is a senior reviewer with over twenty years of experience. She covers smart home, IoT, and connected tech, and has written previously for Wirecutter, Wired, Dwell, BBC, and US News.
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The long-delayed smart lock standard Aliro is finally launching. The first specification, which standardizes NFC-based tap-to-unlock and UWB hands-free unlocking for smart locks, will arrive early this year, according to the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA).
”We’re delighted to share that Aliro, the CSA’s standardized credential and communication protocol that lets trusted smartphones and wearables act as digital keys with smart locks and readers in your home and where you badge, has passed its final verification milestone and will come to market in Q1 2026,” Nelson Henry, Chair of the Aliro Steering Committee, told The Verge in an emailed statement.
Announced in 2023, Aliro is an open standard for smart locks and digital keys that provides a standardized way for smart locks to communicate with smartphones and watches, regardless of manufacturer or platform.
Ultimately, it should mean more locks and more phones will gain the same capabilities as Apple’s Home Key feature on the iPhone. This lets you use your iPhone as a digital key to tap-to-unlock using NFC, just like you tap-to-pay. More recently, Apple added a UWB-powered hands-free unlocking option that unlocks your door as you approach.
Apple Home Key tap-to-unlock is a useful feature that turns your phone into a key for compatible smart locks. Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
With Aliro, these features can now come to Android phones and other smart home platforms, so if your spouse or housemate uses a Galaxy or Pixel phone, you can both unlock the same smart lock using your own device as a key.
Aliro is an industry-wide collaboration, developed by Apple, Google, and Samsung, along with lock makers and chip makers, including Allegion, Assa Abloy, Qualcomm, and NXP. Several lock manufacturers have announced they plan to support Aliro, including Schlage, Kwikset, X-Things/U-Tec, Level, and Nuki.
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