Islamabad, July 26, 2025: Chinese electric vehicle company BYD has rolled out a new feature that lets certain Samsung Galaxy watch work as digital key for their cars.
This marks the first official setup of its type in China, highlighting BYD’s increasing push towards smooth and connected vehicle entry—even through foreign-brand devices.
NFC Unlock Feature
The system operates through NFC (Near Field Communication), the same method used in contactless payments. With this, a supported Galaxy Watch can unlock a BYD car by simply being tapped against a specific section on the vehicle’s door. BYD says the action completes in around one second.
READ MORE: Battery and Charging Upgrades for Galaxy S26 Ultra?
Compatible Smartwatches
This new digital key option works with Samsung’s newest smartwatch versions like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, Watch 8, Watch 8 Classic, and Galaxy Watch Ultra. It won’t function on older models or smartwatches that don’t include NFC capability.
READ MORE: Realme Teases Dual Launch of GT 8 Series Flagships
Setup Requirements
To use this feature, the user must own a supported BYD electric car along with one of the listed Samsung smartwatches that runs on the latest Wear OS. Two mobile apps are needed: Samsung Smart Card App (version 5.1.38 or higher) and BYD Auto App (version 9.3.0 or later). After downloading, users can follow in-app steps to create and enable the digital key.
The setup also supports safe key sharing. Owners can give vehicle access to relatives or trusted people through the app, offering extra ease and control.
