Rivian Watch App: Full Car Control on Your Wrist

Rivian is reportedly preparing to launch a standalone Apple Watch application, a move that would significantly enhance remote vehicle control capabilities for its drivers. This new app is expected to allow users to perform actions such as unlocking or locking doors, opening or closing windows, and activating the car's alarm, all from their smartwatch. This development follows a December software update which enabled the Apple Watch to function as a digital key for Gen 2 Rivian vehicles like the R1S and R1T, though its functionality was limited compared to the iPhone app.

The forthcoming standalone app aims to bridge this gap, offering feature parity across devices and bringing the full remote control suite currently available on the iPhone app to the Apple Watch. Furthermore, the digital key functionality is slated to expand its compatibility. While currently limited to 2025 models, an upcoming software update is expected to enable it for Rivian's Gen 1 vehicles manufactured between 2021 and 2024. The release of this dedicated Apple Watch app is anticipated as part of Rivian's planned 2026.03 software update, bundled with version 3.9 of the Rivian iPhone app.