App unlocking and a wallet key are different features
An app may provide a remote unlock command, while a digital key stored in your device wallet participates in recognition near the vehicle. Check the manual to see which feature your vehicle has. An app that opens a door does not, by itself, confirm that the phone can also authorize starting.
When contacting the manufacturer, give the model, model year, market and device version. Compatibility lists can change. A photo of the key menu is more useful than assuming that every phone from the same brand is supported.
Touching the handle or recognition as you approach?
Hyundai’s European page describes Digital Key 2 Touch as using close-range NFC communication at the handle; Digital Key 2 adds UWB recognition. A phone in your pocket therefore may not activate the Touch version. These services require an equipped vehicle, a supported device and the stated myHyundai and Bluelink activation requirements.
BMW Israel also distinguishes Digital Key from Plus: automatic recognition as you approach belongs to the relevant version. Before treating a failure to unlock as a fault, check what your particular service is designed to do.
Start with the activation instructions for your version
Hyundai’s European instructions require both physical keys inside the vehicle during activation. The US CE1 manual for 2025 describes registration with a smart key present, following the device instructions and using the authentication pad. This difference shows why a process from another market should not be copied without checking.
Prepare your existing access devices and read the instructions that match your vehicle. If a menu is missing, ask the manufacturer’s support team to check the equipment and service. A missing digital menu does not establish a programming problem with the physical key.
Sharing access and changing phones
BMW says the scope of shared permissions depends on the model and device. Record who has been given access and review their permissions in the relevant management screen. Handing over your phone or transferring the entire account is not a structured way to add a driver.
In the Hyundai US manual reviewed here, replacing the primary phone key involves deleting the previous registration before registering the new one. Deleting the Bluelink app alone does not delete the stored key. Follow the manufacturer’s process and check the key list afterward.
Test your backup at the vehicle
Keep an access method that does not depend solely on your everyday phone, and test it before traveling. BMW Israel describes a physical key supplied alongside its digital service. That does not mean every manufacturer provides the same backup or that every switched-off phone will continue to work.
For an additional physical key, contact Key Replacement with the vehicle details and information about the existing key. Suitability and availability are checked during the call. Digital accounts and permissions are managed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Check whether an additional physical backup key can be preparedOfficial information for further reading
Sources refer to the particular versions, years and markets identified. Use the manual appropriate to your own vehicle for operating instructions.