Go ahead, leave those car keys at home. Samsung, in a bid to catch up to functionality offered by its competition — like Google Wallet — has added the ability to store digital car keys for your shiny new Merc, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start their car remotely from inside the Samsung Wallet app.
Samsung’s all keyed up
This isn’t Samsung’s first go-around. It first provided these powers to other manufacturers a few years back, though South Africans weren’t able to join in on the fun. This new Mercedes-Benz utility, on the other hand, is available to any South African with the Samsung Wallet app installed. And a Merc parked in the driveway.
“Bringing convenience and luxury to our customers is our top priority as we strive to bring them the best vehicle experience possible,” said Merc’s Stefan Blossey. “Samsung Digital Key allows Mercedes-Benz to continue offering our customers convenient access and connectivity to their vehicles.”
The updated app manages the feat by combining the Bluetooth Low Energy standard and the ‘Ultra-Wideband (UWB)’ protocol quickly becoming the norm for digital keys on most modern cars. The company reckons it’s this that “significantly” reduces the risk of “unwanted attempts to access the vehicle.”
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Of course, there’s also that little issue of compatibility. Not every Mercedes-Benz is capable of offering digital keys, and the same goes for Samsung’s smartphones. Samsung only mentions the Plus and Ultra models for the Galaxy S21 Series and above. Everything from the Z Fold 2 and up is supported, too, though surprisingly, the Flip line is missing from the list, despite it (and others) supporting Samsung Wallet.
It only gets murkier from there, however. Upon visiting Mercedes’ website to determine which vehicles are compatible, it appears only the Galaxy S25 Ultra, S25+, and Galaxy Z Fold 6 are currently supported. We expect that’s an oversight that’ll be fixed by launch, however. You can visit the site here to find out whether you own one of the 17 cars eligible to create a digital key in South Africa.
If you do, you’ll need to wait until July 2025 for support to officially roll out, though Samsung doesn’t supply specifics. When the time comes, drivers with the right hardware can register their digital key through the Mercedes Me app, and if needed, even share the key with trusted friends and family members.
