Apple CarKey and Carplay Ultra

[Alib]

Just heard an Apple rumor that they intend to announce at the September 9 iPhone event that Porsche will support Apple CarKey and CarPlay ultra at the time of release of MY 2026. No mention was made of support for earlier years. take this with a grain of salt most apple one off rumors are false.

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[HellNo]

I know we can only dream, but I’d love to see Apple Key and CarPlay Ultra come to the J1.1. Whilst a gimmick to some, I personally think a lot of people would consider it a significant upgrade and go some way toward appeasing the growing discontent.

(I don’t count myself in this, I’m still in the Honeymoon period!)

 

[SergeyIndy]

Apple Key is already an option for the Macan EV, assuming 2026, and live on the configurator. No mention if CarPlay ultra.

 

[AutoX]

Phone as a Key is a game changer, but no way Porsche is going to upgrade the J1.1 to enable the feature.

 

[SergeyIndy]

Phone as a Key is a game changer, but no way Porsche is going to upgrade the J1.1 to enable the feature.

This may be to someone who is used to it, and I would agree it should be a thing to be competitive. However, I never had it and do not care to have it. The joy of having a key that you use to insert and turn the car on is gone, even on a Porsche - a power button now, who would have predicted. I was in a new Cayenne loaner and could not figure out, why it is not moving, well, forgot to push the Power button.

 

[AutoX]

This may be to someone who is used to it, and I would agree it should be a thing to be competitive. However, I never had it and do not care to have it. The joy of having a key that you use to insert and turn the car on is gone, even on a Porsche - a power button now, who would have predicted. I was in a new Cayenne loaner and could not figure out, why it is not moving, well, forgot to push the Power button.

Perhaps with and ICE car with loud exhaust, you get that tactile stimulation of the car firing up, but no such think in an EV. So inserting a key and turning it doesn't really doesn't do anything.

I guess if you're still carrying around your house keys, than an extra car key is no big deal, but if you are already keyless, it's quite a hassle to have to carry a key around.

 

[SergeyIndy]

Perhaps with and ICE car with loud exhaust, you get that tactile stimulation of the car firing up, but no such think in an EV. So inserting a key and turning it doesn't really doesn't do anything.

I guess if you're still carrying around your house keys, than an extra car key is no big deal, but if you are already keyless, it's quite a hassle to have to carry a key around.

I agree about the hassle to carry the key, but I spent on dressing up my key with color blades and a pouch, so I have to carry and hold it and enjoy doing so. And no, I do not have a house key.

 

[Alib]

Apple CarKey has always rumored to be for all Taycans but for the introduction, I expect that marketing will focus on how much more secure Apple Key is over the fobs in MY 2026 to generate sales. Likewise, Airplay Ultra would best be marketed for the New Porsches crossing all models. But Ultra is nothing more than a software upgrade and certainly be available to J1 especially since the American buyers are so iPhone focused while the rest of the world is Android and even Porsche’s current Os is based on Android. The demand was so strong that Apple was allowed to alter Porsche basic look. Porsche, however, has last say as to how each widget looks so more than anything it will allow owners more customization and that can not be bad as I suspect that even Android users will be able to select using the alternative Porsche approved widgets especially if Android proposes its own widgets.

 

[Freeewilly]

It is very convenient not carrying a kay, the next that is useless is the power on/off button in the EVs.

 

[RAHRCR]

Part of the charm of the Porsche experience is carrying a key. I don’t care if they make it optional but I would be very disappointed if in future, my Porsche was solely connected to my iPhone and/or some credit card key.

 

[chun]

Well, Macan MY26 got the apple car key already; and MY25 did not get it - as it requires an NFC chip and WB (Ultra-Wideband) support that MY25 doesn't have apparently - only the new Cayenne EV and Macan MY26 seems to have them for now.

Neither got apple carplay ultra.

So if that's any indication for Taycan, maybe MY26 gets the apple car key - if they added that WB (Ultra-Wideband) support, but no indication of carplay ultra.

I don't see why Apple would insist revealing carplay ultra for Porsche themselves on Sept 9; as it was already revealed by Aston Martin, on the Aston Martin channel, with devs from apple speaking on it. So there is nothing "new".

 

[chun]

If anything about carplay ultra for porsche gets announced it will be at AA Mobility auto show in Munich, Germany, which also starts on 9th of Sept, and ends on 12th. Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, and Ford will also be participating and making announcements.

We will for sure see the new 911 turbo s hybrid there, and probably the Macan MY26. So if any carplay ultra showcase happens, it will likely be on these 2 cars or at least the Macan, since it uses a new OS.

If they do showcase it on the 911 turbo s, it would still leave some chances for taycan my26, as the new 911 turbo s is running same PCM version 4578 as MY26 taycan.

This is the Porsche talk:
https://program.iaa-mobility.com/en...eams-and-external-partners-to-innovate-14212/

But it could very well be an announcment from VW group:
https://program.iaa-mobility.com/en...e-right-architecture-for-every-purpose-15000/

They will also for sure announce what batteries will power their future EVs, likely all based on PPE platform under the VW group.

 

[Alib]

Your key fob has a static NFC. That’s what it uses to unlock and start your car when the fob battery is dead. If your car can be unlocked using this method, it has an NFC receiver. Also you will need comfort access for Alple CarKey and Android Wallet, but it is available as a post-purchase software upgrade.

 

[HellNo]

If anything about carplay ultra for porsche gets announced it will be at AA Mobility auto show in Munich, Germany, which also starts on 9th of Sept, and ends on 12th. Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, and Ford will also be participating and making announcements.

We will for sure see the new 911 turbo s hybrid there, and probably the Macan MY26. So if any carplay ultra showcase happens, it will likely be on these 2 cars or at least the Macan, since it uses a new OS.

If they do showcase it on the 911 turbo s, it would still leave some chances for taycan my26, as the new 911 turbo s is running same PCM version 4578 as MY26 taycan.

This is the Porsche talk:
https://program.iaa-mobility.com/en...eams-and-external-partners-to-innovate-14212/

But it could very well be an announcment from VW group:
https://program.iaa-mobility.com/en...e-right-architecture-for-every-purpose-15000/

They will also for sure announce what batteries will power their future EVs, likely all based on PPE platform under the VW group.

This is a hot take

 

[chun]

Your key fob has a static NFC. That’s what it uses to unlock and start your car when the fob battery is dead. If your car can be unlocked using this method, it has an NFC receiver. Also you will need comfort access for Alple CarKey and Android Wallet, but it is available as a post-purchase software upgrade.

It depends if the car has WB (Ultra-Wideband) support also, not just NFC.
But sure, I guess we will see tomorrow.

If taycan MY26 had that, they would have announced it the same time as the macan, but they didn't.

https://newsroom.porsche.com/en_US/2025/products/updated-model-year-2026-macan-electric.html

Macan EV is the only porsche with a different hardware stack for central computing, and different OS. Cayenne EV will follow, using the same.
All other Porsches are on same PCM6 hardware stack, the difference is software version.

So I wouldn't be shocked if Taycan/911/Panamera simply don't have the required 5$ chip, as Porsche lately is known for penny pinching.

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