Google Wallet now makes it much easier to manage your shared digital car keys on Android

The first one simplifies the way Google Wallet users share digital car keys with family members or service providers. While the option to share digital car keys with trusted contacts has been available for more than three years, the system services update introduces new settings that allow varying levels of vehicle access for different people.

With the update, Google Wallet is getting new roles for digital car key ownership, including “co-owner,” “guest,” and “service,” so it’s easier to share your keys as easily as you would be able to with a physical fob. Needless to say, you must only share your car keys with people you trust.

In addition to making it easier to share keys with others, the update also makes it easier to share keys across your devices, including your phone and your Wear OS smartwatch.

To share your digital car key with others, open the Google Wallet app, select the digital key, then tap Share car key. After verifying ownership with your fingerprint, select the contact from the share sheet. You can also restrict driving conditions, such as speed, acceleration, or the music system’s volume. You will then see a passcode that the other person can use to activate the key remote. They can also use either the physical or digital key, but you must be in their vicinity.

The other change introduced by the latest Google system services update concerns the Play Store. Google notes that devices with big screens — tablets and book-style foldables — will now see more content in the Play Store.

Furthermore, if you play certain games on your phone daily, you can ensure your streaks (shown on the Play Store’s Games tab) remain unbroken with a new restore feature. We’ve yet to learn how it works.

To update your phone to the latest Google system services, head over to your Android device’s Settings > Google services > All Services > Privacy and security > System services. Here you can check for any available updates. On Pixel phones, the menu is accessible by tapping the profile picture at the top of Settings. To avoid doing this manually, you can enable automatic system service updates via the dedicated dashboard on your device.