Elon Musk’s car brand has always been rather unique. Its own entertainment system, its own operating system and its own app were, until now, the only ways to fully enjoy its cars. That situation, however, is changing. Plans to implement CarPlay are one of the biggest signs, and now Tesla could have a pleasant surprise for us if we use an iPhone: keeping the car keys on the phone.
A clue in Tesla’s app code
As reported by Not A Tesla App, in version 4.52.0 of Tesla’s mobile app references have appeared to “Harmony Wallet Key Cards”, a detail that can’t go unnoticed. Tesla’s app is starting to reveal hints about a key model that lives inside the operating system, rather than depending on its own app running in the background.
Until now, Tesla’s Phone Key has revolved around Bluetooth and constant communication between the car and our phone’s dedicated app. With a key stored in the system wallet, access becomes far more direct: the system itself manages the credential and its availability. We could, for example, unlock the car with the phone in our pocket even if the app is closed.
The fact that the first trace of this feature points to HarmonyOS also says a lot about the strategy. Huawei dominates a large part of the mobile market in China, and Tesla tends to enable features there before expanding them. China often sets the pace for these tests, so this move fits an initial phase focused on Huawei Wallet, with a view—hopefully—to a later rollout.
Apple already provides the infrastructure with Car Key
What Tesla is exploring on Harmony, in fact, looks very similar to what Apple has been refining for years in the Wallet app. Apple introduced the Car Key system in 2020, with support for locking, unlocking and starting the car using NFC, Bluetooth or ultra wideband, depending on the model. On iPhone and Apple Watch, the Car Key is stored in the Secure Enclave, the chip dedicated to securely safeguarding sensitive data.
With this infrastructure, the move to carry our car key on the phone is already becoming reality for other manufacturers, and that puts Tesla into context. Rivian has begun rolling out Rivian Digital Key with its 2025.46 update, bringing the key to Apple Wallet and relying on technologies such as UWB depending on the vehicle.
General Motors has confirmed plans to offer its car keys in Apple Wallet, although details remain to be pinned down by model and schedule. Apple, for its part, keeps the pressure on steadily with more brands on the roadmap. It keeps expanding the list of compatible brands, and that continuity makes a Tesla with Car Key feel almost like a missing piece of the puzzle. Now we just have to see when we’ll be able to open our Tesla with nothing more than our iPhone in our pocket.
