Samsung wallet adds support for digital keys for smart home locks

Samsung has expanded the capabilities of its Samsung Wallet app, introducing support for digital house keys compatible with a range of smart home door locks. The move marks a significant step in the company’s effort to position its digital wallet as a central hub for everyday essentials beyond payments and transport.

The new functionality, known as Digital Home Key, allows users to store and use digital keys for their front doors directly within the Samsung Wallet app. Until now, the app has supported payment cards, membership passes, identification documents and digital car keys, but it has not extended to home access.

The company confirmed that the feature will begin rolling out globally from March 2026. Its availability will coincide with product launches from participating smart lock manufacturers.

Expanding the role of Samsung Wallet

Samsung’s decision to add home key support reflects a broader trend towards digital credentials replacing physical items. By integrating house keys into Samsung Wallet, the company aims to reduce the need for separate apps and physical keys, offering users a more streamlined experience.

The Digital Home Key feature is built on Aliro, an industry-standard communication protocol designed for smart access systems. By adopting this shared standard, Samsung ensures compatibility with a wide range of leading smart lock brands that also use Aliro. These include Aqara, Nuki, Schlage and Xthings, among others. A full list of compatible devices can be found on the Connectivity Standards Alliance website.

Because Aliro is designed as a universal protocol, it allows devices from different manufacturers to work together more easily. This approach avoids the fragmentation that has often affected the smart home market, where compatibility can vary significantly between brands and ecosystems.

For consumers, this means a digital key stored in Samsung Wallet should work with many supported locks without additional configuration. As long as the lock uses the Aliro standard, users can expect it to integrate with the wallet app once the feature becomes available.

Integration with smart home standards

Samsung’s broader smart home ecosystem also plays a role in the new functionality. The company’s SmartThings platform supports the Matter smart home standard, designed to improve interoperability among connected devices.

Through this integration, digital house keys stored in Samsung Wallet can be used to unlock compatible smart locks that support NFC or ultra-wideband technology. NFC enables close-range communication when a device is brought near a lock, while UWB allows for more precise spatial awareness, enabling hands-free or proximity-based unlocking.

By aligning Samsung Wallet with both Aliro and Matter standards, Samsung is reinforcing its commitment to open ecosystems rather than proprietary solutions. This strategy could make its devices more attractive to users with mixed-brand smart home setups.

The update also reflects increasing demand for unified digital identity and access management. As more consumers adopt connected door locks, the ability to manage home entry alongside payments and transport tickets in a single app may offer greater convenience and reduce reliance on multiple platforms.

Security and global rollout

Security remains a key focus for Samsung as it expands its wallet features. The company highlighted that Samsung Wallet is protected by Samsung Knox, its built-in security framework. Samsung Knox uses a combination of hardware and software protections to safeguard personal data stored on Galaxy smartphones.

This layered security model is intended to protect sensitive information, including digital keys, from unauthorised access or external intrusion. For users, this means that home access credentials benefit from the same protection mechanisms as payment cards and identification documents already stored in the app.

The addition of Digital Home Key support could also reduce risks associated with lost or copied physical keys. Digital credentials can be managed, revoked or reassigned more easily than traditional keys, providing greater control for homeowners.

Samsung stated that the rollout of the feature will begin in March 2026 and be global. The timing will align with launches from smart lock manufacturers that support the Aliro protocol, suggesting a coordinated industry-wide effort to promote interoperable digital access solutions.

As digital wallets evolve from payment tools into broader platforms for identity and access, Samsung’s latest update signals a continued push to consolidate everyday essentials into a single, secure mobile app.