Apple already owns a similar patent that could allow drivers to unlock their vehicle using their iPhone with an ‘accessory control,’ Business Insider reported.
While many ideas in patents never make it into final products, the race is on to give drivers access to their cars with mobile handsets.
For example, BMW lets drivers of certain cars lock and unlock them using their smartphone.
Hyundai has also launched an Android Wear watch that connects to its Blue Link system to start a car’s engine or lock and unlock its doors. The gadget uses voice recognition to find lost cars in car parks too.
Software engineering company Eleks Lab has created an app to run on the Apple Watch that would allow drivers of Tesla’s Model S to lock their car, turn on its headlights and show where it is parked.
The firm, which has offices in London and in the Ukraine, made the app as an experiment and said it would work using web-service API.