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Smart locks can be great when you need to give someone temporary access to your home and don’t want to hand over a copyable key, or you just want to be able to use your smartphone for access to your pad rather than digging through your purse or bag for your keys.

One way you might not be using your smart lock but should is through a smart assistant like Google Home.


When you have your smart lock connected to a voice assistant, particularly Google, you can do things like have the door unlock while you’re headed up the driveway, or unlock the door when guests arrive for a dinner party and you’re still busy in the kitchen. It sounds like something that you’d never need to do —and then you need to do it and it works and it’s awesome.


In order for that to work, you have to first set the feature up (along with a passcode so random passerby can’t unlock your house through an open window). Here’s how that happens:

1.Launch and log into the Google Assistant app

2.Tap the blue drawer icon in the upper right corner

3.Select Settings > Home Control

4.Tap the plus sign icon in the bottom right corner to Add devices

5.Select August Home

6.Sign in with your August account information to

7.Set your security code if you wish to use the unlock feature

8.You will now see your August lock(s) listed in Google Assistant’s Devices section


Once they’re connected up, you can also ask the assistant on your phone (or whenever) if your door is locked, or even closed, which as someone who asks herself this question every night when I’m in bed and about to fall asleep, I can tell you is pretty awesome.

If you have both a smart lock and a smart assistant device, it’s worth seeing if you can connect the two together for some increased functionality.