make that work, you could do the same thing.
What is the price of a BMW Display Key?
We had the chance to experiment with BMW’s newest keyfob at the media debut of the 2016 BMW 7 Series. The touch-sensitive key, also known as the BMW Display Key, is an optional accessory for the new 7 Series and is just $250 in the United States. The key has four buttons on the front for lock, unlock, trunk release, and panic for that small price—which is less expensive than many other BMW keyfob replacements.
The key has a full color touchscreen in the middle that allows you to swipe through various features, such as door locking status, toggle lighting, fuel range, and climate control scheduling. Although the U.S. regulatory bodies have not yet approved it, the BMW Digital Key can be used to self-park your 7 Series in Europe.
According to BMW, the key’s battery lasts for around a week and can be wirelessly recharged in the armrest of the vehicle. Even if the touchscreen is broken, you can still open the car with the key.
It’s incredible what BMW has accomplished with something we always considered to be a simple tool, and we anticipate that keyfobs of the next generation will become much smarter.
Any BMW models offer remote starting?
There won’t be a remote start standard on the BMW automobiles produced as part of the 2021 lineup, but you can buy a BMW remote start retrofit kit for your particular model. There are three current models available: the F10, F15, and X5.
How do I turn on the remote start for my BMW?
You can activate Remote Engine Start by pointing your BMW key fob at your car and pressing the lock button (the BMW Roundel) three times in a row.
If my BMW has remote start, how do I know?
Look up the “Remote engine start” option in your Premium Package or in the settings of your iDrive sub-menu to see if your car has BMW remote start. It might be present if your BMW has an iDrive 7.0 (also known as the Live Cockpit) and a digital gauge cluster.
The digital gauge cluster and the iDrive system 7.0 (Live Cockpit) appear like this.
Can you acquire a BMW and afterwards add remote starting?
A number of updates and new services for BMW automobiles have just been published. BMW owners may now choose from a variety of other options in the ConnectedDrive Store to add to their vehicles in addition to the “Uneven Road Surface alert” feature. One of them allows you to remotely preheat the temperature of your BMW vehicle, and it is called “Remote Engine Start.” While Remote Engine Start has been a feature of BMW vehicles from MY 2019, it is now also available as a new “Function on Demand” that can be added to eligible cars that weren’t initially equipped with it. This functionality can be purchased through the ConnectedDrive Store.
Through Remote Software Upgrade, the new functionality can be downloaded and installed wirelessly. This is a fantastic feature for the sweltering summer and icy winter months. You can preheat the interior by turning on the heat or the air conditioning while starting the engine from inside your house or place of employment.
Simply tap a button in the My BMW app to turn on Remote Engine Start, and your BMW’s engine will start, allowing the cabin to reach the ideal temperature. A triple-click of the lock button on the BMW key fob will also activate Remote Engine Start.