Schlage will release the Sense Pro Smart Deadbolt on June 29, 2026, priced at $399. The announcement ends a wait that many smart-home enthusiasts have endured since Apple first demonstrated hands-free unlocking with Ultra Wideband (UWB) at WWDC 2024. While Yale and August have teased UWB prototypes, Schlage will be the first major U.S. lock brand to ship a finished product that uses Apple’s U1-chip ecosystem for truly keyless entry.

The Sense Pro combines Apple Home Key over UWB with Matter-over-Thread compatibility. Schlage confirmed the lock will carry the “Works with Apple Home” badge, support Home Key for tap-to-unlock via NFC, and – crucially – employ the UWB radio in recent iPhones and Apple Watches to detect a user’s precise distance and approach direction. Owners of an iPhone 15 or later, or an Apple Watch with U1, will be able to walk up to the door and have it unlock automatically without removing a device from a pocket or tapping anything. No more fumbling with a phone while holding groceries.

UWB Unlocking: How It Works

Ultra Wideband is a short-range, high-bandwidth wireless protocol that measures time-of-flight with picosecond accuracy. In the context of a smart lock, that allows the lock and a paired device to calculate distance within a few centimeters, and to determine whether the device is outside or inside the door. This directional awareness solves the age-old Bluetooth proximity problem – a lock unlocking as you walk past inside your home, or staying locked when you’re standing right outside because the signal is too weak.

When a user approaches the Sense Pro with a UWB-enabled iPhone, the phone and lock perform a secure ranging sequence. If the phone is on the exterior side of the door and within a preset zone (typically 1–2 meters), the deadbolt retracts. The lock then re-locks after a configurable interval, or when the door closes and the Schlage sensor detects the bolt is aligned. Because UWB is resistant to relay and man-in-the-middle attacks, the risk of signal amplification theft is virtually eliminated.

Apple’s Home Key framework handles authentication natively. A digital key stored in the Wallet app is released to the lock via NFC as a fallback, but the UWB experience is hands-free – no taps, no voice commands. It’s the kind of invisible interaction that Apple has perfected with Car Key and the iPhone’s Find My precision finding.

Pricing and Availability

At $399, the Sense Pro slots squarely into the premium smart-lock segment. That’s $100 more than Schlage’s own Encode Plus Wi-Fi deadbolt, which lacks UWB but offers Home Key over NFC. The price premium reflects the dual-radio hardware (UWB + Thread), a more powerful processor, and the R&D needed to miniaturize the UWB antenna into a standard door prep.

Pre-orders open on June 23, 2026, through Schlage.com, Amazon, and physical retail partners including The Home Depot and Lowe’s. The lock will ship with a matching Schlage keypad (optional for those who want a backup PIN), a DoorSense sensor that confirms open/closed status, and a 4x AA battery pack expected to last up to six months. Schlage promises a one-year warranty, extendable to two years with product registration.

Matter and Thread: The Cross-Platform Promise

Beyond the Apple ecosystem, the Sense Pro is a certified Matter-over-Thread device. Thread provides a low-power, mesh-based connection that doesn’t rely on Wi-Fi, and Matter ensures it can be controlled by any Matter-compatible hub – Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, and, critically, the open-source Home Assistant platform that runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

For Windows users who dabble in smart-home automation, Matter means the Sense Pro can be paired with a Thread border router like an Apple HomePod mini, a Nest Hub, or a future Thread-capable Windows PC. Once enrolled in a Matter fabric, the lock can be locked and unlocked via voice or app irrespective of the user’s primary phone OS. Schlage has confirmed that initial firmware at launch will support Matter 1.2, with an OTA update planned later in 2026 to add support for Matter 1.3’s enhanced credential sharing.

What It Means for Windows Users

On the surface, a lock labeled “Works with Apple Home” might seem irrelevant to Windows enthusiasts. But two trends make the Sense Pro noteworthy even for those who live in a Microsoft-centric world.

First, UWB is no longer an Apple exclusive. Windows 11 laptops from Dell, Lenovo, and HP have started including UWB radios for features like “Windows Hello presence detection” and proximity-based auto-lock. The underlying UWB stack in Windows, built on the FiRa Consortium standard, is evolving. Microsoft has demonstrated prototypes where a PC acts as a UWB anchor, detecting a paired phone to unlock the desktop. That same infrastructure could, in theory, be extended to smart locks. While no off-the-shelf Windows app can yet manage a UWB lock directly, the hardware path exists.

