Brazilian BMW drivers can now use Galaxy phones to unlock their cars

Samsung has launched its Digital Car Key feature in Brazil. The service went live earlier this week in partnership with BMW and is compatible with select models from the Bavarian car maker.

Using the Digital Car Key element in Samsung Wallet, BMW drivers in Brazil can unlock their vehicles using their smartphones. Samsung explains that the digital car key is stored in the Embedded Secure Element (eSE), which is designed to protect the user's most sensitive data and encryption keys. It's all a part of the Knox platform that protects Samsung Wallet.

The feature works through NFC and UWB (Ultra Wideband). The latter method offers additional advantages, such as being able to unlock the car from a short distance without having to pull out the phone and tap it to the vehicle's NFC reader.

Another advantage of using the Digital Car Key feature through UWB is higher accuracy, which can prevent potential digital attacks carried through radio signal interception and jamming attempts.

Available for almost two dozen Galaxy phones

Samsung is rolling out the Digital Car Key feature on select Galaxy phones that run Android 13. The list includes the Galaxy S20 series, sans the S20 FE, the Galaxy S21 series, including the S21 FE, and the Galaxy S22 and S23 lineups.

Furthermore, the feature is available for the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra, along with a handful of foldable phones, ranging from the Z Flip 5G and Z Fold 2 to the Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4.

As for supported BMW models, Samsung's digital car keys work with the 320i, 330e, 420i, 530e, X1, X3, X4, X5, X6, M3, X6M, i4, iX3, and iX.