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Apple is apparently preparing to launch CarKey ahead of iOS 14. As is now reported, updated privacy policies for CarKey have been discovered under iOS 13.5.1.
CarKey is designed to turn iPhones and Apple Watches into digital car keys. This means that users will be able to store their car keys in the Wallet app and use them via NFC. The functionality is similar to Apple Pay. CarKey allows you to lock or unlock the car (NFC connectivity is required), start the engine, and more. Users can also share the key with friends and family members via iMessage - whether temporarily or permanently does not matter. A data protection entry has now been made under iOS 13.5.1 (via iPhone Ticker) which can also be found in iOS 13.6. It states:
Is BMW one of the first?
Wallet lets you add and share car keys for specific vehicles. You can add a car key by logging into your vehicle manufacturer's app or entering a pairing code in Wallet to claim the vehicle as your own and pair your device with your vehicle. If successful, your device sends Apple a one-time owner redemption token. Apple uses the redemption token, information about your Apple account and device, and your location at the time of provisioning (if Location Services is enabled) to prevent fraud.
To set up your car key, Apple shares a unique device identifier with your vehicle manufacturer. This device identifier is different for each vehicle manufacturer to protect your privacy. Your vehicle manufacturer may link this device identifier with other information it has about you and will process information it has about you in accordance with its privacy policy.
You can share car keys by tapping Invite on the back of your car key pass, selecting the type of access you want to grant, and sharing the car key pass using iMessage. To make it easier to set up and manage car key passes, Apple shares information about who a pass is shared with and what level of access was granted with the vehicle manufacturer. Apple also shares a unique device identifier for the pass recipient with the vehicle manufacturer so they can manage your pass. For pass recipients, just as for owners, the vehicle manufacturer may connect the device identifier with other information it has about the recipient and process that information in accordance with its privacy policy.
Apple does not collect or store information about vehicle usage, such as when you use your vehicle key passcode to lock or unlock the vehicle. Your vehicle manufacturer may collect vehicle usage information according to the agreements you have with them. We recommend that you review your vehicle manufacturer's privacy policy for more information.
It is expected that Apple CarKey will be presented at WWDC 2020 officially introduce Whether the feature will be introduced under iOS 13.6 or, as expected, under iOS 14 remains to be seen. According to an earlier leak, the Bavarian car manufacturer BMW will probably be the first partner to support the function. You can find more on the topic here. (Photo by Fedcophoto / Bigstockphoto)
