Google Wallet turns Android phones into digital keys for compatible smart locks

Google is turning Android phones into digital keys for compatible smart locks, with Google Wallet now handling the key once a lock has been set up through the Google Home app. The feature starts in Public Preview on 11 November and is rolling out more widely over the following weeks.¹

The new home key is designed to remove the need to open an app or type a passcode at the door. Users can tap an NFC-enabled Android phone against a compatible lock, even when the phone screen is locked, while supported hardware can unlock automatically as the owner approaches. Google says the feature is built on Aliro, the open access standard developed with the Connectivity Standards Alliance.¹

How Google Wallet home keys work

A compatible lock is added to a home in the Google Home app, after which the user can add a digital home key to Google Wallet. That key is tied to the home rather than one individual lock, so multiple compatible Aliro locks in the same home can use it. Household members can add their own keys to their personal Wallets, while keys can also sync across compatible Android phones signed into the same Google account.¹

Tap-to-unlock works on NFC-enabled Android phones running Android 9 or later. Google’s hands-free Unlock on Approach feature needs both an Aliro-compatible UWB lock and a compatible Android phone. Google lists the Pixel 10 Pro series and newer devices among the supported phones, although support varies by model. Wear OS smartwatches are not supported at launch.¹

Compatible locks and requirements

Google says users need a Matter-certified smart lock supporting Aliro, a Matter-enabled Google Hub with a Thread Border Router, and current versions of the Google Home and Google Wallet apps. The launch examples include the Aqara U400, Schlage Sense Pro and Nuki Keypad 2 NFC, with capability differences between models. Some locks support NFC first and will gain UWB support later.¹

Unlock on Approach is disabled by default. Google also allows users to require screen-lock or biometric verification for every tap, rather than relying on the phone having been unlocked recently. A key can be removed from Wallet, and it is deactivated if the lock leaves the home or the user leaves that home in Google Home.¹

The announcement is a compatibility and availability update, not independent security testing of every supported lock. Google says rollout timing and feature support may vary by region, device and lock, so owning an NFC Android phone alone will not be enough to use the system.

Our opinion

This is a sensible extension of Google Wallet because it puts a genuinely useful household credential beside payment cards instead of hiding it in a separate smart-lock app. The home-level key is more important than the tap gesture: it should make multi-lock homes and household access less fiddly, provided Aliro support becomes common rather than another badge on premium hardware.

The catch is the usual smart-home one. Users need the right lock, hub, phone, app versions and regional support, while hands-free unlocking adds another layer of hardware requirements. For now, Google Wallet home keys look like a promising convenience feature with a deliberately narrow launch footprint, not a universal replacement for physical keys.