• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • Q&A: Volvo CEO Jim Rowan Talks Hitting Targets, Future Vehicles
  • FIA’s Formula E is Changing the Way We Look at Racing
  • Lexus Lifts the Covers Off New, Three-Row TX SUV
  • First Look: 2024 Lexus GX
  • GM Investing $500M in Texas Plant for Gas-Powered SUVs
  • New Battery Chemistry Promises Increased Range, Cell Life
  • Labor Unrest at West Coast Ports Threatens U.S. Automakers
  • Used Car Wholesale Prices Decline; Retail Prices Don't
  • Pandemic Accelerated Auto Dealers’ Shift to Digital-Oriented Sales Process
  • Detroit Auto Show Back Again in September
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2024 Chevrolet Trax Activ
    • A Week With: 2024 GMC Sierra 2500 Denali Ultimate
    • A Week With: 2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI 2.0 SE
    • A Week With: 2023 Kia Niro SX Touring
    • A Week With: 2023 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Estrema Q4
    • A Week With: 2023 Lexus NX 350h Luxury
    • A Week With: 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL R-Line
    • First Drive: 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
    • A Week With: 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium RWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Electrified GV70 AWD Prestige
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automobiles > Your Smartphone Could Soon Replace Your Car Keys

        Your Smartphone Could Soon Replace Your Car Keys

        Digital keys could be shared – and could make car-sharing even easier.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        Dec. 17, 2014
        The Keyfree digital key system in use.

        A small Toronto technology start-up could unlock some major changes in tomorrow’s cars, trucks and crossovers.

        Keyfree Technologies plans to introduce what it is billing as the “world’s first digital car key solution” during a preview at next month’s Consumer Electronics Show. Unlike traditional, metal car keys, or more modern wireless keyfobs, the company’s system would use a digital smartphone app to control a vehicle’s doors and ignition.

        Stay Keyed In!

        “This is the first technology that allows car owners to leave their keys at home,” explained Shane Wright, CEO of Keyfree.  “The key is in your phone, just like your camera, your maps and your calendar.  Users can share digital keys with their family and never have to hunt for misplaced keys again.  And with military-grade encryption, Keyfree is far more secure than current key fob technology.”

        That, of course, remains to be seen. But there is little doubt that hackers have become a critical concern to the auto industry. Though there is no evidence that criminals have yet been able to steal a vehicle by cracking current keyfob codes, that possibility has now been demonstrated by several groups in a lab environment.

        On the positive side, even more secure digital technology could add another weapon in the arsenal for auto theft protection experts. New FBI data reveals that car thefts have plunged 58% since hitting an all-time peak in 1991. And the National Insurance Crime Bureau credits improved technology as one of the key factors in that decline.

        Keyfree works like a regular smartphone app.

        “Eventually, the key will go away,” Dave Sullivan, a senior analyst with consulting firm AutoPacific, Inc., told TheDetroitBureau.com. He expects that only a handful of models – mostly base-level trucks – will continue to use conventional keyed ignition systems.

        (GM ignition switch death toll climbs again. Click Here for the latest.)

        Metal keys have already declined in use. According to the automotive research site Edmunds.com, some form of keyless push-button switch was available, either as a standard feature or an option, on 72% of the cars and trucks sold in the U.S. during the 2014 model-year.

        Keyless ignition systems aren’t a panacea. When it was struggling to deal with its unintended acceleration problems, five years ago, Toyota discovered that some motorists were unable to stop runaway vehicles equipped with push-button starters. It eventually advised owners to, “firmly and steadily push the button for at least three seconds to turn off the engine. Do NOT tap the engine start/stop button.”

        Meanwhile, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been studying the technology and could issue national standards next year. That said, the agency is not expected to limit the use of keyless technology – which has also become one of the hot trends in home automation this year.

        The Keyfree digital key would work much like some of the home smartkeys, such as the Okidokeys system. It would rely on a smatphone app that, in this case, would automatically unlock a vehicle when the user approaches. A conventional push-button starter would then be enabled.

        A Keyfree user, the company says, could readily issue digital “keys” to anyone else with a smartphone. But the owner could also set restrictions, or even revoke a user’s privileges instantly.

        The system would allow a user to access information, such as the vehicle’s location, as well as diagnostic data. And it could be used to start the key remotely and adjust the climate control during inclement weather.

        (BMW coming to CES with AutoPark Valet system. Click Here to check it out.)

        The technology also could make it easier to rent a car or participate in a car-sharing program.

        “Digital keys are set to be the backbone of these solutions,” Keyfree’s Wright suggested.

        Whether the Toronto firm will become a major player in the automotive industry is far from certain, but most experts believe we are moving quickly down the path to a keyless vehicle, whether using smartphones, wireless keyfobs or some other technology.

        (Is the car key really an endangered species? Click Here for more.)

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published
        FIA Formula E 2023 Jakarta teams on track REL

        FIA’s Formula E is Changing the Way We Look at Racing

        Today
        2024 Lexus TX - debut front 3-4

        Lexus Lifts the Covers Off New, Three-Row TX SUV

        Today

        First Look: 2024 Lexus GX

        Today

        5 responses to “Your Smartphone Could Soon Replace Your Car Keys”

        1. Jorge says:
          December 17, 2014 at 3:06 pm

          Not until PIGS FLY…

          Reply
          1. Paul A. Eisenstein says:
            December 18, 2014 at 9:10 am

            Jorge, I think this could very seriously become an option — or, if nothing else, an aftermarket item with some traction. Every door on my home and cottage has a digital lock now, and this technology is one of the hot-sellers right now.

            Paul E.

            Reply
        2. nobsartist says:
          December 18, 2014 at 6:28 am

          My cell phone cannot store my phone directory. Do you really think that it could function in the capacity of a car key?

          Reply
        3. Jorge says:
          December 18, 2014 at 3:44 pm

          It’s amazing what people will buy into. Like moths to a flame…

          Reply
        4. Richard says:
          December 24, 2014 at 9:21 pm

          I want one! I can see this product having major traction as an add-on option or even aftermarket product. Everything will be on our smartphones, especially keys as they are easily lost or misplaced. My only question “what happens when my phone dies, I would feel comfortable purchasing this product if everything has been well engineered taking into account every possibility with a smartphone”.

          Reply

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: