Samsung Digital Car Key support expands to BMW and Kia vehicles, but you can't use it yet

The expanded Digital Car Key support will only be available to users in South Korea

Samsung first announced Digital Car Key support alongside the Galaxy S21's launch last year. The feature relies on Ultra-Wideband and NFC chips found on select Galaxy phones and lets you securely and safely unlock your vehicle without using its key. Despite Samsung using a standardized tech supported by the likes of Audi, BWM, and Ford, Digital Car Key was so far limited to just one vehicle: the Genesis GV60. That's changing now as the company has finally expanded support to include vehicles from BMW and Kia.

The Korean giant has updated its support document to reflect that Digital Car Key now works with selected premium BMW and Kia vehicles, including the BMW 1 to 8 series, X5 to X7, Z4, iX3, iX, and i4 (via TizenHelp). Kia Niro and Genesis G90 owners will also be able to unlock their vehicle using their compatible Galaxy phones. Aside from unlocking your car, you can also open the trunk, start the engine, and adjust the seat and side-view mirror positions.

Only the Genesis vehicles support passive entry since they can be unlocked using Ultra-Wideband, while the BMW and Kia vehicles support NFC-based unlock. You'll have to take the phone out of your pocket and tap it near the key slot to open the car.

Digital Car Key support is only available on a handful of premium Galaxy phones: the Galaxy S22 series, Galaxy S21 series, Note20 Ultra, Z Fold2, Z Fold3, and the Z Flip 3. It's currently limited to users in South Korea, and it's not clear when it'll roll out worldwide. If you live in the US, the UK, or Europe, you can use Google's Digital Car Key implementation, which debuted in Android 12, to unlock your compatible BMW vehicle using your Galaxy device. Apart from Samsung, the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are the only other Android phones that allow you to unlock your car.