[anti-FUD] -Porsche Digital Key overview - from Porsche!!

[daveo4EV]

yeah the FUD'sters were mostly FUD - it's a well done implementation - works even if your phone is dead!!

I'm looking forward to this in future Porsche models - I'm more convinced than ever there is new hardware embedded in the vehicle for this new feature - _IF_ there is a retrofit it would be very very unlikley zero cost (not a problem in my book) …

but there are few if any 'weaknesses' in Porsche's phone-as-key implementation - and it's failure modes are no worse than existing wireless FOB's…

one less thing to carry when you leave the house!

https://www.porsche.com/usa/porsche-connect/digital-key/

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[JonoNZ]

Looks identical to the implementation that BMW did with the iX....that is only 5 years ago now.

There are no legitimate reasons why the Macan could not have been built with the right hardware from its initial release. What is required has been a well known quantity for years now.

 

[Wivenhoe]

What I don’t get, is why owners think that because an upgraded and more expensive model has a particular functionality that this should be available to all owners. When I ordered, I didn’t see anything about a future digital key being available at no cost.

 

[JonoNZ]

What I don’t get, is why owners think that because an upgraded and more expensive model has a particular functionality that this should be available to all owners. When I ordered, I didn’t see anything about a future digital key being available at no cost.

I don’t expect it, but I am hopeful. We knew the car always had UWB which is a key technology that Apple CarKey is based on. Not to mention the new Porsche Digital Key option code is the same code used on the 2024/2025 cars.

 

[Wivenhoe]

my thoughts are a product of previous purchases where I bought new cars at a great discount as the model was about to be upgraded. False saving though as when I came to part ex the dealer inevitably said ….. if only it was the updated version it would be worth more !

 

[PastaSource]

Dumb question from a soon to be ex-Tesla owner (can't find the answer on the Porsche info/FAQ's), but would I need to always carry the physical key with me in case the 'digital key' fails for any reason, or is Porsche's implementation of this aspect different from say Tesla?

With the Tesla, I always end up carrying the physical (card) key owing to the fact, very rarely, the car insists you present it to unlock/drive - you'd be stuck outside without it. Luckily I was home each time this happened, but I've driven off a few times and had the slight sweats when I realised I left the physical card at home, and was somewhat nervous getting back to the car in case it didn't open. There are stories of folks whose cars were stuck in car parks or events, miles from home, etc.

 

[jsclarke]

Dumb question from a soon to be ex-Tesla owner (can't find the answer on the Porsche info/FAQ's), but would I need to always carry the physical key with me in case the 'digital key' fails for any reason, or is Porsche's implementation of this aspect different from say Tesla?

With the Tesla, I always end up carrying the physical (card) key owing to the fact, very rarely, the car insists you present it to unlock/drive - you'd be stuck outside without it. Luckily I was home each time this happened, but I've driven off a few times and had the slight sweats when I realised I left the physical card at home, and was somewhat nervous getting back to the car in case it didn't open. There are stories of folks whose cars were stuck in car parks or events, miles from home, etc.

I had a BMW iX with Apple car key. Like @PastaSource I always carried the key card as a backup. But in BMW's case, that key card didn't work sometimes. About once a year, I'd have to give my iPhone to a valet to park or retrieve my car. At a big Las Vegas hotel, after a long wait, the valet said "I can't get your car started" so I gave him my iPhone. forgetaboutit

Car keys need to be close to 100% reliable.

 

[Innuendo]

https://www.porsche.com/usa/porsche-connect/digital-key/
Look at the FAQ.
I had exact the same question after configuring my GTS. I also come from Tesla and learned that the Porsche Digital Key works differently. With this option you end up having 3 keys.

1. Digital one (even works when your phone is already shut down due to low battery. Low Energy BLE, UWB, NFC)
2. A classic one as full replacement
3. A key card to activate temporary only. For valet parking etc.

Means the key card is only active if you enable it inside the car. A soon you close the car with any of the other 2 keys, the card is disabled again.

With that in mind, I did not order the digital key and I went for the ordinary one.
The Tesla key card works as full key and you can have it as backup in your wallet.

 

[sor]

What I don’t get, is why owners think that because an upgraded and more expensive model has a particular functionality that this should be available to all owners. When I ordered, I didn’t see anything about a future digital key being available at no cost.

