Apple Watch Can Now Open Smart Locks After Teaming Up With Schlage

Sophie Webster, Tech Times 04 January 2022, 02:01 pm

Apple Watch has been innovating its features over the years, and this time it is tapping into the smart door locks market.

At CES, smart door lock giant Schlage introduced its latest creation, the Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt. This will allow you to open your doors via your smartphone or your Apple Watch.

Apple Watch Teams UP with Schlage

The technology is created on Apple's current Home Key innovations that were first introduced in iOS 15. This technology lets you add a house key to your Apple Wallet, using NFT technology to connect with the smart locks.

If you tap your Apple Watch or your phone, you will automatically unlock the smart lock, according to Tech Crunch.

Several advantages of the technology is from its ability to distribute the smart keys. It even allows you to give your guest temporary access to your home. This temporary access lets the guest go in and out of your home easily without having to contact you at all.

Schlage is a brand that has been tried and tested and has been included in the list of the best smart locks out there.

Also Read: Samsung Smart Home Security Red Flags Raised In IoT Security Research

The Schlage Encode Plus

The Schlage Encode Plus lock supports Apple's latest feature that is added to the HomeKit option that makes it possible to use a home key. It is a great addition to Apple's ecosystem, according to 9to5Mac.

Schlage is known to have years of lock-making experience, and when it comes to smart technology, the company can add smarts to products that work really well instead of creating a whole new product around Bluetooth or chipsets.

Dave Ilardi, Schlage's general manager, said that they have remained committed to revolutionizing their users' experience with secure and convenient home access that their customers can trust throughout their history.

Illardi added that they are excited about their collaboration with Apple as it brings together two very popular brands that have a history and reputation for delivering innovation to their users.

The Encode Plus Smart WiFi can give users a simple and secure way to access their property. This is the first step in the company's vision to create amazing experiences that can provide peace of mind.

The great thing about this is that the technology works in a power reserve mode. This means that if your Apple Watch is in its last power bar, you can still use it to open doors for a couple of hours, according to Tom's Guide.

Aside from the technology, the Schlage Encode Plus lock is similar to the Schlage Encode WiFi in terms of features, as you can still check whether your doors are properly locked, and you can check on them via your smartphone.

You can even set up access codes from the application with time windows. You can give people access to a certain time slot with a certain code. It can be permanent access, a temporary one, or a recurring one.

The locks also allow you to keep activity logs in real-time to see which code has been used to open the lock in your house and when it is used. The lock also supports voice assistants like Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa.

The tap to unlock capability is only available via Apple's home keys feature, which can only be accessed on iOS or Apple Watch devices, so users will have to make do without the feature for now, even though they would be able to use Google Assistant or the Schlage app to control the locks.

The Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt will be launched in mid-2022, and it will cost $299.99.