Level has released its first smart lock to feature Apple HomeKey today, with the product seemingly appearing exclusively in Apple Retail Stores. At the time of writing, the new Level Lock+ is not listed online at either Apple’s website or Lock’s own website, so purchasing this latest lock requires a visit to an Apple Store (in the US).
So, with the announcement of Level’s entry into the world of HomeKey, we’re finally beginning to see this feature slowly take hold with manufacturers. If you’re not aware, Apple HomeKey allows iOS users with an iPhone (11 or later), or Apple Watch (series 4 or later) to unlock their door via a digital key generated at the time of adding the lock to HomeKit, which is stored in the users’ Apple Wallet alongside credit cards, loyalty cards etc.
Since the arrival of Apple HomeKey late last year, with the very first locks released with this feature being the Aqara A100 Pro and Zigbee (review HERE, video HERE) in late December of 2021, many consumers have been asking when other locks will be getting the feature. A couple of months later, Schlage released their own model with HomeKey, the Schlage Encode Plus, which repeatedly sells out. Not to be outdone, Aqara also released another lock with HomeKey, namely the D100 Zigbee.
You can see the new Level Lock+ in action, courtesy of Reddit user u/Badchooker below;
The new Level Lock+ has surfaced amid a lot of conflicting information as to its actual existence; Level themselves have repeatedly stated they had no plans to introduce HomeKey to their products, although this could be read that ‘existing’ Level products wouldn’t get an update, but future products may well get them. Even as recently as last week, a user on Reddit revealed an email from the company stating much the same, although, within a day of that, Mark Gurman claimed that a new HomeKey enabled Level Lock will be dropping in Apple retails stores on Friday;
The Level Lock+ is currently only available at Apple retail stores in the US, priced at US$329.95.