BYD has turned the Samsung Galaxy Watch into a digital car key
BYD has become the first Chinese car brand to add support for digital keys on the Galaxy Watch smartwatch. The new feature works via NFC and is only available in China for now, but may eventually appear in other markets.
Here's What We Know
Digital Key can be used on the Galaxy Watch 7, Watch 8, Watch 8 Classic and Galaxy Watch Ultra. To do so, the Samsung Smart Card (version 5.1.38 or newer) and BYD Auto (version 9.3.0 or higher) apps must be installed.
Galaxy Watch and BYD digital key. Illustration: BYD
BYD already supports digital keys on Android, HarmonyOS and iOS. On smartphones, they work via Bluetooth, cloud, NFC and UWB protocol, but the Galaxy Watch only supports the NFC scheme for now. Once activated, the digital key can be shared with family members or friends - it will work on both the phone and the watch.
The integration may be linked to Samsung CEO Jay Y. Lee's January visit to China, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and visited BYD's Shenzhen headquarters. One of the purposes of the trip was to strengthen automotive partnerships.
Source: Sammobile
