Rivian Rolls Out Full Support for Apple Wallet, Turning iPhones into Keys to Unlock EVs

Rivian has rolled out full Apple Wallet support, which is what users have been waiting for. Thanks to this rollout, Rivian owners may now use their iPhones to unlock their vehicles for them, either by being close enough to the electric car or by doing it remotely using the controls on the app.

Rivian Rolls Out Full Support for Apple Wallet on EVs

Rivian's Software Chief, Wassym Bensaid, shared on his latest post via X that the electric vehicle company is now working on rolling out the next update, which will bring full support for Apple Wallet.

This specific rollout centers on the Digital Key feature of the Apple Wallet that transforms the iPhone into an all-in-one digital key fob of the electric vehicle.

Many of the key fobs' features include locking and unlocking the doors and automatically opening and closing the tailgate, but users have to bring the bulky item with them at all times to get access to their vehicles. This would no longer be a problem for Rivian's second-generation electric cars, the R1S sports utility vehicle (SUV) and the R1T electric pickup truck.

According to Rivian, this feature will be available via update version .46, which will be rolled out by the company via an over-the-air (OTA) update and is scheduled to arrive within this month.

The company is now telling users to look out for when update .46 appears on their infotainment systems, asking users to download and install it to immediately get this Apple Wallet feature.

Users who use the Google Wallet and/or Samsung Wallet will also get this feature, with Rivian already working on adding support for these digital wallet versions.

iPhone as EV Keys, Other Wallet Features

Apple Wallet has long had the Car Key feature that is part of their development of the CarKey framework for eligible brands or models that support it. With this, users may use their iPhones as keys and leave behind the physical key fobs to access their electric vehicles and drive them.

According to Bensaid, users will now get up to eight digital car keys to be shared with different devices, doubling this number from the previous limit of four. Users may also share this digital car key by sharing a text message link that will add this to their Apple Wallet apps or via AirDrop.

Apple's Power Reserve Feature will allow users to use their iPhones to lock, unlock, and authenticate a start even when their smartphones run out of power for up to five hours.

Since 2022, Apple Wallet has had the shareable Car Key feature on the platform that allows users to give friends or family members access to the vehicle, expanding the feature further along the way. They also allowed iOS users to share these Car Keys with Android users.