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Google Wallet Expands to Include Digital Home Keys
· Confirmed
In Short: Google Wallet for Android is rolling out support for digital home keys for compatible smart locks, starting with a public preview.
Google Wallet home keys: unlock your door with your phone. Use & Like News
Support for digital home keys is initially rolling out to the Google Home Public Preview program before becoming available to all users over the coming weeks.
Users can adjust verification settings in the Google Wallet app to require screen lock or biometric authentication.
The digital key is linked to the Google Home app rather than a single lock, allowing for easier management and sharing.
For users with an Aliro Ultra Wideband (UWB)-compatible Android phone and lock, Google Wallet also supports an 'Unlock on Approach' feature that automatically unlocks the door as the user approaches.
This feature leverages NFC and works even when the phone screen is locked, and each compatible Aliro lock works with a single key in the Google Wallet.
Google is positioning Wallet as a broader identity and access platform, not just a payments app, and is moving digital keys out of individual smart lock apps.
Samsung has also announced support for Digital Home Keys in Samsung Wallet, aligning with the Aliro standard.
Apple has offered a similar feature through Apple Wallet since 2021.
Google Wallet’s digital home keys are part of a larger ecosystem of smart home security and convenience.
The feature is currently rolling out through the Google Home Public Preview program, with wider availability expected over the coming weeks.
Users may also activate further security measures that necessitate phone unlocking or identity verification before accessing their homes.
The feature is launching immediately in the Public Preview test version of the Google Home app, with rollout to all users beginning in the coming weeks.
What this adds
Google Wallet’s digital home keys are part of a larger ecosystem of smart home security and convenience.
The feature is currently rolling out through the Google Home Public Preview program, with wider availability expected over the coming weeks.
Users may also activate further security measures that necessitate phone unlocking or identity verification before accessing their homes.
What's confirmed
- Google Wallet for Android is rolling out support for digital home keys if you have a compatible smart lock in Google Home.
- After adding a home key to Google Wallet, you can Tap to Unlock with your phone.
- You can also go to Home settings > Google Wallet key.
- Smart locks have already made getting into homes a lot more convenient than it traditionally used to be, and Google is now making that process even more seamless by bringing digital home keys directly into Google Wallet.
- Home keys arrived on November 11 as a Public Preview feature in the Google Home app.
What's still developing
- While this was already possible before as well, the Wallet integration brings two notable upgrades.
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- Other members of the Google Home household can add the key to their own Wallet, and the key syncs across Android phones signed in to the same Google account.
- Google has been weighing a similar check for payments, as a recent Google Wallet teardown showed.
- Meanwhile, UWB-based proximity detection requires an Aliro UWB-compatible Android phone, which at launch includes the Google Pixel 10 Pro series and newer models.