F-150 Lightning owners can’t use their phones as keys until ‘late summer’

Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge

The ability to use a phone to control an electric truck is missing from the F-150 Lightning, which will be available in the next few months. Ford will be rolling out support for its Phone as a Key system via a software update in the summer of 2022.

Ford's Phone as a Key system lets you use the FordPass app to start and lock your vehicle, as well as control things like the windows, lights, and front trunk. This isn't new tech from Ford, but the company introduced it on a few 2020 Lincoln models, and it's also available in its other battery EV, the mustang Mach-E.

Image: Ford

The feature is limited to select vehicles, but it doesn't seem to say anything about it not being available yet. There is a requirement for dealers to tell customers about the missing feature before they take delivery of the truck, if they purchased one of the Lariat or Platinum trims that features it.

Members of the forum speculated that the delay could be related to the recent announcement of a vulnerability in the tech that researchers say leaves passive entry systems open to attack. The vulnerability makes it possible to trick a system into thinking your phone is there, even though the F-150 Lightning uses a different method to tell when your phone is close by.

The delay is unrelated to the vulnerability and requires additional work to ensure reliability, according to Emma Bergg.

It's worth noting that this feature is Ford's own and not related to the digital car key features baked into the operating system. Ford going with Apple's EV routing system wouldn't necessarily have meant fewer delays.

It's a pity that the F-150 Lightning is not available in all of its features, but it's something that's become common in the age of chip shortages and supply chain troubles. Thankfully, it doesn't seem like you'll have to take your truck to the shop to get the feature added, though it may be possible to get the upcoming software update a bit earlier by doing so. The experience of being one of the first to own one won't be affected too much by having to use one of the F-150s.

Ford said the delay is unrelated to the vulnerability.