Samsung Announces Digital Key Partnership With Audi, BMW, Ford And Genesis

Samsung hosted their Galaxy Unpacked event this morning and the company dedicated a sizeable chunk of their presentation to new automotive features.

Kicking things off, Samsung has expanded their SmartThings functionality to the car. This means owners of compatible vehicles will be able to remotely start and stop their car as well as adjust the climate control system.

That isn’t the only change as Samsung and Google have worked closely together to improve the Android Auto experience. Thanks to this partnership, there’s a more familiar and intuitive in-car interface. Android Auto also works with SmartThings and this means you can control your smart home from your car.

Also Read: Apple Introduces iPhone Digital Key, Confirms BMW Partnership

In particular, there’s a Coming Home function which can be set to automatically adjust the thermostat, turn on lights and open the garage door. It can even activate robotic vacuums and turn on the washing machine.

Samsung is also embracing digital keys as they’ll use ultra-wideband technology to allow cars and phones to communicate with one another. Thanks to this technology, your car can unlock itself as soon as you reach the door.

While digital keys can be shared across phones and platforms, the functionally will apparently be limited to a few select automotive brands. In particular, Samsung noted they’re working with Audi, BMW, Ford and Genesis.

Little else is known about Samsung’s implementation of digital key technology, but it comes months after Apple announced their digital key partnership with BMW. They use near-field communication (NFC) technology to enable owners to ‘tap’ their phone near the door handle to unlock the car.

This is an extra step that Samsung will avoid, but Apple has already confirmed they’re working on the next-generation digital key which uses ultra-wideband technology just like their rival. It’s slated to arrive sometime this year.