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You’ll need a new smart lock if you want Apple Home to ‘magically’ unlock your door

Apple’s new hands-free unlocking feature for smart locks won’t work with existing Home Key locks.

The new capability leverages the U1 ultra wideband (UWB) chip in many iPhones and Apple Watches to allow a smart lock to open automatically as you approach the front door — no tapping required. Clark Ruan, VP of U-tec, told me the next-gen Ultraloq smart lock will support UWB and is estimated to arrive in Q4 of this year. According to Sujata Neidig, marketing director of NXP, which makes UWB chips, the technology provides accurate distance and angle measurements without line of sight.

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