Samsung Wallet can now unlock and start select GM cars, starting with Cadillac EVs

Owners of certain Samsung phones in the US and Canada can now lock, unlock, and start select General Motors vehicles with a digital key stored in Samsung Wallet, according to The Verge. The feature launches on a small set of Cadillac EVs and is scheduled to spread across more GM models over the coming months.

Which cars and phones qualify

As reported by The Verge, the initial rollout covers select 2026 and 2027 Cadillac EVs: the 2025–2027 Lyriq, the 2026–2027 Optic, and the 2027 Vistiq. GM says additional models will be supported by the end of 2026, and the automaker announced earlier in October that digital keys would also reach a few GMC and Chevrolet trucks in December.

On the device side, only Samsung Galaxy hardware that includes both ultra-wideband (UWB) and Bluetooth Low Energy radios will work. The compatibility list published by GM and relayed by The Verge includes the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra; the Plus, Ultra, and Edge variants of the Galaxy S21 through S26 generations; and the Z Fold line from the Fold 2 through the Fold 8, plus the Z TriFold and a Z Fold 8 Ultra. Notably absent are the standard-sized, base-model Galaxy S handsets, so buyers of those phones will still need a physical key fob or the GM mobile app.

How the keys behave

Once a digital key is enabled, GM says the car unlocks automatically as the owner approaches, with no need to pull the phone from a pocket or bag, and locks itself again as they walk away. Keys can be shared with other drivers, and they can be suspended or wiped remotely if a device is lost or stolen.

GM tells customers to watch the "What's New" section of their vehicle's mobile app for a notification confirming when digital key support goes live for their specific car.

Not a Samsung exclusive

GM has been clear that Samsung Wallet is only the first stop for this feature. According to The Verge, the automaker says the same digital keys are headed to Apple Wallet and Google Wallet for compatible iPhones, Apple Watches, and Pixel devices. It remains unclear, however, whether any of those alternatives are functional as of today.

That platform breadth is the notable part of this launch. Phone-based car keys have so far been most closely associated with Apple's ecosystem, where Apple Wallet has handled digital keys for several automakers. GM's approach — supporting Samsung first, with Apple and Google versions promised — signals an attempt to make phone-as-key a cross-platform capability rather than a perk tied to one brand of handset.

Why it matters

The launch pushes phone-as-car-key further into the mainstream and, for the first time in GM's lineup, gives Android users outside the Pixel family a wallet-native way to replace their key fob. The strict UWB requirement matters too: ultra-wideband enables the precise spatial awareness that passive, walk-up unlocking depends on, and its presence on the feature's spec sheet shows GM is aiming for fob-equivalent behavior rather than a slower Bluetooth-only approximation.

It also sets up a test of whether digital keys can work as a shared standard across rival wallet apps. If GM delivers the promised Apple Wallet and Google Wallet support on schedule, a stolen-or-forgotten key fob becomes far less of a problem for its customers — and the physical car key takes another step toward retirement.