Kwikset Kevo’s Private Beta Goes Public As The Bluetooth-Enabled Door Lock App Hits The Play Store

The Kwikset Kevo Bluetooth-enabled door lock is the kind of tech that reminds us that we’re living in the future. With one of these installed in your home, you can get inside just by tapping a finger against the lock. Before you panic, this only works if you phone is in range and on the right side of door (i.e. the outside).

The product first hit the market over a year ago, but it only supported iOS. The developers didn’t want to exclude Android—the platform just wasn’t ready. To get things to work, they rely on Bluetooth Smart, which Android is only now properly supporting with the release of Lollipop.

UniKey quickly pushed out a private beta in early November where people running 5.0 could test things out. Now the beta is going public, and the companion app is available in the Play Store for all to see. It gives owners the ability to send out eKeys to friends so that they can temporarily enter the home using their phone as well, and it provides a log of all the times this has happened. The interface should look just at home on a Nexus device.

  

There are no shortage of limiting factors standing between you and this app. First you need the hardware, which is rather pricey, but not as expensive as the house you need to own in order to install it. Then you need a device running Android Lollipop, with the Play Store specifically pointing out the Nexus 6 and the Nexus 9. But if you can make it through these hoops, by all means, proceed into the Play Store via the entrance below.