As expected, electric vehicle maker Rivian today released an Apple Watch app, providing R1S and R1T drivers with convenient features on their wrist.
The app lets you choose up to four one-tap controls for locking or unlocking doors, opening or closing the windows, opening the front or rear trunks, sounding the vehicle's alarm, and more. In addition, you can turn the Apple Watch's Digital Crown to adjust the vehicle's cabin temperature and battery charging target in the app.
Rivian also offers an Apple Watch complication, allowing you to view the vehicle's charge level at a glance on your watch face.
Rivian recently rolled out Apple Wallet car key support for its second-generation R1S and R1T vehicles. This feature utilizes Ultra Wideband technology, allowing you to simply approach the vehicle, open the door, and start the vehicle, all with your iPhone in your pocket or bag or your Apple Watch on your wrist.
Passive entry functionality requires an iPhone 11 or newer (excluding iPhone SE and iPhone 16e models) or an Apple Watch Series 6 or newer.
If you have a first-generation R1S or R1T model, digital key functionality is a bit more limited. You can lock or unlock the vehicle with a tap of the "lock" button in the app. "With the app open, you're ready to drive," says Rivian, for these models.
To get the Apple Watch app, head to the App Store and install the latest version of the Rivian app for the iPhone, and it will extend to the Apple Watch.
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I have a polestar. When I walk up to it wearing my Apple Watch it unlocks and lets me drive away.
When I walk away it locks the car.
No App necessary, it does it all using Wallet behind the scenes.
Rivian is not starting a revolution here.
Tell me you didn't read the article without telling me you didn't read the article ? Rivian already supports what you stated using UWB and the Apple Wallet.
All this Apple Watch app does is let you perform vehicle functions you could already do on the smartphone app from your wrist. No one said they were starting a revolution. It's just a simple feature-add.
