During Samsung’s annual Galaxy Unpacked event in 2021, the company announced that it had partnered with Audi, BMW, and Genesis to introduce a Digital Key feature, allowing users unlock car doors with their Galaxy phones. Fast forward to today, and Samsung has remained true to its promise. After bringing it to select Kia, BMW, and Genesis models, it’s now expanding support for select Audi vehicles, starting in Europe this month, with a global rollout planned.
You’ll soon be able to unlock your Audi using your Galaxy phone
In today’s announcement, Samsung confirmed it is rolling out support for the Digital Key feature on select Audi vehicles — the A6 e-tron, Q6 e-tron, and A5. Currently, only three Audi models are supported, and the feature is available exclusively in Europe, coming later this month. Samsung plans to expand support to more vehicles in the future.
To unlock your Audi vehicle using the Digital Key — ditching the physical key — your device must be a Galaxy S20 or later, including Galaxy Z Fold2, Z Flip series and later. Additionally, the phone should be running Android 13 or later (which Samsung recommends) and must support ultra-wideband (UWB) for car unlocking.
You can also share the Digital Key with your friends and family remotely
One of the best features of this new Digital Key is the ability to share it with friends and family who may need access to your car while you have the physical key with you. Doing so, they can temporarily use your vehicle. However, they must meet the same requirements, including owning a Galaxy S20 or newer, such as the Galaxy Z Fold2, Z Flip series, or later, and running Android 13 or newer.
Moreover, if your Galaxy phone falls into someone else’s hands, you can remotely lock or delete the Digital Key using Samsung Find. As mentioned earlier, the feature will soon be available globally, expected alongside the release of future Audi models. We can also expect Samsung to expand Digital Key support to more car brands, if we’re lucky.
