Last month, over a dozen automobile and smartphone manufacturers gathered in Palo Alto, California, for the 16th annual “Plugfest,” hosted by the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) to test out the latest in digital key technology.
Digital keys, which allow vehicle owners to lock, unlock, and start their cars using smartphones or other digital devices, are becoming more commonplace. Companies that are typically heated rivals came together in the spirit of cooperation to ensure that digital keys work across different devices and vehicle brands.
Seamless phone-to-car connectivity requires deep integration across vehicle software, cloud systems, and a highly fragmented device ecosystem spanning iOS and multiple Android variants with differing wireless characteristics.
