Apple, Google, and Samsung are working together with lock and chip makers to create a new standard for smart locks and digital keys called Aliro. This standard will allow users to access their locks using their smartphones or smartwatches, creating a seamless and convenient user experience. The initiative is being developed by over 200 companies and is part of the Connectivity Standards Alliance, the same organization behind the new smart home standard Matter.
The goal of Aliro is to create a global communication protocol and common credentialing system that will allow any authorized smartphone or smartwatch to open any smart lock, regardless of the manufacturer. The working group behind Aliro started in late 2021 and includes companies like Allegion, Apple, Assa Abloy, Google, Qualcomm, NXP, and Samsung.
The principles of Aliro revolve around simplicity, flexibility, security, and interoperability. The aim is to lower the barriers to implementing this new standard, support different types of installations, ensure state-of-the-art security, and standardize communication protocols for manufacturer-independent devices to work together.
At the current stage, digital access to doors, office spaces, hotel rooms, or gyms typically involves proprietary apps or specific devices like key fobs or card readers. Aliro wants to standardize these access points and make digital keys readily available on common consumer electronic devices such as smartphones, smartwatches, or even earbuds.
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The long-term vision for Aliro is similar to Apple’s Home Key technology, where a digital key is stored in the digital wallet of a smartphone and can be accessible on a smartwatch without the need for a specific app. The key can be controlled and managed by the owner of the lock through a designated app.
The idea behind Aliro is to create a widely adopted and trusted solution that replaces the current market of individual proprietary solutions. The standard solution would provide a uniform experience for users and enable integration across multiple vendors and technologies.
Although Aliro is still in the concept phase and will not have an official specification or product available for at least 18 months, it is being spearheaded by major industry players like Allegion, Assa Abloy, Apple, Google, and Samsung. The collaborative effort aims to provide a streamlined mobile access experience at doorways and places of entry.
One of the key challenges for Aliro will be to bring on board more companies in the lock and access world to finalize a specification that can be implemented by smartphone makers and lock manufacturers. The specification is being designed to support various use cases, with a focus on NFC, BLE, and UWB technologies, offering flexibility and compatibility with existing smart lock systems.
Aliro is a separate initiative from Matter, despite both being part of the CSA and sharing many of the same companies involved in their development. While Matter dictates how connected products communicate for a wide variety of smart home use cases, Aliro specifies the interaction between user devices and digital locks or readers.
Although there are still many unknowns, Aliro has the potential to revolutionize the way people access their homes and offices. If successful, it could eliminate the need for multiple apps, key fobs, or cards, offering a more streamlined and convenient access experience. However, it will take time and coordination among various stakeholders to bring this innovative standard to fruition.
