Google Wallet Adds Digital Home Keys for Android, With Tap and Hands-Free Unlock
Google has added digital home keys to Google Wallet, so Android users can open compatible smart locks by tapping their phone against the reader or by simply walking up to the door. The feature is in public preview within the Google Home app, and Google plans to roll it out to everyone over the coming weeks. The Verge reported the update on 12 November 2026.
There are two unlock paths. Tap to Unlock works by holding the back of an NFC-enabled Android phone against the lock reader. NFC (near-field communication) is the short-range radio used for contactless payments. The phone does not need to be unlocked, and it requires Android 9 or later.
Unlock on Approach must be switched on manually in Google Wallet. When enabled, it can unlock the door automatically once it detects the user walking up. Hands-free unlocking is limited to Aliro UWB-compatible Android phones, such as the Google Pixel 10 Pro series and newer models. UWB (ultra-wideband) is a radio that measures distance precisely enough to tell when a phone is close to a door. Wear OS smartwatches are not supported at launch.
A single digital home key can control multiple locks. Every household member linked to the same Google Home account can add their own key to a personal Google Wallet, so access does not have to be shared through one phone or one account credential.
The feature is built on the Aliro open standard, the access-control specification that lock and phone makers are converging on for digital keys. Supported locks include the Aqara U400, the Schlage Sense Pro and the Nuki Keypad 2 NFC. The Schlage Sense Pro supports NFC at launch, with UWB support to follow. Users also need a Matter-enabled Google Hub with a Thread Border Router, such as the 2nd-generation Nest Hub. Matter is the smart-home interoperability standard, and Thread is the low-power mesh network it commonly runs over.
The practical picture is a layered one. The NFC tap path reaches a broader set of Android handsets and locks today, while the approach-based unlock depends on UWB radios in both the phone and the lock, and on the Google Hub acting as the home-side anchor. Anyone planning a deployment will need to check each component against that matrix rather than assume that a Wallet-compatible phone and a Wallet-compatible lock will deliver the full feature set together.
In my view, the more consequential element is the choice of Aliro rather than a proprietary Google credential format. A shared standard means a key issued in Wallet is not tied to one vendor's lock, and it gives other lock makers a common target to build against. Whether that promise holds will depend on how many manufacturers ship Aliro-capable hardware and how quickly the UWB-equipped lock list grows beyond its current entries.
The broader context here is familiar to anyone who has followed mobile payments. Wallet-based credentials moved from card terminals to transit gates and hotel doors, and the home is the next and more demanding environment. A failed read there means a locked-out household member rather than a declined purchase. Google's preview and phased rollout suggest the company expects to refine the experience in the field before the feature reaches its full user base.
