Apple will let you unlock your car with your iPhone

Apple's adding the option to use your iPhone as a key for your car in iOS 14. Well, assuming that car is a 2021 BMW 5 Series that is, at least at first. Apple says the feature, called CarKey, will come to additional cars down the line.

Once the key is set up on your iPhone, you don't need the physical key again. Once you climb into the car, popping the phone on the built-in wireless charging pad in front of the gear lever will let you start the car.

Even more useful is the option to share a digital key with another iPhone owner. You can revoke access at any time, and you can choose to place limitations on the car for the person you share the key with, like limiting the car's top speed.

Secure sharing — The CarKey feature for iPhone also includes something called Express Mode. That allows you to use your iPhone as a key without first unlocking it with FaceID or your PIN but can be toggled on or off from the Car Key app.

Maps and charging — With iOS 14's updates, Apple's also added a bunch of new features to Maps. In addition to new cycling information for those who don't want to take the car, it's adding information on charging stations and will let users view the status of the car remotely. Apple says the first companies it's working with on these EV-friendly features are Ford and BMW. So while the BMW 5 Series isn't an EV, it sounds likely the key feature will let you do more than just unlock and start the car, but will likely enable you to remotely control the climate control, check your fuel level, and monitor other vehicle details.