I have a long held belief that when it comes to smart door tech, no matter the product, there should always be some kind of manual override. Usually a key operated version.

Most smart door locks come with such an override. Because, with the best will in the world, electronics can fail at times, and the last thing you want is to be locked out of your house.

So when Yale’s second version of their smart door handle came out, the Conexis®, and it ditched the key override it had in the first version, I had immediate reservations. Last year there was the server problem which knocked out the app for many home owners. Now, they have issued a fairly serious warning in relation to Apple’s iOS13 software update.

Spoiler alert, don’t update your iPhone!

Update will cause crash

An email was circulated yesterday from Yale in which they warn that Lock App users should avoid updating their iPhones to iOS13 as it causes compatibility issues. Here’s the text from the email sent by Yale:

We recommend that our Lock App users do not download iOS 13 until we release the update to resolve the compatibility issues.

If you do not download iOS 13, your Lock App will continue to operate as normal.

If you download iOS 13, your existing Lock App will crash when you try to launch it.

We have an app update due for release at the same time as iOS 13 which resolves the app-crash issue, however this version of the Lock App will have limited functionality; it will allow you to use your Conexis® L1 with key cards, tags and fobs but you will not able to add new smart locks, key cards, tags or fobs.

If you’re not planning to download iOS 13 until this issue is resolved, please turn off automatic updates on your device and do not download Conexis® L1 Lock App update 2.0.3.

If you download iOS 13, please download the Lock App 2.0.3 and update your device; you’ll be able to access the app and use existing locks and key cards, tags and fobs but you will not be able to add new smart locks, key cards, tags or fobs.

If you’re setting up a new Conexis® L1 smart lock, please follow the instructions in the product manual on how to set up your smart lock without the app (see page 1 – 16); new tags and fobs can be paired without the app. Please note that if you’d like to add all tags and fobs at once, please:

1.   Press the R button once on the inside of the lock

2.   Present all the cards and tags, one-by-one to the lock just under the Yale logo on the outside handle

3.   After each tag has been learnt to the lock it will bleep every time

4.   When all have been learned in, press the R button on the inside handle once to complete

Our developers are currently working hard to fix the compatibility issues. Rest assured that we’ll release an app update for iOS 13 as soon as possible and we’ll let you know when it’s available for download.

Please note, we recommend that you always carry a key card, tag or fob for your Conexis® L1 smart lock and do not rely on your smartphone app alone – just in case you misplace it or run out of battery!

Lesson learned?

When big companies like Apple announce big software updates, developers get at least a couple of months to play around with new coding, features etc, so that they can prepare their apps to work at the start of the launch. So I’m not sure what happened when Yale learned of the iOS13 update, but clearly something wasn’t quite right.

On a more serious note, if people do update their phones and their Lock App crashes, it will cause problems. They say to carry the fob, tag or key card, but not all family members may carry these. Kids for example coming home from school who would normally only use their smartphone to get in the house. Lets face it, teenagers will just update everything on their phone when the update comes through, they’re highly unlikely to be aware of compatibility issues with the Yale Lock App.

This has to be a lesson not only to Yale but to all lock or tech companies thinking of getting into the smart door lock market. Always include a mechanical override. I don’t care how reliable you believe your product to be, there is always a chance it will fail. So at least provide that one extra back up so that if even if the world’s electricity supply fails, a home owner will still be able to use that door handle.

Hopefully Yale’s app developers are already making progress on this and will issue fixes as soon as possible.

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