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Your phone is now your key: Samsung's Digital Home Key arrives
2 Mar
Summary
- Samsung's Digital Home Key lets phones unlock doors via NFC or UWB.
- The feature lives in Samsung Wallet and uses the new Aliro standard.
- Select Galaxy devices, including Fold 4 and S22 Ultra and up, are compatible.
Samsung has begun rolling out its Digital Home Key feature, enabling users to unlock their homes using their smartphones. This new functionality, accessible through Samsung Wallet, leverages the recently established Aliro smart home standard. Initially teased for a 2025 release, the feature's launch was dependent on the Aliro standard's arrival in February of this year.
The Digital Home Key utilizes near-field communication (NFC) for tap-to-unlock capabilities. Additionally, it supports ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, allowing for hands-free unlocking as users approach their doors without needing to retrieve their phones. Samsung also announced the addition of American Airlines boarding passes to Samsung Wallet.
Currently, the Digital Home Key is being distributed to Samsung smartphones in select regions, with UWB support slated for April. While Aliro-compatible locks are not yet widespread, Aqara's U400 lock is advertised as 'Aliro-ready.' To implement the Digital Home Key, users must configure a compatible smart lock through SmartThings using Matter. Supported devices include specific Galaxy smartphones with both NFC and UWB, such as the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and newer, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra and newer models.
