Apple Patent Filing Shows Future iPhones Will Allow Users to Access and Start Vehicles

Apple Patent Filing Shows Future iPhone Allow Users to Access and Start Vehicles

The USPTO released a patent filing by Apple titled – Accessing a Vehicle Using Portable Devices. The patent clearly shows Apple ambitions to play a huge part in the automotive industry in the future.

The Verge recently reported that, Volkswagen teamed up with Apple to design what it calls a “genuine integrative interface” for the smartphone, pairing a smartphone app Volkswagen Car Net The Beetle and a dedicated docking station located on the car’s dash.

The Patent Extract:

A primary portable device can access a vehicle by transmitting an activation message including a vehicle access credential to the vehicle. The primary portable device can additionally enable a secondary portable device to access the vehicle by transmitting the vehicle access credential to the secondary portable device. The connections between the primary portable device, secondary portable device, and vehicle can be based on a short-range wireless protocol, such as Bluetooth or Bluetooth LE.

According the patent filing, the  portable device can be used to activate the vehicle.  “A vehicle can be configured such that its engine cannot be started unless a portable device with an appropriate vehicle access credential is detected. In this way, an activating portable device can act as the security point of the vehicle, the patent states.

Source: USPTO