Samsung Galaxy Watch users in China can now seamlessly unlock select BYD cars via NFC, as the watches are now compatible with the NFC digital keys for BYD cars.
BYD is a Chinese multinational high-tech company specializing in electric vehicles (EVs) and other renewable energy solutions, becoming the first Chinese car brand to support Galaxy Watches as digital car keys.
BYD announced that a few selected Samsung Galaxy Watches can act as digital keys for BYD’s car via NFC, which are as mentioned below:
- Galaxy Watch 8
- Galaxy Watch 8 Classic
- Galaxy Watch Ultra
However, the functionality is currently limited to China as of now, but it’s expected that the company will expand the availability widely soon.
To use this functionality, users have to install the Samsung Smart Card app with version number 5.1.38 or newer, or the BYD Auto app with version 9.3.0 or above, on their eligible Galaxy Watch.
The BYD cars support digital keys via Bluetooth, cloud key, NFC, and UWB. However, Galaxy Watches currently only support the NFC mode. Once the digital key is created, users can share it with family members and friends, and it works via both phone and watch.
Samsung is also expanding its Digital Car Key support to more vehicles, including Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and Polestar.
