Volvo Wants You To Ditch Car Keys For Its New Smartphone App (dailydot.com)

An anonymous reader quotes an article on DailyDot: Lending your car to a friend could be as easy as sending a text. That's the future Volvo is imaging with its smartphone app that enables keyless entry for the driver -- and anyone with permission to enter. Announced earlier this year and now prominently on display at the New York International Auto Show, the app does away with key fobs and puts the key right on the user's phone. Using the device's Bluetooth capability, the app can do just about everything that a standard key could do -- from unlocking the doors to popping open the trunk to even starting the engine of the vehicle without turning the ignition. Beyond just convenience for the primary holder, the Volvo app also allows others to take the wheel without requiring a physical key. Users are able to grant digital keys to others, allowing them temporary or ongoing access to the car.

Comments

It is inevitable

[the_other_one]

Someone will forget to charge their phone when parked in the desert.

Re:It is inevitable

[tripleevenfall]

Don't worry, you can just call Volvo to have them unlock the car so you can charge the phone.

Re:It is inevitable

[Nkwe]

If the battery is too dead to unlock the car it's probably not going to start.

Yes, but it would be nice to be able to get into the car so you can open the hood so you can attach jumper cables...

I'm sure...

[caladine]

... that this will be secured in a fashion consistent with the auto industry's stellar record on vehicle security.

How is this more convenient?

[Geeky]

I'm not sure how this is more convenient for the main user... compare "get keys out of pocket, click button, put keys in ignition" to "get phone out of pocket, unlock phone, open app, press button on app"... OK, it's one less thing to carry, but then you'd probably end up carrying the keys anyway as backup in case your phone died or the app crashed.

I've been experimenting with home automation. While having lights come on automatically via various rules is nice, it's a pain to go into the app to turn them on and off manually when you need to - easier to get up, walk across the room and flick a switch. This feels similar - a solution in search of a problem

Re:How is this more convenient?

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

I'm not giving the Valet my smartphone.

Re:How is this more convenient?

[twotacocombo]

I'm not sure how this is more convenient for the main user... compare "get keys out of pocket, click button, put keys in ignition"

Not even that. I have keyless entry/start on my car. My key fob always stays in my pocket, I just push a button on the handle to open, and another on the dash to start. The battery runs out maybe once every 2 years. I've never once wished it could be "easier" by bringing a phone into the mix.

Re:How is this more convenient?

[Moof123]

Precisely. Just because there's an App for that, doesn't mean that it is easier, or better. Just make the key fob small and inexpensive to replace (and give me more than 2 when I buy the car!). I want less electronics in my future cars. The engine and frame vastly outlive infotainment system and other connected crap they are shoveling into these cars.

Please get rid of:
XM radio that I have to cycle through 3 selections of to get back to FM.
Climate settings that are only displayed on the LCD, and often not displayed unless I am in the right mode.
2G, 3G, or 4G anything. I want to drive. I can login when I get there.
Anything with sub-menus. I'm trying to drive, KISS.
Ability to order a pizza. Recently saw this touted as a feature, WTF?

Re:How is this more convenient?

[Locke2005]

You forgot: Touchscreens in automobiles in general. Why doesn't the department of transportation ban control devices that by definition you have to look away from the road in front of you to use? With mechanical buttons, you could usually tell which button you were pressing by sense of touch without looking. With a touchscreen, you almost always have to look. They do have touchscreens now that can provide braille-like 3D markings on the screen, but I haven't seen any car company adopt those touchscreens yet, probably due to the high price.

Re:How is this more convenient?

[Blaskowicz]

I will tell the valet to remember that the unlock code is y04WhDlHff6A49yarVdYjVxhwlu5X9WEOw5MZBu2Flj9srrbbB2
8ZDAr1IN4lm7fvoe4Y9n

Re:How is this more convenient?

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

That's easy to crack if you speak ancient Decepticon.

Re:So, like Tesla?

[NotDrWho]

Not exactly. It lacks the smug sense of superiority that Tesla owners crave.

Re:So, like Tesla?

[hawguy]

So more like the existing Onstart one from GM then?

Not sure if you're talking about Onstar owners smug sense of superiority (is there such a thing?) or the fact Onstar already has remote access, but I believe that all of the Onstar functionality happens over the cellular network, even the phone app uses the cellular network to send a signal to your car. So if you're out of cell phone range, you're out of luck.

The Volvo system uses bluetooth, no cellular network required.

Ripe for abuse

[Jimbob The Mighty]

So, if you want to really screw over your work colleague, swiping his phone and entering his password wrong now won't only wipe his phone (assuming IT have that feature implemented), it will also maroon him.

Good job, Volvo.

You still need to get in..

[thesupraman]

Sigh..

It is if you need to get in to the car to pop the hood (or trunk depending on model) to charge the battery!!

Or are you just planning to walk away and buy a new car?

NO.

[kuzb]

Seriously, why does every damn thing now need to be controlled by a cellphone? It makes zero sense to network the security of your car.