A new update to Tesla's operating system (it's version 2024.2.3, software fans) has introduced support for Apple's Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology, found in the latest iPhones. This means improved Phone Key functionality, because many Tesla owners will no longer have to rely on less accurate and less secure Bluetooth connectivity to unlock their car.
According to 9to5Mac, the update was spotted by Tesla software blog Not a Tesla App, which noted that UWB technology means the vehicle and phone key can “communicate more precisely to lock, unlock, and open automatic doors more answer's capacity”.
Apple started using UWB technology on the iPhone 11 and recently introduced it to the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and the latest Apple Watch Series 9, allowing its devices to communicate with each other more accurately.
In terms of benefits, the technology enables precision searching, which can guide the owner to a lost watch or smartphone with millimeter precision. Previously, if a phone had slid down the back of a couch, Find my Phone would have only provided an approximate whereabouts, but Apple Watch can now guide the owner through haptic feedback and a series of chirps until it's just inches away. away.
What does this mean for Tesla electric vehicles? This same approach technology results in a much faster and more accurate response from the car, while providing greater peace of mind that potential thieves will not intercept the Bluetooth signal.
According to Not a Tesla App, Tesla owners can dive into the settings of their Tesla app and update the phone's key menu to switch from Bluetooth to UWB. Requires iPhone 11 or later and Tesla app version 4.29.5 or later.
It's not yet known if the same functionality can be replicated on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, while only the next-gen Model 3 and 2023 Model X cars, as well as the Cybertruck, have the ability to run the new one. functionality.
But it's likely to roll out to more Tesla models in the near future, and hopefully eventually to some of the latest Android phones, as recent Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy phones also have their own UWB chips.
UWB for security victory
Without delving too deeply into the scientific intricacies of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Ultra Wideband technologies, the likelihood of BLE being subjected to jamming and retransmission (or “man-in-the-middle attacks”) is much higher due to the fact that it depends on the intensity of the signal, allowing attackers to amplify it using crude devices and eventually trick the vehicle into believing that the owner and the digital key are nearby.
UWB, on the other hand, uses several frequency pulses, which are measured to see how long it takes the signal to travel between the signal (the phone) and the receiver (the car). The person holding the phone has to be much closer for the system to work, scaring away tech-savvy criminals.
In addition to this, it is possible to encrypt UWB technology to prevent what are known as 'preamble insertion attacks', further increasing security levels.
Tesla's willingness to work with Apple and its UWB technology is a boon for those customers who like to use a smartphone for everything, including keyless entry. It also forms a solid framework for future updates, which could include adding your Tesla key to Apple Wallet, as well as introducing more precise location for when you've lost your car in a busy parking lot.
