MG appears to be preparing Apple Car Key support, letting owners unlock and start their car with an iPhone

The traditional car key could soon become unnecessary for some MG owners. MacRumors has spotted new references to MG inside Apple’s backend system for digital car keys, a clear sign that the Chinese owned automaker is preparing support for Apple Car Key.

How Apple Car Key actually works

With Car Key, the car key itself lives inside Apple Wallet. A compatible iPhone or Apple Watch can then be used to lock, unlock and start the car directly. On supported vehicles, the phone doesn’t even need to come out of a pocket, the car can detect the driver approaching and respond automatically.

MG4 Apple Car Key support isn’t confirmed yet

There’s an important caveat here: MG hasn’t announced the feature itself. The code MacRumors found doesn’t reveal which specific models will get Car Key, or when the feature might actually launch. That means the MG4, despite being one of the brand’s most widely sold electric cars in Europe, isn’t necessarily guaranteed to be among the first models to get it.

In other words, this discovery counts as a strong signal rather than an official confirmation. Apple has a track record of having car brands sitting in its backend system well before support for those brands actually rolled out publicly.

Apple Car Key supported brands: a rapidly growing list

If MG does follow through, it would be joining a club that’s expanding fast. Apple Car Key already works with selected models from a long list of manufacturers, and several more have been confirmed as coming soon, even if availability still varies by specific model and market.