It looks like Samsung phones will soon support the new Aliro standard. It can give users the ability to tap their phone or watch on a smart door lock to unlock it without having to fumble around for keys or unlocking your phone and opening an app. Basically, your phone becomes your key. This week, Samsung announced it’s adopting the new Aliro smart lock standard for Samsung Wallet’s Digital Home Key.

At the moment you can add a digital key for a smart lock to your Samsung wallet and open that to access a lock’s control from the phone. The new function won’t require you to unlock the phone — just tap your phone or smartwatch on the lock, and it will open.
The tap-to-unlock function is similar to Apple’s Home Key feature: You approach a door and hold your watch or phone up, and the door unlocks.

“We’re adopting the Aliro standard for Samsung’s wallet, with Digital Home Key coming in 2025,” Mark Benson, head of Samsung SmartThings US, told The Verge.

Having a UWB radio in both the lock and inside your mobile device will help communicate between the two to determine the precise location and unlock the door, enabling a more hands-free experience.

Aliro is a new standard for smart locks from the Connectivity Standards Alliance, the organisation behind the smart home standard Matter. Aliro is being developed by Apple, Google, and Samsung with major lock and chip manufacturers.