Everything to know before putting your car key on an Android phone

Google's approach to digital car keys is designed to be secure and shareable.

Google Smartphones are a common replacement for credit and debit cards thanks to features like Google Pay and Apple Pay. As more car makers update their tech, your smartphone might just be a replacement for your keys, too. Android's support for digital car keys means that if your phone and car are compatible, you can use Google Wallet to unlock your vehicle, and, in some cases, even start it remotely. Knowing how the feature works and which smartphones support it will not only make the feature easier to set up, but it could keep you and your car safer in the long run.

Google added support for digital car keys with the release of Android 12 in 2021, one year after Apple brought its version of the same idea, CarKey, to iOS. Both let you store a digital copy of your car key in your default wallet app (Google Wallet, for Android devices) and control your car over a secure wireless connection. What extra functions are available to you depends on each vehicle's maker, but the ability to unlock your car comes at a minimum. Because this smartphone key is entirely digital, and basically a representation of data associated with your car, it can also be shared with other phones via a simple text message. That's even including iOS devices.