OWNER ANSWER
BYD Digital Key: setup, sharing and security
On the owner account, select the correct car and look for Digital Key in the BYD app. If the tile is present, choose Add a Digital Key and then Add now to continue in the supported wallet. Finish activation at the reader shown in the car’s instructions and test with a physical key to hand. If the tile is missing, check compatibility for the exact vehicle, software and phone.
- Park and check that the correct vehicle is linked to the owner account.
- Update the BYD app, phone and supported wallet. Safety note: Keep a working physical key available. Treat an offline lost-device command as pending until its status confirms otherwise, and review shared access separately; keep passwords and activation codes private.
- Open Digital Key → Add a Digital Key. Review the agreement and, if you accept it, choose Add now. In Apple Wallet choose Continue; in Samsung Wallet choose Start. For Google Wallet, follow the account and pairing prompts with the phone connected to the internet.
- When the setup screen asks, place the phone on the vehicle’s phone-tray key reader and leave it there until activation finishes. Follow the reader location shown for your exact car.
- Complete activation and test locking, unlocking and starting.
What to expect
Wallet activation completes and the device successfully locks, unlocks and authorises starting using the supported method. Keep another working key available until those checks pass.
If that did not work
- Digital Key is missing in BYD: check the correct car and owner account are selected. Ask BYD to confirm eligibility and the required software for that exact vehicle and phone.
- Wallet opens but pairing stays incomplete: follow the reader-position prompt and check whether the wallet is asking you to sign in or complete another step. Google Wallet setup needs internet access. If it still fails, record the error and whether it appeared in BYD or the wallet; give support the phone, OS and vehicle software versions.
- Activation completes but the key does not operate the car: use the reader and supported method shown in your car’s handbook. BYD’s published NFC route uses the exterior mirror area for lock/unlock and the interior NFC area for starting; do not assume that walking up with the phone in your pocket is supported.
- The device is lost: use the wallet provider’s recovery route and review BYD app access separately, as explained below.
What must be compatible?
The exact UK car, model year, software branch, phone hardware, operating system and wallet all matter. NFC alone is insufficient. App remote controls and wallet keys are separate access methods.
Shared keys and low phone power
Review shared keys and remove access when it ends. Apple’s power reserve and Google’s low-power key operation depend on supported devices and conditions, so check the exact phone/car combination before relying on them.
If a phone or watch is lost
Apple Lost Mode disables that device’s Wallet car key but leaves keys already shared with others active. Google remote suspension/removal normally needs the lost phone on and network-connected, with some car-specific differences. Review BYD app authorisations separately; suspending a wallet key does not automatically sign the app out.
Related links
Source: BYD Digital Key compatibility · Apple car-key setup and recovery · Google car-key recovery. Checked 22 October 2026.
Activation route checked 13 November 2026: BYD Digital Key setup and Google Wallet pairing requirements. Use your exact vehicle’s reader instructions.