NIO Launches "Shake-to-Open" Trunk Feature—Control Your Car with a Phone Gesture

On February 9, NIO launched the industry’s first “Smart Scene Vehicle Control” feature. Users can now automatically open or close the front trunk and rear tailgate with simple gestures—such as shaking their phone—without needing to unlock their device or open an app. Built on NIO’s self-developed NIOLink protocol stack, this feature integrates UWB high-precision positioning with smartphone motion-sensor algorithms to enable deep coordination between the phone and vehicle. For example, approaching the new ES8 from up to eight meters ahead and shaking the phone upward automatically opens the front trunk; shaking it again after placing items inside closes it. Similarly, standing behind the vehicle and shaking the phone downward automatically closes the rear tailgate. Currently, all NIOPhone models support this feature, which is compatible with the ET9 and the new ES8, delivering a more convenient and intelligent driving experience.