Volvo Replacing Keys With Smartphone App

Beginning in 2017, Volvo plans to do away with the traditional car key and replace it with a smartphone app. Gone would be the fob that locks and unlocks your car door. The traditional key fob will not be necessary for Volvo owners who choose to use their smartphones as their car keys via bluetooth in the future.

The majority of the car owners in the United States has access to smartphones. These mobile devices have taken over our lives and we have become dependent of them. Our phones can do so many functional things that make our lives easier, and Volvo is ready to take the next step by making them function as your car keys.

There are plenty of pros and cons to the idea of the smartphone key, but it appears that Volvo will be headed in that direction regardless. We don't leave the house without our phones, but in 2017 Volvo owners literally cannot leave their house without their phones. This will be convenient in such a way that Volvo owners will not have to carry a key in their pocket, but what happens when their phone dies?

Battery life has always been a hot topic in the smartphone industry. The best smartphones only last for about a day before they need to be recharged. Some phones die faster than others, so what happens when you are stranded somewhere without electricity to charge your phone in order to start your car? What if you're locked out of your car in the snow with a dead phone?

This smartphone app is a brilliant idea, but it also comes with a set of unanswered questions. In the future, we will likely rely on our phones for everything. It will be our key to everything and it will also be our wallet. Battery technology is bound to improve in the coming years, and Volvo is being progressive in making sure they are the mavericks in this new trend.