Google Wallet adds digital home keys to unlock your front door with NFC or UWB

Google has started rolling out digital home keys in Google Wallet: an Android phone can now open the front door with a tap on the lock or, on compatible hardware, simply by walking up to it. The feature was announced on November 11, 2026, and reaches Google Home Public Preview participants first, with wider availability expected over the coming weeks.

The feature uses Aliro, the Connectivity Standards Alliance's (CSA) open standard for digital access — the same group behind Matter. The lock must be Matter-certified and Aliro-compatible. At launch, three models are supported: the Aqara U400, the Schlage Sense Pro and the Nuki Keypad 2 NFC.

How it works

There are two ways to unlock the door:

  • Tap to Unlock (NFC): hold the phone against the lock. It works on any NFC-enabled Android phone running Android 9 or later and, by default, even when the screen is locked — you can change the settings to require a screen lock or biometric authentication.
  • Unlock on Approach (UWB): with a phone and a lock that both support ultra-wideband, the door unlocks on its own as you approach. The feature is off by default and must be enabled manually in Google Wallet.

The key is tied to the home set up in the Google Home app, not to a single lock: one key in Wallet opens every compatible Aliro lock in the same home, and it syncs automatically across Android phones signed into the same Google Wallet account.

What you need

  • A Matter lock compatible with Aliro — at launch: Aqara U400 (NFC and UWB), Schlage Sense Pro (NFC now, UWB to follow) and Nuki Keypad 2 NFC (NFC only).
  • An Android phone with NFC and Android 9 or later for tap to unlock; for Unlock on Approach, a UWB-capable model such as the Pixel 10 Pro series (including Fold and XL) and selected UWB-enabled Samsung Galaxy phones.
  • A Google Home hub with Thread Border Router functionality, such as the second-generation Nest Hub, Nest Hub Max, Nest Wifi Pro or Google TV Streamer.

Wear OS watches are not supported at launch. As a security safeguard, unlocking without unlocking the phone only works if the phone has been unlocked within the last few hours.

Context

Google first announced Aliro support in Wallet in March 2025, but there were no certified locks on the market — version 1.0 of the standard was published by the CSA in February 2026. Apple has offered a similar feature in Apple Wallet since 2021, and Samsung launched Aliro home keys for Samsung Wallet earlier in 2026. Support for the keys also appears in the release notes for Google Play services v26.44, dated November 9.

Read also: Apple and LG reportedly developing a smart lock, doorbell and thermostat for the connected home

Image: screenshot of the home key card in Google Wallet, via 9to5Google.

Sources

Transparency: this article was produced with the help of artificial intelligence, cross-checked against public posts and sources on the internet, and reviewed against the original sources cited. Check the original sources to confirm the details.

By Muse