How far away are we from having smartphones unlocking our doors?

Apparently it could happen as early as 2019

The market for smartphones, or at least technology at your fingertips such as smartglasses and smartwatches, is increasing. Apple’s iPhone 6 sold 10 million units in its opening weekend (that’s twice as many as the last version of the iPhone): by the end of 2014 the iPhone 6 will be available in 115 countries.

The future of technology holds some interesting possibilities

iTunes – reportedly – is working with MasterCard and Visa to create a mobile wallet: one can only assume this means an electronic wallet, since everyone’s wallet—which lives in either a purse, bag or pocket—is technically mobile.  But would some sort of smartwallet really be so far-fetched? It’ll happen. And given their wealth and desire to inject everything possible with technology this seems like something Apple would do.
Smartphones to literally open doors

Electronic locks are nothing new. In fact the world’s leading lock manufacture currently makes around 158 million dollars (Australian) per year from digital door locks alone.

But smartphone-controlled locks? It’s already happening, on a small scale, for residential locks in some countries. At the moment the global market for smartphone-controlled locks is at $261m and it’s predicted to grow over $3.6b in the next five years.

The end goal for smartphone-controlled locks—apart from being available in over 115 countries—is:

  • Being able to send short-term digital keys to family and friends
  • Lock doors remotely
  • Use a smartphone to open a garage door while you’re sitting in your car

How feasible this is remains to be seen. At the moment the battery life of smartphones is not up to speed with the technology. That is, the last 2 or 3 versions of smartphones have left people becoming more and more dependent on wall sockets to keep their phones alive. So that could cause problems; especially if consumers begin to rely on smartphones to access their house (but would it mean more business for local locksmiths?).

There is also the question of who gets paid for the service.  The lock companies believe it should be them and the phone companies think it should be them. This argument, along with the logistics and practicality of smartphone-controlled locks will determine how – and if – the concept takes off.

There’s even the company RelayRides who is basically the Airbnb of car rentals. They are also toying with the idea of unlocking rented cars with smartphone; sort of what we mentioned at the start of the article: sending people temporary access to a person’s car door via smartphone.

Which raises the question of trust and insurance: and the first is answered by the second. Each booking made through RelayRides is covered by $1 million in coverage. And there is also software that tracks when a person starts and finishes using your car.
What happens while we wait for smartphones unlock doors?

While we wait for smartphones to unlock doors and wallets to be digitised, we can deal with old fashion digital locks and wallets with too many cards and receipts. Until smartphones unlock doors, you’ll still need traditional keys and you’ll still need to ensure the safety and security of your traditional locks.

And who knows, maybe in 4 or 5 years’ time locksmiths will be tech savvy enough to fiddle with phone code in order to disable or disarm smartphone-controlled locks.
Shain’s Local Locksmith Brisbane can help you with all your security needs now and into the future

Shain’s Local Locksmith caters for both residential and commercial needs: from door and window locks to screen doors and safes, we’ve got you covered. If you would like to know more about how we can help you, please feel free to contact us today.