As we have already said on different occasions, one of the most important markets of the future is related to vehicles. Apple already has CarPlay, but the most important thing will arrive in 2019-2020: a electric car and / or autonomous that, according to the last Apple patent, we could control with the iPhone. The patent in question describes "portable devices" that give the owner of a vehicle full control over it. As we see in the image, the portable device looks a lot like the iPhone and would communicate with a vehicle wirelessly.
El portable deviceAlthough in the image we see an iPhone it could perfectly be an Apple Watch, it would be able to control a vehicle using an application that would allow the owner to control the operating time of his vehicle, limit its maximum speed, start the engine, adjust the seats. , unlock / lock the vehicle and much more.
Apple's latest patent: controlling cars with mobile devices
One of the most interesting functions of those described in this patent is the possibility of using a main device to authorize a second device to allow a friend or family member to use our vehicle for a specific time or for a few hours a day:
In some scenarios, the primary handheld may further transmit access credentials to the vehicle so that a second handheld (referred to in this case as the 'secondary' handheld) over a wireless connection (for example, a Bluetooth or Bluetooth LE connection, a Wi-Fi network or a mobile data network). After that, the secondary handheld can use the credentials to activate the same vehicle, as well as perform one or the other operations.
Another interesting possibility that the patent describes is that a vehicle could not boot until an authorized iOS device is nearby. Undoubtedly, what comes to mind when reading what is described in this patent is a father who wants to control when his son takes the car. For example, the car in question would only work with the secondary device until 00:00, so if the child does not want to have problems, he must leave the car at home before midnight.
As we always say, that a patent has been presented or granted does not mean that we will see it in the future, but it does help us to know what a company works on. We already know that Apple wants to enter the automotive world, so we would not be surprised to see what is described in this patent in a few years.