Unlock Your Door by Tapping Your iPhone With Schlage's New Smart Lock

Schlage today released its Encode Plus smart lock with support for Apple's home keys feature in the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch. The smart lock is available in a variety of finishes at The Home Depot, Lowe's, and Build.com for $300 in the United States.

schlage encode plus iphone
Apple's home keys feature lets you add a key card to the Wallet app, eliminating the need to use a physical key. Upon doing so, you can simply hold a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch near the Encode Plus to lock or unlock the door that it is installed on. The feature, powered by NFC technology, requires an iPhone XR or newer updated to iOS 15 or an Apple Watch Series 4 or newer updated to watchOS 8.

Express Mode allows you to unlock the door by simply holding your iPhone or Apple Watch near the lock, or there is an option to require Face ID or Touch ID as an additional layer of security. With Power Reserve, you may still be able to tap to unlock the door for up to five hours after your iPhone has run out of battery.

Encode Plus also supports HomeKit for controlling the lock with the Home app or Siri voice commands on an iPhone or Apple Watch, as well as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. The lock has a physical keypad and a keyhole to unlock the door without a device if necessary, providing peace of mind if you are without your iPhone or Apple Watch.

With built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, the Schlage Encode Plus does not require a smart home bridge or any other hardware. The lock is battery operated, with four AA batteries included and a low-battery indicator built into the keypad.

In the Home app on an iPhone, you can set up access codes for guests who need temporary access to your home.

Encode Plus is the first smart lock to support Apple's home keys feature, but additional options should enter the market over time.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Changes Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website. Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50. We have outlined some examples below: Device New Value Old Value iPhone 15 Pro Max Up to $630 U ...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
iPad Pro vs iPhone 17 Air Feature

Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be

Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...
mail categories macos

Apple's Redesigned Mail App is Expanding to the Mac — Here's When

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:02 am PST by
Apple plans to expand the iPhone's redesigned Mail app to the Mac starting with macOS 15.4, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The first macOS 15.4 beta should be made available in the coming weeks, and Apple has previously suggested that the iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4 series of software updates will be released to the public in April. The revamped Mail app debuted on all...
apple power beats pro 2

Powerbeats Pro 2 Coming Soon: Apple to Announce Them 'Imminently'

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:25 am PST by
In September, Apple said that it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and it appears the wireless earbuds are coming very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the Powerbeats Pro 2 in regulatory databases last month, Gurman said Apple is...

Top Rated Comments

macsplusmacs Avatar
37 months ago

Because keys were just such a poor choice...
Actually. Yes. And I have spent years trying to widdle down to no keys. Almost got there last summer. Now back to a few.

But for me.

ALWAYS having fewer keys makes my life just a little bit more stress-free.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BrennanWDavis Avatar
37 months ago

That's cool, but I never understood these. Won't you still need a key to unlock the door knob? All my exterior doors have a lock on the door knob and a dead bolt. This seems to just replace the deadbolt and unlock that. You still have to take out a physical key to unlock the door knob.
I guess that's your setup, but it's not everyone's. I have a door knob with no lock, and only the deadbolt as my only lock on my front door. This will work perfect for my home.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nvmls Avatar
37 months ago
Apple™, bricking homes since 2022.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsplusmacs Avatar
37 months ago

Apple™, bricking homes since 2022.
Dumb.

Also, it's Schlage we are talking about.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrRom92 Avatar
37 months ago
Got the availability email this morning and ordered immediately (Camelot in Satin Nickel) along with a pack of Eneloop Pro AAs, which should hopefully provide a nice long battery life in this unit.
My grandmother now has severe mobility issues and can’t answer the door for anybody, so we were looking for a smart lock that we could open remotely. We held out as long as we possibly could so we could get this version which has HomeKey support, which is really a major plus. Looking forward to installing it.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bluespark Avatar
37 months ago

Yes, but I have never used the knob lock in any house I have lived in. The deadbolt is far more secure so I never really saw the point of the added hassle. That said, I don't see myself ever going keyless. The off-chance of my phone quitting while I am out exists, and I am not a fan of leaving spare keys hidden about.
If you use a deadbolt, there isn't much to be gained by also locking a doorknob.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)