SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 10, 2026, 01:15 PST
- Rivian is preparing an Apple Watch app that adds remote controls and expands watch-based access to older R1 models.
- The app is tied to Rivian’s next software cycle and a coming update to its iPhone app.
- The same update is expected to add clearer cold-weather range prompts and other drive-mode tweaks.
Rivian is preparing an Apple Watch app that would let drivers lock and unlock their vehicles, adjust cabin settings and set charging targets from their wrist, according to recent reports and release-note excerpts.
The move matters because the EV fight is increasingly a software fight. Automakers are using frequent updates to add features after purchase, and small conveniences can shape day-to-day use more than a new trim badge.
It also lands in mid-winter, when owners care about the basics: getting into the car quickly, and understanding what cold temperatures are doing to range.
Release notes cited by 9to5Mac said the Watch app will bring controls such as lock/unlock, window venting and an alarm to the wrist, with the Digital Crown used to adjust cabin temperature or set a target state of charge, or battery level. The notes said owners can pick up to four “quick controls,” and that Gen 1 R1 models from 2021-2024 will need the Watch app running in the foreground for the watch to act as a key, while newer vehicles lean on Apple Wallet’s digital car key. The app is not yet available, the report said, and will require Rivian’s mobile app version 3.9 or later, which would automatically add the Watch app once installed. (9to5Mac)
AppleInsider said the app is expected to extend Watch-based functions to Rivian vehicles dating back to 2021, bringing wrist access to features usually handled in the phone app, including window and climate adjustments and charge settings. The publication also noted Apple’s Car Key feature has been available since 2020 and is supported by more than 30 brands, including Cadillac and other General Motors marques, while rivals such as Tesla rely on proprietary apps for similar basics. The release is tied to Rivian’s iOS app version 3.9, which the report said was not yet listed on Apple’s App Store. (AppleInsider)
Digital keys remain a tough piece of the connected-car stack. “It’s a hard technology problem,” Rivian chief software officer Wassym Bensaid told The Verge, pointing to the fragmented mix of phone hardware and software that has to talk to a vehicle reliably. Car Connectivity Consortium president Alysia Johnson said newer standards aim to make key sharing simple across devices: “It’s just like sharing a photo,” she said. The Verge also noted that complaints about digital keys failing to recognise a driver are common in online forums, even as Wallet-based keys spread across more car brands. (The Verge)
Rivian’s next software update, tagged 2026.03, is expected to add cold-weather prompts that show when low temperatures are cutting range, including a blue battery graphic to flag energy that is temporarily unavailable, electric-vehicles.com reported. The same report said the update also includes drive-mode and performance tweaks and rolls the Apple Watch app into the broader package. (EV)
But the rollout could be uneven. Release-note details suggest the watch-as-key experience differs by vehicle generation, and the need to keep an app open on the watch may not suit every driver. More broadly, digital keys depend on short-range wireless links that can misfire, and cold-weather tools do not change the physics of a chilled battery.
Rivian began rolling out its “Digital Key” for second-generation vehicles in December, letting drivers add a car key to wallet apps on iPhone and Apple Watch as well as select Google Pixel and Samsung devices. Rivian said the system uses Ultra-Wideband for passive entry and Near-Field Communication as a backup tap-to-unlock method. (Exposure)
The reports did not give a release date for the Watch app beyond its link to the next mobile app version and the coming 2026.03 software cycle. If Rivian ships it as described, it would add wrist controls that some rivals already offer, while extending key access to older R1 vehicles.
