[msandford]

Myself and my wife both use digital keys that sit in our iPhone wallet.
My key is the primary, if I get out of the car with my wifes phone still in the car, the car still locks, effectively either locking her out of or in the car
This canÂ’t be right?

[jono987654321]

You'll find that the prisoner is also unable to open the doors, even using the emergency handles.

If she has a MyBMW login, she would be able to unlock from the app, "remotely".

This scenario also applies with physical fobs and isn't peculiar to DK+.

Of course, if it's problematic, you can disable "lock on walking away" & "lock after some time" (maybe not worded correctly)

[Cam330i]

Originally Posted by msandford

Myself and my wife both use digital keys that sit in our iPhone wallet.
My key is the primary, if I get out of the car with my wifes phone still in the car, the car still locks, effectively either locking her out of or in the car
This canÂ’t be right?

Hello,

Based off what I've seen with BMW's w/ Digital Key Plus, what you're experiencing is not uncommon and sounds about right.

Basically, Digital Key allows your smartphone to be used as a key, and you can lock, unlock, and drive the car with just your smartphone alone. Digital Key Plus makes your smartphone key function in the same way as the physical key fob (incl. Locking and Unlocking the vehicle when walking away or approaching the vehicle respectively). Additionally, Digital Key Plus allows the user to start the vehicle without having to put the smartphone in the Wireless Charging Tray, just like the physical key fob.

Although I have a high interest in Technology and Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), I am not a fan of the Digital Key function and I do not use it on my 2025 BMW!

My issue, especially with iPhones and Digital Key Plus, is that you don't need to show a face, input a security code; just like how you can unlock and start your vehicle without having to take out your smartphone, if someone were to steal your phone, they can easily access your vehicle (even worse with the fact that most people link their phones to their profile ID). I guess personally, I am not a fan of overly relying on my phone for things essential like accessing and operating my vehicle (e.g., problems arise if you lose your phone, your phone updates itself automatically making it no longer compatible with the system, and you can forget about manually opening your vehicle, etc.)

Anyways, back to your locking situation, if you have the "Lock when walking away" setting enabled, and remember that Digital Key Plus functions in the same way as the key fob, then you walking away from your iX will result in it locking - if the "engine is on" and you walk away from the car, it will result in your iX honking at you twice to inform you the engine is still on.

iX's in the USA will automatically have its "engine turned off" if you open the driver door without your seat belt on and without your foot on the brake and walking away with your phone will result in your vehicle locking, but any remaining passengers inside will still have access to the iDrive system (incl. Climate Control System) and shouldn't be locked inside the vehicle (i.e., they can still open and exit the vehicle)

That said, what I would recommend is disabling the "Lock when walking away" setting to see if that alleviates the situation, but even at the worse, your wife has the car key on her phone and so she can still lock, unlock, and drive the car without you being present.
NOTE: Keep in mind the vehicle can still be locked and unlocked remotely via the myBMW app!

There are many complaints on these forums about people walking by their vehicle in a garage with their smartphone and the car constantly unlocking and locking when walking towards and away from the vehicle.

As mentioned, I am not a fan of the Digital Key (not saying it doesn't work properly) and I always encourage my BMW homies to at least carry the Digital Key Card - (aka: The BMW Credit Card) as a backup (most just keep it in their wallet) and always take physical key fob if going somewhere far! One of mahomies didn't listen and went to lunch in his car using digital key (not plus) and after getting back in the car to go back to the office, his car wouldn't start for some reason and had to wait ~ 45minutes for his roommate to bring his physical car key and he has the latest iPhone with automatic software and app updates enabled.

I say all of this not to scare you, but just to be cautious with using these phones as car keys. Everyone loves and supports technology when it is working properly.....

Lastly, in case you are not aware, all 4 doors in the iX can be opened manually via a manual door handle that is located in the lower portion of the door.... it disturbs me on how many people say "Oh I never knew that" when showing them how to manually open the doors in case of an emergency......

