Samsung’s Digital Home Key lets you use your phone as your key

Just days after showing off the Galaxy S26, Samsung is finally rolling out the ability for users to unlock their home with a tap of their phone or by simply approaching their door. The new feature, called Digital Home Key, will live inside Samsung Wallet and is powered by the Aliro smart home standard.

Samsung first teased its Digital Home Key feature in 2024 and said the feature would be available in 2025. That didn’t pan out, as the CSA’s Aliro standard — which will let users unlock smart locks with any phone — only arrived in February of this year. The new standard uses near-field communication (NFC) for its tap-to-unlock technology. It also supports ultra-wideband (UWB), giving users the ability to unlock their door as they approach and without pulling out their phone.

Along with the new Digital Home Key, Samsung also announced that users can add American Airlines boarding passes to their wallets, too.

Digital Home Key is rolling out to Samsung smartphones in “select regions” this month, with UWB support coming in April. There aren’t many locks that support the new Aliro standard, but Aqara says its U400 lock is “Aliro-ready,” meaning it could be the first lock to work with Samsung’s Digital Home Key. This lock already works with Apple Home Key’s hands-free unlocking feature.

To add a Digital Home Key to your wallet, you’ll need to set up a compatible smart lock through SmartThings using Matter. Only some Galaxy smartphones support both NFC and UWB, including the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and up, as well as the Galaxy S22 Ultra and up. You can view the full list of compatible devices on Samsung’s website.