Second, the Matter-over-Thread compatibility erases the platform barrier. A Windows-based Home Assistant server can control the Sense Pro just as easily as an Apple TV can. Developers using the IoT Plug and Play framework in Windows can interact with Matter devices through the universal PnP API, opening the door to custom lock dashboards, automation scripts, or integration with PC-centric routines. Imagine a gaming setup that locks the front door when a high-APM macro profile is activated.

Competition and Market Context

The smart-lock market has been eagerly awaiting UWB since Apple announced U1-based Home Key improvements. Yale had teased its Assure Lock 3 with UWB inside, but that product missed its Q1 2026 ship date and now sits in regulatory limbo at the FCC. August, now part of Assa Abloy, showed a UWB retrofit module at CES 2026, but it remains a “development kit” with no consumer release timeline. Level’s invisible bolt has Home Key via NFC, but no UWB.

Schlage’s position as the first to market with a finished UWB deadbolt gives it an edge in both mindshare and retail shelf space. The company’s builder-channel relationships – thousands of new construction homes already ship with Schlage hardware – mean the Sense Pro could become a standard upgrade option on premium home builds. The $399 price, while high, aligns with what buyers of an iPhone 15 or later might spend on a piece of smart-home hardware: the same demographic often pays $349 for an Apple TV and $299 for a HomePod.

Security Considerations

UWB’s resistance to relay attacks is its headline security feature, but the Sense Pro’s security architecture goes further. The keychain-style Home Key secure element stores cryptographic material inside the device’s secure enclave, not in the main OS. The UWB ranging session itself is encrypted using keys derived from the secure channel established during Home Key pairing. Even if an attacker captures UWB packets, they cannot replay them because each ranging pulse is timestamped with nanosecond precision and includes a rolling key.

Schlage says the lock’s firmware will be updatable over the air via Thread, and the company has pledged a minimum of five years of security patches. Physical security is Schlage’s heritage: the Sense Pro uses a hardened steel bolt with a 1-inch throw and a reinforced strike plate. The lock’s ANSI/BHMA certification is Grade 1, the highest residential rating.

Installation and Compatibility

The Sense Pro is designed to fit standard U.S. door preps. The package includes a mounting plate that replaces most existing deadbolts, and the external escutcheon measures 5 inches by 2.5 inches – compact enough for narrow trim profiles. Schlage will offer both traditional and contemporary styles in satin nickel, matte black, and aged bronze.

Setup is done through the Apple Home app. An NFC tap of an iPhone against the lock’s module initiates pairing, then the app guides the user through enrolling the lock into the Home and adding a digital key to Wallet. Matter pairing to platforms other than Apple Home requires a Matter setup code printed inside the battery compartment, and a Thread border router already commissioned in the desired ecosystem.

One notable limitation: the initial launch supports only Apple U1 devices for UWB unlock. Android phones with UWB (Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Google Pixel Fold 2) will not get hands-free unlock via the Sense Pro at launch because Google’s implementation of UWB ranging for smart locks is not yet part of the FiRa 3.0 specification. Schlage has indicated it is “actively monitoring” the FiRa 3.0 release and will update the lock once the standard is ratified, likely in 2027.

The Future of Hands-Free Access

The Sense Pro is more than a single product – it’s the gateway to a new interaction paradigm for the home. Once UWB deadbolts become common, the home can detect exactly who is at which door, open the garage as a vehicle with a UWB tag approaches, and even activate personalized scenes without a touch. The same UWB anchor chips that Apple uses for AirTag precision finding could eventually be embedded in door handles, garage doors, and even window locks.

For Windows users, the bigger picture includes the possibility of a Windows-based UWB anchor network. Microsoft’s work with the FiRa standard and its investment in the “Intelligent Edge” suggests that PCs, tablets, and possibly Xboxes could become UWB presence sensors. Add in Matter’s multi-admin capability, and a Schlage lock provisioned to both Apple Home and Home Assistant could respond to a family member’s iPhone approaching the front door while a Windows PC in the living room logs the event and triggers an automation.

At $399, the Schlage Sense Pro isn’t cheap. But for early adopters of a platform that now promises to end the era of pocket-fumbling at the doorstep, it delivers something no other lock can: arrive home, and the door simply opens.