At last year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple announced Home Key as one of the new features its HomeKit software framework would be getting in iOS 15. But with the iOS 15.4 update having now been rolled out, when will you be able to actually use this smart home feature?
Home Key, which did indeed debut with iOS 15, draws upon Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to enable the user to unlock their house door with their iPhone or Apple Watch.
Home Key does, though, require hardware support, and there aren’t very many locks that have adopted the technology so far. Still, we expect adoption to go up as more locks are developed and updated for Home Key compatibility.
So, in the meantime, what options currently exist – or will soon exist – for door locks that will work with Home Key, allowing you to unlock your house door with the wallet on your Apple device?
- Schlage was the first brand to confirm that it would incorporate Home Key support in an upcoming product. The Schlage Encode Plus, with its auto-appearing keypad, is expected to arrive in the spring of 2022, priced at $299.
- It isn’t clear whether the Aqara A100 Zigbee will ever be sold in the United States, but it will be available in other territories, for an approximate price of $365. Beyond the Home Key compatibility, it will also be possible to unlock this mortise-style door lock with a fingerprint, passcode, or physical key.
You might have noticed that there are other smart locks available that support HomeKit. However, if you wish to take advantage of Home Key specifically, the lock that you buy will need to have NFC technology. Also bear in mind that your smart lock simply having NFC doesn’t automatically mean it will work with Home Key – so it’s crucial to check the small print.
It’s a rather short list of Home Key-compatible door locks so far, but we’re excited to see which other companies will go on to take advantage of the technology alongside traditional locking mechanisms.
