Whether you’re a Tesla fan or not, we can all agree that the cars have some seriously cool features. Your iPhone can function as a car key and you can use it to unlock your doors. That’s been a feature for years, but there hasn’t been an official Apple Watch app (although third-party solutions do exist and work well.)
According to MacRumors, that might be about to change. The Tesla iPhone app was updated recently for iOS 18, but one person spotted references to an upcoming Apple Watch version of the app. The code makes it look like you’ll be able to use your Apple Watch as a digital key to unlock your Tesla, assuming it’s compatible.
Unfortunately, while the code exists for the app, there’s been no official word on an upcoming release. We don’t know what the timeline might look like, and we know that it probably won’t be compatible with any Tesla Model S from 2012 to 2020 or a Model X from 2015 to 2020. Both varieties of Tesla require an internet connection for remote start, so it seems unlikely the Watch app would work with those models.
Apple started to implement digital car keys as one of its main features in 2020 and it now works with some of the most recent Genesis and Kia models, as well as BMW. The company is trying to expand compatibility across a wider range of vehicles, but few manufacturers have made use of the feature to this point.
Like we said earlier — this isn’t a new feature, but it will be the first time it has been supported by the official app. It’s a bit of added convenience and an interesting development, but working alternatives already exist.
