is a senior reviewer focused on smart home and connected tech, with over twenty years of experience. She has written previously for Wirecutter, Wired, Dwell, BBC, and US News.
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Kwikset is doubling down on open standards and new technologies as it expands its smart lock offerings. In an exclusive interview with The Verge, the company revealed that it will launch its first NFC-powered tap-to-unlock smart lock, as well as a less expensive Matter-over-Thread deadbolt, and a smart garage door opener this fall. Kwikset also plans to adopt ultra-wideband (UWB) as part of the new Aliro standard, and it shared that its sister brand, Baldwin, is adding Matter to its locks through a partnership with Level.
The Halo Select Plus is a Matter-over-Thread smart lock that supports NFC tap-to-unlock technology. Image: Kwikset
Launching later this year, the Halo Select Plus is an NFC-enabled version of Kwikset’s Halo Select smart lock, Jeff Sandoval, marketing director at Kwikset, told The Verge. The Select Plus will arrive later this year with all the same features as the Select — including a touchscreen keypad, Matter-over-Thread support, built-in Wi-Fi, and hands-free auto-unlock — plus a new tap-to-unlock feature that uses a compatible phone or watch as your key.
Kwikset couldn’t publicly confirm final compatibility, but the lock is likely to work with Apple’s Home Key, which allows you to tap your iPhone or Apple Watch against your door to unlock it. If so, it would be the company’s first lock to support this feature.
Apple is currently the only major phone maker to offer NFC tap-to-unlock for residential doors without requiring a proprietary app. Manufacturers must work directly with Apple to enable Home Key support, either through HomeKit or Apple Home via Matter. This has meant that there aren’t many Home Key-enabled smart locks. But that’s about to change.
Apple, along with Samsung and Google, is part of Aliro, an upcoming open standard for smart locks and digital keys that will enable a phone and lock to communicate directly over Bluetooth, NFC, and ultra-wideband, without needing an app. Aliro should make it easier for lock makers to support NFC unlocking and bring Home Key-like functionality to Android phones and wearables, ultimately making tap-to-unlock universal regardless of the phone or smart home platform used.
The standard, which was supposed to launch this year, still lacks an official specification, so it couldn’t be included in the Halo Select Plus. It’s possible the Select Plus has the technical capability to support Aliro, but Kwikset wouldn’t confirm this. Sandoval said the company plans to launch an Aliro-compatible lock, but that it won’t be this year.
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