Anyways, sorry for the long post, but I hope this helps and please let me (us) know if you have anymore questions/comments!

Again, I'm not bashing the system in anyway nor am I judging anyone who uses the digital key function, but just urging people to be cautious with these phones. My current and previous vehicle support Digital Key (Which I've never used), and to this day, I've never had a problem remote starting my car, unlocking/locking my car, or having my driver profile load up.

Best,
Cameron

[jono987654321]

Cam330i if you’re an Apple user with DK+ you can disable Passive Entry on your phone and leave it enabled on your Apple Watch.

This then means you’re car is protected behind the watch’s PIN and your phone’s facial recognition.

It is the only reason I have an iPhone and Apple Watch.

Sadly, no comparable solution for Android.

[LuisBoston]

I love digital key plus.

Per Cam330i , I have kept a key card in my wallet (have never needed it) and a FOB in a faraday case in the console since day 1. The fob comes in very handy when I valet or drop the car for service. Since its in the console I never have to remember to bring it.

But I still love DK+

[javapro]

Originally Posted by Cam330i

Hello,

Based off what I've seen with BMW's w/ Digital Key Plus, what you're experiencing is not uncommon and sounds about right.

Basically, Digital Key allows your smartphone to be used as a key, and you can lock, unlock, and drive the car with just your smartphone alone. Digital Key Plus makes your smartphone key function in the same way as the physical key fob (incl. Locking and Unlocking the vehicle when walking away or approaching the vehicle respectively). Additionally, Digital Key Plus allows the user to start the vehicle without having to put the smartphone in the Wireless Charging Tray, just like the physical key fob.

Although I have a high interest in Technology and Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), I am not a fan of the Digital Key function and I do not use it on my 2025 BMW!

My issue, especially with iPhones and Digital Key Plus, is that you don't need to show a face, input a security code; just like how you can unlock and start your vehicle without having to take out your smartphone, if someone were to steal your phone, they can easily access your vehicle (even worse with the fact that most people link their phones to their profile ID). I guess personally, I am not a fan of overly relying on my phone for things essential like accessing and operating my vehicle (e.g., problems arise if you lose your phone, your phone updates itself automatically making it no longer compatible with the system, and you can forget about manually opening your vehicle, etc.)

Anyways, back to your locking situation, if you have the "Lock when walking away" setting enabled, and remember that Digital Key Plus functions in the same way as the key fob, then you walking away from your iX will result in it locking - if the "engine is on" and you walk away from the car, it will result in your iX honking at you twice to inform you the engine is still on.

iX's in the USA will automatically have its "engine turned off" if you open the driver door without your seat belt on and without your foot on the brake and walking away with your phone will result in your vehicle locking, but any remaining passengers inside will still have access to the iDrive system (incl. Climate Control System) and shouldn't be locked inside the vehicle (i.e., they can still open and exit the vehicle)

That said, what I would recommend is disabling the "Lock when walking away" setting to see if that alleviates the situation, but even at the worse, your wife has the car key on her phone and so she can still lock, unlock, and drive the car without you being present.
NOTE: Keep in mind the vehicle can still be locked and unlocked remotely via the myBMW app!

There are many complaints on these forums about people walking by their vehicle in a garage with their smartphone and the car constantly unlocking and locking when walking towards and away from the vehicle.

As mentioned, I am not a fan of the Digital Key (not saying it doesn't work properly) and I always encourage my BMW homies to at least carry the Digital Key Card - (aka: The BMW Credit Card) as a backup (most just keep it in their wallet) and always take physical key fob if going somewhere far! One of mahomies didn't listen and went to lunch in his car using digital key (not plus) and after getting back in the car to go back to the office, his car wouldn't start for some reason and had to wait ~ 45minutes for his roommate to bring his physical car key and he has the latest iPhone with automatic software and app updates enabled.

I say all of this not to scare you, but just to be cautious with using these phones as car keys. Everyone loves and supports technology when it is working properly.....

