Approov announced a partnership with BMW Group to provide a secure, safe, and seamless car-sharing experience. Per the companies, the BMW Group Car Sharing Platform, including the Approov SDK, has already been deployed in several thousand vehicles globally.

Approov was developed for mobile-centric businesses and has been on the market since 2016. It uses patented API (Application Programming Interface) authentication methods to ensure security of critical data and communications in the mobile channel, reducing the risk of vehicle theft or fraudulent use of car sharing services. The latest Approov release enables offline capabilities in addition to other advanced features relevant to protecting automotive platforms.

“Approov secures the car sharing ecosystem with its unique mobile app authentication technology that stops bad actors at the curb,” said David Stewart, Approov CEO. “Our software and service creates a fortress around the virtual car key, so any attackers’ attempts to misuse them is thwarted immediately. Major players in the automotive industry are deploying Approov because they recognize its ability to protect the interests of everyone involved in the mobility supply chain.”

Most car sharing vehicles are regular models where car sharing hardware and software are retrofitted into the car prior to being added to the car sharing providers’ fleet. This adds an additional step into the process of setting up, running, and maintaining a car sharing service. OEMs who take ownership for the delivery of vehicles which are icapable of delivering a car sharing service, including all the required security measures, are differentiated in the market.

It’s clear that the mobile app is a critical component in the system since it is the main user touchpoint for searching, booking, and executing car sharing activities, in particular locking and unlocking the vehicles. Traditional mobile ‘app as a key’ approaches which work well for car ownership use cases do not scale into the car sharing world.

For more information, visit: https://approov.io/customer/bmw