WhileApple car keyandAndroid digital car keycan be extremely convenient features, a natural concern some people are going to have is sharing. You can share your physical keys as a backup, naturally, but your partner might be a little jealous if you’re the only one who can take advantage of technologies like passive entry. And digital keys should, in theory, expand sharing possibilities. For instance, letting a friend temporarily borrowyour EVwhen you’re already out of town is just one example. If you have a child old enough to drive, you might be able to limit their driving hours.
Sharing digital keys is indeed possible. In fact, iPhone and Android users can often share keys with each other if a vehicle supports both platforms. Here’s what you need to know to get going.
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How to share an Android digital car key
Using Google Wallet
Sharing anAndroid keyis mostly easy. The real catch is regional support, and your car’s compatibility – some Hyundai cars, for example, may only support Samsung Wallet and Apple Wallet, not Google Wallet, although models with Hyundai Digital Key 2 should support all three apps. Before sharing a key, check which platforms are supported by your vehicle’s make and model.
Follow these steps to share a key stored in Google Wallet:
At this point, the person receiving the key will have to wait for it to be generated, then activate it. In some cases, this requires an activation code you have to share, or your physical key fob, the latter requiring someone to start the vehicle with their digital key while the fob is with them. Either way, they’ll be provided with setup instructions.
There may also be limits on how many keys you can share at one time. If you run into this limit, you should be able to revoke one or more shared keys using your own key’s options in the Google Wallet app.
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Using Samsung Wallet
Samsung’s sharing process mirrors Google’s in some ways, but has some significant deviations. Both you and the person you’re sharing with need at least Android 13, Samsung Wallet, and/or the latest version of Samsung Digital Key, so sharing with an iPhone user is out of the picture.
Activating a shared key requires the Samsung Wallet app, and may require a supplied code or key fob once the person gets into your car.
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How to share an Apple car key
Nothing to it
Apple car keys are subject to the same regional and vehicular compatibility issues as Android. Since the iPhone is a monolithic platform, though, there’s only one set of instructions for sharing them:
The recipient will need to follow activation instructions, including entering any codes and/or having your key fob with them. In some cases, having another device with the key loaded may substitute for the fob.
If you want to stop sharing a key with someone – say, if you hit the sharing limit for your vehicle – you can revoke someone’s access by opening the Wallet app, selecting your own key, then tapping thePeopleicon. Choose the person you want, thenStop Sharing.
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