The Aliro smart lock standard for NFC and UWB unlocking will launch this year

The long-delayed smart lock standard Aliro is finally launching. The first specification, which standardizes NFC-based tap-to-unlock and UWB hands-free unlocking for smart locks, will arrive early this year, according to the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA).

”We’re delighted to share that Aliro, the CSA’s standardized credential and communication protocol that lets trusted smartphones and wearables act as digital keys with smart locks and readers in your home and where you badge, has passed its final verification milestone and will come to market in Q1 2026,” Nelson Henry, Chair of the Aliro Steering Committee, told The Verge in an emailed statement.

Announced in 2023, Aliro is an open standard for smart locks and digital keys that provides a standardized way for smart locks to communicate with smartphones and watches, regardless of manufacturer or platform.

Ultimately, it should mean more locks and more phones will gain the same capabilities as Apple’s Home Key feature on the iPhone. This lets you use your iPhone as a digital key to tap-to-unlock using NFC, just like you tap-to-pay. More recently, Apple added a UWB-powered hands-free unlocking option that unlocks your door as you approach.

With Aliro, these features can now come to Android phones and other smart home platforms, so if your spouse or housemate uses a Galaxy or Pixel phone, you can both unlock the same smart lock using your own device as a key.

Aliro is an industry-wide collaboration, developed by Apple, Google, and Samsung, along with lock makers and chip makers, including Allegion, Assa Abloy, Qualcomm, and NXP. Several lock manufacturers have announced they plan to support Aliro, including Schlage, Kwikset, X-Things/U-Tec, Level, and Nuki.

Aliro-certified locks will use one or more communications options to unlock a compatible door:

According to the CSA, Aliro’s benefit over similar solutions is that it provides direct, secure communication between a phone or wearable and the lock. There is no need to open an app, and no cloud is involved; the credentials are stored on the user’s device, and communication between the device and the lock uses asymmetric encryption. Because it doesn’t use the cloud, it will work when your phone is offline or doesn’t have service, like a regular key.

Henry says the CSA has made significant progress over the last two years, building the Aliro 1.0 specification, its certification program, and supporting test system. This should set it up for fast, wide adoption, and we could start to see smart locks with Aliro support arriving soon.