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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Aliro has officially arrived. The smart lock standard, first announced in 2023, finally has a 1.0 spec, meaning companies can now get hardware certified and roll out support.
Aliro is an open standard designed to let any smart lock be unlocked by any smartphone, regardless of manufacturer. It stores a digital key in your phone’s wallet that you can tap to a compatible lock — just like you tap to pay.
If you’ve used Apple’s Home Key, you already understand the idea — but instead of being locked into Apple’s ecosystem, Aliro is cross-platform, working on both Android and iOS, and with the major mobile wallet ecosystems — Apple, Google, and Samsung. So, if you have an iPhone and your roommate has an Android, you’ll both be able to tap-to-unlock.
The digital key will live in your phone’s wallet and can also be used on your smartwatch. A local protocol, Aliro doesn’t require a cloud connection, an app, or proprietary software; your phone connects directly to the lock.
Apple, Google, and Samsung have been involved in developing Aliro, and have committed to supporting Aliro “out of the gate,” Nelson Henry of Last Lock and chair of the Aliro Working Group, told The Verge in an interview this week. He added that he believes Aliro support will roll out on all platforms within the next couple of months.
Aliro promises to fix the fragmentation of smart locks, where digital keys only work with specific apps or phones, and make them universal. Eventually, with widespread adoption of Aliro, a digital key in your phone or watch could unlock your front door, office, and apartment building, no matter who made the lock.
Tap-to-unlock is a feature iPhone users have had for several years through Home Key. With Aliro, it can now be an option on Android phones.
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