iPhone update could let people unlock cars with their phone, code suggests

System can be used to share cars

A reflection of Steve Jobs is seen on the roof of the 2000 BMW Z8 Owned by Apple Founder Steve Jobs (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)

An iPhone update could bring the ability to unlock your car with your face.

Apple is rumoured to be introducing a new feature called "CarKey" that makes the phone able to unlock a car, according to code hidden in a new update.

The feature would not need people to unlock their phone with their face and even includes tools that allow people to share access to their car with others, according to 9to5mac, which found evidence of the new features in iPhone code.

The details were discovered in iOS 13.4, which was just released to developers as a beta. Hidden inside that software are references to the "CarKey" API, which Apple appears to be preparing for both the iPhone and Apple Watch.

The tool could be used to do everything a normal key can, according to the report: not just locking and unlocking the car, but also using it to start.

As with the Express Transit feature – which allows people to tap onto public transport without going through the longer process of scanning their face – users will be able to use their phones and watch as keys without authenticating themselves first, the code suggests.

That would also make sure people would not be locked out of their car if their phone or watch battery died, since they could be used even when the device is turned off.

Users will set up the feature by starting in the Wallet app, which currently serves as a home for payment cards and passes. They could then be passed onto the app made by their car's manufacturer to continue the process.

The wording of the feature, revealed by 9to5mac, indicates that suitable cars will have a "reader" that users will hold their device up to. That will then automatically unlock the vehicle.

Users will also be able to share the ability with family and friends. Users will receive a notification that they have been invited to have "unlock access" and then will be able to get into someone else's vehicle.