Hyundai auto group provides new digital key service for Samsung and Apple smartphones

By Lim Chang-won Posted : April 12, 2022, 11:40 Updated : April 12, 2022, 11:40

[Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group]

SEOUL -- Even If drivers carry Samsung and Apple smartphones in their cloth pockets or bags, they can open the car door and start the engine by using new digital keys from South Korea's Hyundai auto group, which has developed digital key technology that allows drivers to access, start, operate and control cars only with smartphones.

The auto group has launched a contactless "digital key 2" service applied with ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, which is a short-range, wireless communication protocol using radio waves to operate, much like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. UWB transmits radio waves at a much higher frequency, enabling highly accurate spatial awareness and directional capabilities that allow mobile devices to understand their surroundings better.

Hyundai's digital key 2 is compatible with smartphones manufactured by Samsung and Apple. The service will be expanded later to cover Chinese smartphones. "We have strengthened the convenience of using vehicles through the digital key 2 service," an unnamed Hyundai official said in a statement on April 12. "In the future, we will continue to provide customers with the experience of boarding new vehicles over time through wireless software updates."

Starting with GV60, an electric sport utility model released by Genesis, the luxury brand of Hyundai Motor Group, the digital key 2 service will be selectively applied to G90 and other vehicles to be released later. Customers can automatically activate the function through an over-the-air (OTA) update, which is the wireless delivery of new software, firmware, or other data to mobile devices. 

"We have strengthened the convenience of using vehicles through the digital key 2 service," an unnamed Hyundai official said in a statement on April 12. "In the future, we will continue to provide customers with the experience of boarding new vehicles over time through wireless software updates."
   
UWB technology allows drivers to start the car without putting smartphones on the wireless charger. A smart trunk function automatically opens the trunk if drivers wait more than three seconds behind the trunk. When they come close to their vehicles, puddle lights are on and side mirrors are unfolded.

The first generation of Hyundai's digital key improved vehicle customization features by using technologies such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), a wireless personal area network technology, and a near-frequency communication (NFC) system. If the smartphone is mounted on the wireless charger inside, it starts the engine. A personalization profile was applied to automatically adjusts the outside mirror, the driver's seat, the steering wheel position and other functions set in advance. 
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