The current launch of iOS 18 has precipitated surprising disruptions for BMW house owners utilizing Apple’s digital key characteristic, significantly in the case of shared keys. A number of BMW drivers have taken to boards and help communities to report that secondary digital automotive keys shared by means of the Apple Pockets app are now not functioning as meant. Including to the frustration, customers with the brand new iPhone 16 fashions have additionally encountered points with the first digital keys, making the combination between Apple’s newest gadgets and BMW autos a bit glitchy.
The issue primarily impacts the “passive entry” performance, a characteristic that permits a driver to lock, unlock, and begin their car just by having their iPhone on them. For a lot of house owners, this has been a seamless and handy expertise—till now. Affected drivers are discovering that whereas the first digital key continues to work, secondary shared keys, usually utilized by members of the family, have misplaced their usability solely. Much more worrying, customers who just lately upgraded to an iPhone 16, whether or not a Professional Max or an everyday mannequin, are discovering that their main digital keys usually are not acknowledged by the automotive in any respect.
Along with on-line boards, BMW dealership employees have additionally begun receiving complaints from clients struggling to get their digital keys working once more. One BMW dealership worker shared their expertise with a very pissed off shopper: “I’ve tried every little thing with a shopper after he received his new iPhone 16 Professional Max. It stopped working with Digital Key Plus. Tonight, I used to be instructed by the BMW Genius Line—after talking with three totally different folks—that this problem has been reported particularly with the iPhone 16 Professional Max.”
Sadly, the issue isn’t restricted to only the Professional Max. One other person on the boards, who upgraded to an everyday iPhone 16, shared the same story. “I can’t use any of the digital key options anymore—can’t lock or unlock or begin the automotive. The digital key put in wonderful into Pockets however simply doesn’t work. It’s just like the automotive and cellphone aren’t speaking to one another in any respect.”
Short-term Fixes
Some BMW house owners have tried troubleshooting the difficulty, sharing varied fixes and workarounds. A discussion board member detailed a course of involving the BMW ID app throughout the automotive’s iDrive system. “Discover your option to the BMW ID app,” they instructed. “Go to Settings, then Driver Recognition, and ensure your shared digital key has a test mark. Mine didn’t. As soon as I checked it, locked the automotive, and returned, all appeared nicely.”
One other person got here up with a multi-step answer that, whereas cumbersome, appears to revive performance:
1. Open the BMW app in your cellphone and use it to unlock the door.
2. Check in along with your BMW ID in iDrive.
3. Place your iPhone within the car’s charging tray.
4. Look forward to the digital key to reappear within the Pockets app.
5. Double-click the facet button, authenticate with Face ID, and—lastly—begin the automotive.
To this point, neither Apple nor BMW has publicly commented on the difficulty. Many are hoping {that a} future replace will resolve the state of affairs, however for now, secondary drivers must depend on less-than-ideal workarounds or revert to utilizing their bodily key fobs. We reached out to BMW of North America for an official touch upon this and can replace the article accordingly.