Lastly, in case you are not aware, all 4 doors in the iX can be opened manually via a manual door handle that is located in the lower portion of the door.... it disturbs me on how many people say "Oh I never knew that" when showing them how to manually open the doors in case of an emergency......

Anyways, sorry for the long post, but I hope this helps and please let me (us) know if you have anymore questions/comments!

Again, I'm not bashing the system in anyway nor am I judging anyone who uses the digital key function, but just urging people to be cautious with these phones. My current and previous vehicle support Digital Key (Which I've never used), and to this day, I've never had a problem remote starting my car, unlocking/locking my car, or having my driver profile load up.

Best,
Cameron

You said yourself that your phone acts as a physical key fob which works without Face ID or password and can be stolen as well.

[LVBMW]

Originally Posted by javapro

You said yourself that your phone acts as a physical key fob which works without Face ID or password and can be stolen as well.

Exactly. And if someone steals your key fob, they know they are looking for a BMW. If someone steals your phone, they probably have no idea it can unlock a car or what type of car.

[LVBMW]

Originally Posted by Cam330i

Hello,

Based off what I've seen with BMW's w/ Digital Key Plus, what you're experiencing is not uncommon and sounds about right.

Basically, Digital Key allows your smartphone to be used as a key, and you can lock, unlock, and drive the car with just your smartphone alone. Digital Key Plus makes your smartphone key function in the same way as the physical key fob (incl. Locking and Unlocking the vehicle when walking away or approaching the vehicle respectively). Additionally, Digital Key Plus allows the user to start the vehicle without having to put the smartphone in the Wireless Charging Tray, just like the physical key fob.

Although I have a high interest in Technology and Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), I am not a fan of the Digital Key function and I do not use it on my 2025 BMW!

My issue, especially with iPhones and Digital Key Plus, is that you don't need to show a face, input a security code; just like how you can unlock and start your vehicle without having to take out your smartphone, if someone were to steal your phone, they can easily access your vehicle (even worse with the fact that most people link their phones to their profile ID). I guess personally, I am not a fan of overly relying on my phone for things essential like accessing and operating my vehicle (e.g., problems arise if you lose your phone, your phone updates itself automatically making it no longer compatible with the system, and you can forget about manually opening your vehicle, etc.)

Anyways, back to your locking situation, if you have the "Lock when walking away" setting enabled, and remember that Digital Key Plus functions in the same way as the key fob, then you walking away from your iX will result in it locking - if the "engine is on" and you walk away from the car, it will result in your iX honking at you twice to inform you the engine is still on.

iX's in the USA will automatically have its "engine turned off" if you open the driver door without your seat belt on and without your foot on the brake and walking away with your phone will result in your vehicle locking, but any remaining passengers inside will still have access to the iDrive system (incl. Climate Control System) and shouldn't be locked inside the vehicle (i.e., they can still open and exit the vehicle)

That said, what I would recommend is disabling the "Lock when walking away" setting to see if that alleviates the situation, but even at the worse, your wife has the car key on her phone and so she can still lock, unlock, and drive the car without you being present.
NOTE: Keep in mind the vehicle can still be locked and unlocked remotely via the myBMW app!

There are many complaints on these forums about people walking by their vehicle in a garage with their smartphone and the car constantly unlocking and locking when walking towards and away from the vehicle.

As mentioned, I am not a fan of the Digital Key (not saying it doesn't work properly) and I always encourage my BMW homies to at least carry the Digital Key Card - (aka: The BMW Credit Card) as a backup (most just keep it in their wallet) and always take physical key fob if going somewhere far! One of mahomies didn't listen and went to lunch in his car using digital key (not plus) and after getting back in the car to go back to the office, his car wouldn't start for some reason and had to wait ~ 45minutes for his roommate to bring his physical car key and he has the latest iPhone with automatic software and app updates enabled.

I say all of this not to scare you, but just to be cautious with using these phones as car keys. Everyone loves and supports technology when it is working properly.....

