• Thanks to Matter 1.2: Nuki's fourth generation lock can now differentiate between "unlocking" and "opening the door" via a smart home platform for the first time.
• Different countries, different lock customs: Difference between European and US models reason for absence of further unlocking actions in the Matter protocol so far.
• First step: Home Assistant users already benefit from the improvement of support for European locks – Google, Samsung, and others still awaiting.

Yes, smart lock pioneer Nuki is on its way to becoming a global player with the planned US market launch for this fall. But no, that doesn't mean the Austrian company is deviating from its path of advocating for European customers' interests. An example of this is the Matter smart home standard. Since joining the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), Nuki has been pushing for the improvement of support for European door locks. Since the release of Matter version 1.2 in the fall of 2023, features that ensure this improvement have become part of the protocol created by the CSA. It's good that new features are integrated into the standard – even better is that users benefit from them in everyday life.

And that's exactly what Nuki is now doing with a firmware update for its fourth generation product: Thanks to Matter 1.2, Nuki users are now beneficiaries of the differentiation between "opening the door" and "unlocking" when using the electronic lock via a smart home platform. For doors with a knob on the outside, "unlocking" (without retracting the latch) is now possible alongside "opening the door". Previously, this was only supported in the Nuki app. The Nuki Smart Lock is the first electronic door lock to incorporate this differentiation within the Matter standard. Initially, Nuki users who use Home Assistant will benefit from this. Providers such as Apple, Google, or Samsung have yet to implement it. Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer Jürgen Pansy: "This is what pioneering spirit means to us: Offering our customers a feature that is not yet available with any other provider. A feature that users have repeatedly requested."

But why did European users have to demand this feature in the first place? One of the reasons is the difference between European and US locks. In the USA, where the development of the Matter standard began and where industry giants like Google or Apple are headquartered, locks typically have only two functions: unlocking and locking. European models, on the other hand, almost always have a knob on the outside and offer the option to keep the door closed with a latch without locking it. "As a European company, being the spokesperson for European users on this issue was important to us – even beyond the scope of our own interests. We were able to ensure that the function became part of Matter 1.2. This now benefits our customers, but in the long run, it benefits the entire Matter ecosystem," says Co-founder and CEO Martin Pansy.

In a first step, Nuki users relying on Home Assistant can use the additional locking action. With larger players like Google or Samsung, this will be delayed. Jürgen Pansy adds: "It's nice to see that the Matter standard is growing up and can now differentiate between 'opening the door' and 'unlocking'. We've now launched what we promised in fall – and thus done our homework. The ball is now in the court of others."