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Samsung bringing hands-free door unlock to its phones

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By Daniel Petrov

Published: Oct 04, 2024, 9:42 AM

Samsung

Samsung has announced that it will start offering support for the budding Aliro digital key standard that will allow using Galaxy phones as smart lock keys. The company aims to bring the smart key feature to its handsets as a Digital Home Key service within the realm of its Samsung Wallet app.

Galaxy phone owners will be able to unlock smart locks with them next year, leveraging both the NFC chip inside and the Utra Wideband (UWB) silicon for those flagship Samsung handsets that have one.

The digital key feature has been a staple on Apple iPhones for a while now, and those equipped with UWB chips can do the car or home door unlocking from further away, but that will go for Samsung's service as well.

Those with older or more midrange handsets will still be able to use the tap to unlock option, i.e. they will have to actually move the phone close to the smart lock and align with the NFC chip inside like with mobile payments.

Needless to say, the Samsung phones won't need to be connected to the Internet to unlock your Tesla, smart home, or any other entity equipped with digital locking systems that support the Aliro standard. "Aliro only specifies the interaction between the user device, such as a smartphone or wearable, and a digital lock or reader; It does not dictate how that digital lock or reader connects to your backend or in-home ecosystem," advises the undertaking's marketing chief.

Aliro counts a lot of major lock makers as well as chip manufacturers among its founders, and is being developed jointly by the Silicon Valley juggernauts like Google, Apple, or Samsung.

Its Galaxy phones will only get access to the Digital Home Key feature next year, on account of the simple fact that the standard's specifications are expected to be finalized and go into smart locks supporting them in 2025. In any case, the better late than never mantra is fully applicable here.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.