Rivian rolls out an Apple Watch app with vehicle controls and digital key support

Rivian suggests vehicle owners leave their phones at home (or perhaps in a glove compartment) and control certain aspects of their electric vehicle using a new Apple Watch app. With a simple tap on your watch, you can unlock and lock the doors, sound the alarm and ventilate the windows. Once the digital key is set up, R1S and R1T Gen 2 owners can automatically unlock their vehicle simply by approaching with the passive car key feature.

It is possible to set the cabin temperature and a target state of charge by turning the digital crown of an Apple Watch. You can also choose four quick controls to bring to the forefront in the app and add a battery status indicator to your watch face if you want. Rivian says it will update its Apple Watch app with new features in the future.

Rivian first enabled support for digital car keys on Apple, Google Pixel, and Samsung devices in December. Apple began supporting digital car keys on iPhone and Apple Watch in 2020 and many automakers have adopted the technology.