First introduced again in January at Samsung’s Galaxy S21 occasion, Hyundai revealed on Thursday that its upcoming GV60 crossover would be the first to work with the phonemaker’s newfangled Digital Key — not less than for GV60 homeowners dwelling in Korea.

The Digital Key makes use of NFC and extremely wideband (UWB) applied sciences to grant drivers passive entry to their autos — that’s, as long as your Galaxy cellphone is in your possession, the car will open routinely as you method. The key can be shared with “family and friends” based on a Thursday media launch from Hyundai, although they’re going to must personal a Galaxy S21+ or Ultra, Note20 Ultra, or a Z Fold 2 or 3 for it to work. The system is designed to run on Android 12 and later, assuming your cellphone has a UWB chip, although it can additionally function by way of NFC for those who do not. 

Hyundai touts Samsung’s embedded Secure Element (eSE) when it comes to information safety and notes that the UWB-based transmission system is very immune to interception, cloning or jamming. Whether that safety scheme will stand as much as a mugger bonking you on the top, then taking your cellphone and your automobile stays to be seen. The digital key characteristic is anticipated to launch in Korea by the tip of this yr.

Google introduced again in May that it deliberate to start providing its personal digital key system — separate from what Samsung has developed — on “select Pixel and Galaxy phones” with UWB capabilities. We’ve now seen UWB within the Galaxy, does that imply the Pixel 6 might provide it as properly?