Rivian plans to use the Apple Watch as a key for its cars. This is indicated by the American manufacturer During a question and answer session with clients. There’s no date yet, but Rivian’s software chief said it’s on the list of planned releases. Will they defeat Tesla next? Elon Musk’s company was the first to use a smartphone as a key, however it seems to be working on the Apple Watch at the end of 2021, but without this being achieved so far.
Apple Watch as Tesla’s car key?
The idea of using a smartwatch is particularly interesting for anyone who wants to take their car without a smartphone, for example while jogging. The Apple Watch can also act as a backup, if the phone is lost or the battery runs out. Technically, the operation is otherwise identical to that of a smartphone, with a direct Bluetooth connection established with the vehicle, even if the watch imposes range restrictions and other running in the background. However, third-party apps have managed to offer functionality on the Tesla side and it works just fine.
For the first time, the Apple Watch can act as a Bluetooth dongle for Tesla
Apple Watch Series 6 can now act as a key for Tesla in the background
Note that in both cases, the Car Key functionality provided by Apple is not used. This relies on the NFC or U1 chips built into the iPhone and Apple Watch to communicate with the vehicle, not Bluetooth. So far, neither Rivian nor Tesla seem interested in this functionality which is however standard also compatible with Android devices. Both manufacturers take a similar approach to this matter, both want to master all the expertise and develop their own solutions. It’s also for this reason that neither of them intend to manage CarPlay or Android Auto.
Like General Motors, Rivian doesn’t want CarPlay in its cars
Other than that, Rivian’s software manager also indicated that Apple Music should be integrated into cars, and follow through again rival in Texas. Message management should also be improved, which should limit CarPlay or Android Auto needs, knowing that the company is also promising better for its voice assistant. The manager also realized that he was currently holding back against those of Google or Apple.
This is the difficulty for an automaker who wants to do everything himself: the amount of software our smartphones offer is staggering and it takes a lot of resources to deliver the functionality itself.
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