Lastly, in case you are not aware, all 4 doors in the iX can be opened manually via a manual door handle that is located in the lower portion of the door.... it disturbs me on how many people say "Oh I never knew that" when showing them how to manually open the doors in case of an emergency......

Anyways, sorry for the long post, but I hope this helps and please let me (us) know if you have anymore questions/comments!

Again, I'm not bashing the system in anyway nor am I judging anyone who uses the digital key function, but just urging people to be cautious with these phones. My current and previous vehicle support Digital Key (Which I've never used), and to this day, I've never had a problem remote starting my car, unlocking/locking my car, or having my driver profile load up.

Best,
Cameron

I love DK+ and think it's incredibly convenient! You don't worry about someone stealing your key fob which also has no security protections? At least if someone steals your phone they probably have no idea it can unlock a car (or even what kind of car). If they steal your fob, they know exactly what make of car they're looking for.

[ricerboi]

They’re terrible. I turned off the unlock function since I constantly walk by the car. The walking away lock function is very glitchy and for some reason sometimes it will lock then unlock again. I’ve noticed my car unlocked in public quite a lot and now constantly need to remote lock it just to be sure.

[LVBMW]

Originally Posted by ricerboi

They’re terrible. I turned off the unlock function since I constantly walk by the car. The walking away lock function is very glitchy and for some reason sometimes it will lock then unlock again. I’ve noticed my car unlocked in public quite a lot and now constantly need to remote lock it just to be sure.

That sucks - I've never experienced this. Works absolutely flawlessly for me.

[ricerboi]

Originally Posted by LVBMW

That sucks - I've never experienced this. Works absolutely flawlessly for me.

Yeah it was great for 2 years and then after the November update it started being glitchy. Oh well. I guess just deal with it till the next update.

[jono987654321]

Originally Posted by ricerboi

I’ve noticed my car unlocked in public quite a lot and now constantly need to remote lock it just to be sure.

Had a 2014 7 series that used to do this and they swapped the innards of the [comfort access] door handles on the driver's side to fix the issue.

[LuisBoston]

Originally Posted by LVBMW

That sucks - I've never experienced this. Works absolutely flawlessly for me.

Mines flawless too 11/2024.30 here for many months. Idrive 8.0.

[joefods]

Originally Posted by LuisBoston

I love digital key plus.

Per Cam330i , I have kept a key card in my wallet (have never needed it) and a FOB in a faraday case in the console since day 1. The fob comes in very handy when I valet or drop the car for service. Since its in the console I never have to remember to bring it.

But I still love DK+

This is exactly why they give you the service card. You keep the service card deactivated in the car and then activate it in the wireless charging tray when you need service. That way you always have a physical key on you.

I am sure you would have a battle with the insurance company if your car got stolen and they found out you left the fob in it, regardless if it was in a faraday cage or not.

[NomoTesla]

Does leaving the keycard in the charging tray prevent the car from unlocking? If so, that would be cool.

[LuisBoston]

Originally Posted by joefods

This is exactly why they give you the service card. You keep the service card deactivated in the car and then activate it in the wireless charging tray when you need service. That way you always have a physical key on you.

I am sure you would have a battle with the insurance company if your car got stolen and they found out you left the fob in it, regardless if it was in a faraday cage or not.

https://youtu.be/qKu7Nyl1hcQ?si=Pqfz4D3sj2kgUTiu

I don’t have a service card. Those came in 2025 I think.

I have the NFC key that’s in my wallet. But my partner needed the fob once when the car wouldn’t recognize their Apple key and I had to unlock the car remotely.

[StrykerRan]

Originally Posted by LuisBoston

I don’t have a service card. Those came in 2025 I think.

I have the NFC key that’s in my wallet. But my partner needed the fob once when the car wouldn’t recognize their Apple key and I had to unlock the car remotely.

I did the update yesterday and upon Starting the car afterwards, it asked me if I wanted to disable the service card? I’ve been using just the physical key all along, so I’m not sure why that pops up. I didn’t answer it and moved away from the screen.