The reason is likely due to slide decks being posted 6-8 months ago outlining a rollout of software supporting digital key. At the time I think it was being slated as a June release and did not align with the ‘26 rollout.

There is also some history with Taycan being retrofitted with features like CarPlay.

 

[Degenatron]

Digital key is baked into the PPE platform, e.g. Audi Q6, A6. It was part of the Macan update roadmap long ago:

The £60k base Q6 has it, ergo all Macans with comfort access have the hardware installed too.

Audi have been the guinea pigs before being released to Porsche. It had a LOT of bugs and users being locked out of their cars without the actual key fob on them.

 

[MatC21]

Digital Key won’t come as an update to existing cars. This was busted in another thread where people figured out that hardware is missing from existing cars.

 

[TomekGnomek]

What I don’t get, is why owners think that because an upgraded and more expensive model has a particular functionality that this should be available to all owners. When I ordered, I didn’t see anything about a future digital key being available at no cost.

Well... let's ask chatgpt

1) It’ should be software, not hardware. Digital Key shouldn't be a hardware feature of the new model, it should be software running on hardware that already should exist in earlier Macans EVs. Blocking it seems likne an artificial product-segmentation choice, not a technical limitation.

2) Porsche set the expectation of OTA feature growth, it markets EVs as software-driven platforms that evolve over time. Owners are justified in expecting software features to roll out when technically feasible.

3) Nobody expects it for free, Digital Key can be a paid feature. BMW and others charge for such a service. Porsche could do the same. The issue isn’t “free upgrades,” it could be “give us the option at all.”

4) Early buyers helped fund and mature the platform and deserve proper support. First-wave owners endured early software bugs and effectively beta-tested the product. Rewarding them with new software features should be standard practice in the premium segment.

5) Are we sure the hardware in MY24 does not support Digital Key? UWB/NFC modules required for Digital Key exist in the first Macan EVs, it was supposed to be a feature of PPE platform. AFAIK Porsche has not stated otherwise which suggests the restriction is business-driven, not technical..

6) BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Tesla they all offer Digital Key across model years. Making it exclusive to a new Macan EV generation makes Porsche look behind the curve, not premium.

7) This is a security feature, not a gimmick. Digital Key improves access control, safety, and usability. Withholding a security-related function from earlier cars doesn’t align with the expectations for a high-end brand.

Overall discussing why such a basic future of 100k+ EUR car was lacking and required a new model does not reflect well on Porsche

 

[seabird]

Looks identical to the implementation that BMW did with the iX....that is only 5 years ago now.

There are no legitimate reasons why the Macan could not have been built with the right hardware from its initial release. What is required has been a well known quantity for years now.

It was. The Macan has everything required.

Porsche chose to modify the location of exterior NFC readers. Neither NFC nor a door handle reader location is required hardware for Digital Key. Either Porsche doesn't trust UWB on its own for phone applications or they think drivers are too stupid to figure out the reader location when their phones die. But either way, it was a choice they made.

Digital Key won’t come as an update to existing cars. This was busted in another thread where people figured out that hardware is missing from existing cars.

There's no required hardware missing. There are additional exterior NFC readers added by Porsche, but this is a choice. You can implement digital keys without NFC at all, or with the original placement of the NFC reader.

 

[MatC21]

@seabird well, it says very explicitly in the page OP shared that only MY26 of the Macan are supported.
And while NFC is not part of the strict requirements of Apple Car Key, there is not a single manufacturer that uses UWB only. There is no reason to have any hopes left for getting Car Key on MY25…Porsche does simply not care about early adopters.

 

[seabird]

@seabird well, it says very explicitly in the page OP shared that only MY26 of the Macan are supported.

Correct. Supported by Porsche, not by the technology.

And while NFC is not part of the strict requirements of Apple Car Key, there is not a single manufacturer that uses UWB only.

Sure there are. But even if there weren't, the 2024-2025 Macan does have both an external and internal NFC reader. The NFC door handles are not required except by Porsche design.

There is no reason to have any hopes left for getting Car Key on MY25…Porsche does simply not care about early adopters.

That went largely out the window when Porsche decided to make it a paid option in most markets rather than standard equipment. It doesn't change the fact that there's no hardware deficiency preventing them from doing it.

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