Digital Key App
A secure scalable cloud-managed solution that enables keyless access via a smartphone
Services
Cloud backend development
Mobile development
HMI design
UX/UI design
Hardware configuration & integration
Certificate autority center implementation
Technology
Ktor
Swift
Kotlin
Qt
Lotte
Adobe After Effects
Challenge
Finding the best path
Keyless car access is one of the most actively explored use cases of phone-to-vehicle technologies. OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, device manufacturers, and software developers are working to launch automotive key solutions individually and in collaboration.
However, the need to meet security regulations of in-car data access and transmission, as well as to handle compatibility and fragmentation issues of hardware, software, and communication protocols, delay the release of digital key solutions to the market.
Bamboo Apps set out to explore which methods of in-vehicle data access and wireless communication technologies are the most effective with a market-ready digital key management system concept.
Solution
Digital key app for mobile nd HMI
The team developed a digital key app for mobile and the in-car infotainment screen. The app uses proximity technology to enable drivers to open their vehicle with their smart device. Users can share their digital keys to other devices, as well as revoke them.
The application employs an enhanced BLE communication protocol, which allows for more layers of data encryption and a smooth auto-locking/unlocking experience. Both apps are designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, and the HMI software is made in accordance with the industry-grade ISO 9241 standard.
Elaboration
Secure and easy to use
We ensured high-level security by employing a number of data safety mechanisms and techniques. Firstly, the app uses secure QR-codes to link the backend with the mobile device. Secondly, the software supports various authentication methods (including biometrics) and uses a powerful notification engine for vehicle status control.
As far as the improvements made to the BLE model go, the most noticeable one for users is the addition of ‘read’ and ‘write’ modes. These are designed for seamless and secure proximity-based auto locking. When the driver’s registered device with a digital car key approaches the vehicle, it unlocks automatically, and the reverse happens when the driver walks away from the car.
Bamboo Apps also implemented extra layers of TLS encryption and session integrity control for defense against man-in-the-middle, replay, and amplified relay attacks.
Development
Double the methods, half the hassle
Bamboo Apps decided to combine two data access methods for a lean smartphone-to-car communication flow. The team wanted to guarantee a stable and secure data transmission in any environment, while keeping things familiar to users.
So, our developers made it so that users need to interact with the cloud backend only at the very start of the workflow by connecting to the certificate authority server using a TLS 1.2 protocol via the in-car HMI. They can then register their smartphone by scanning the QR code issued by the server.
Once that is done, the user’s registered device can connect to the car with just BLE, which doesn’t rely on internet connection. We chose to integrate this method specifically because of its security (which we improved with TLS encryption), high data rate, low latency, cost-efficiency, and industry prevalence.
Results
Proven market potential
This project was meant as an exploration of market potential for a digital key app based on BLE tech. And Bamboo Apps successfully proved that the capabilities of BLE are sufficient for satisfying the market’s need for secure and efficient keyless car access solutions.
Furthermore, our project shows that BLE, as well as the use of both device-to-vehicle communication models, can contribute to the industry-wide effort in driving the development of interoperable and easily adoptable automotive key solutions.
Designing Market-Ready Automotive Digital Key Solutions
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