GM Is Putting Your Tahoe's Key in Your Phone's Wallet This December
Cadillac's electric crossovers get phone-as-key access first, and GM's big Chevy, GMC, and Cadillac SUVs follow in December — with iPhone, Pixel, and Galaxy support.
GM's phone-as-key feature is finally out of beta, and it won't stay a Cadillac EV perk for long. Starting in December, owners of the 2026–2027 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban and the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL will be able to keep their vehicle's key in Apple, Google, or Samsung Wallet, the automaker says.
Cadillac's electric crossovers go first. Access is switching on in phases through October for the 2025–2027 Lyriq, 2026–2027 Optiq, and 2027 Vistiq. The December wave also covers the 2027 Escalade, Escalade IQ and IQL, and the hand-built Celestiq.
What the phone replaces
Once it's paired, the phone or watch behaves like a passive-entry fob. The vehicle unlocks as the owner walks up and locks itself when they leave, so the device can stay in a pocket or bag. The wallet card also works as a remote: it can lock and unlock the doors, open the trunk or liftgate, and start climate control before anyone gets in.
Ultra-wideband radio lets the car pinpoint where the phone is, while Bluetooth carries the remote commands. The system is built on the Car Connectivity Consortium's digital key standard. Owners can share access with other people's devices, and if a phone goes missing, a call to OnStar disables its key.
Setup happens in the brand's mobile app. The owner has to be inside an OnStar-connected vehicle with the physical fob nearby, then follow the prompts to push the key into their wallet of choice.
The phone itself is the other hurdle. On the Apple side, GM requires an iPhone 11 or newer, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later. That matches Apple's own cutoff for passive entry, which leaves out the iPhone SE and iPhone 16e. Android support is narrower. Only the Pro and Fold versions of Google's Pixel 6 through Pixel 10 qualify, along with Samsung's Galaxy S21+ or newer, the Note20 and later, and Galaxy Z Fold and TriFold models.
A long time coming
The rollout has been slow. Apple listed Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac among 13 brands adding Wallet car keys at its WWDC keynote in June 2025. Cadillac invited a limited group of Lyriq and Optiq owners into a beta that December, according to GM Authority. Only now, more than a year after Apple's announcement, is the feature reaching regular customers.
Rivals were already there. Wallet keys were available on select models from BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Volvo before GM's launch, and Samsung Wallet added the 2026 Toyota RAV4 in January.
The Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV are notably missing. GM Authority reported in 2025 that both 2026 trucks would get the digital key after launch, but neither is on GM's current schedule. GM says more models will follow and that owners will get a notice in their vehicle's app once the feature is available to them.
