Yale Sells 6 Smart Locks; Only One Takes Apple Home Key

Yale’s US store sells six current smart lock lines: the Assure Lock 2, Assure Lock 2 Touch, Assure Lock 2 Plus, Smart Lock with Matter, Approach Lock with Wi-Fi and Assure Lever. The Touch reads fingerprints, the Plus is the one with Apple Home Key, the Matter lock runs over Thread, the Approach fits over your existing deadbolt, and the Assure Lever is a lever lock sold with Z-Wave Plus.

Most of the 32 product pages Yale’s smart locks page links are one of these six in a different radio, finish, or with or without a key cylinder (“Key-Free”). Prices below are as shopyalehome.com showed them on 31 October 2026; specs and claims are Yale’s.

The six lines side by side

	Assure Lock 2	Assure Lock 2 Touch	Assure Lock 2 Plus	Smart Lock with Matter	Approach Lock with Wi-Fi	Assure Lever
Lock type	Deadbolt	Deadbolt	Deadbolt	Deadbolt	Over an existing deadbolt, inside	Lever
Entry at the door	Push-button keypad or touchscreen	Touchscreen and fingerprint	Touchscreen and Apple Home Key	Keypad	Optional separate keypad with fingerprint	Keypad or touchscreen
Key cylinder	Keyed or key-free	Keyed or key-free	Key-free	Keyed or key-free	Your existing one	Not stated on the card
Radios sold	Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Z-Wave Plus	Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Z-Wave	Bluetooth, Wi-Fi	Thread (Matter)	Wi-Fi	Z-Wave Plus
Batteries	4 AA	Not read	4 AA	4 AA	4 AA (keypad 4 AAA)	Not read
Bluetooth price	$169.99 keypad, $189.99 touchscreen	$209.99	$219.99	—	—	—
Wi-Fi price	$259.99 keypad, $279.99 touchscreen	$299.99	$309.99	—	$139.99 lock, $239.99 with keypad	—
Z-Wave price	$209.99 keypad, $229.99 touchscreen	$249.99	—	—	—	$229.99 keypad, $249.99 touchscreen
Thread price	—	—	—	$189.99	—	—

Keyed and key-free versions were the same price on every card where both were listed. The Assure Lock 2 Plus Bluetooth price is from Yale’s comparison table; its product page showed the Wi-Fi version and an out-of-stock notice. Yale still sells the original Assure Lock, which it labels “1st generation”, and the Yale Code Keypad Lock, which it calls non-connected and which does not work with the Yale Access app; neither is in the table.

Assure Lock 2, Touch and Plus: one family, three entry methods

The three Assure Lock 2 models share the deadbolt body and the Yale Access app. The Touch adds a fingerprint reader to the touchscreen keypad; the Plus adds Apple Home Key, so a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch in Apple Wallet unlocks it with a tap. Yale lists Home Key as needing an iPhone XS or later on iOS 15, or an Apple Watch Series 4 or later on watchOS 8.

The radio is what changes the price most. Yale’s footnote says Bluetooth is in every Assure Lock 2, and its Wi-Fi Smart Module adds remote access and the wider integrations. You can buy that module later and fit it to a Bluetooth lock; it was $89.99 on Yale’s Smart Modules page.

Which ones need a hub

• Wi-Fi versions: no hub. Yale says its Wi-Fi Smart Module needs “no additional hub or bridges”.
• Bluetooth versions: none at the door, an Apple hub for remote access. Yale says Bluetooth models work only with Apple Home and exclude its other partners, and that remote access through HomeKit needs an Apple TV or iPad as home hub.
• Z-Wave versions: a Z-Wave hub or alarm system. Yale names Samsung SmartThings, Hubitat and Ring Alarm among its Z-Wave partners.
• Smart Lock with Matter (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab): a Thread border router. Yale says it does not connect to your Wi-Fi directly but runs over a Thread border router, and needs a Matter hub for setup and remote access. What Thread and a border router are is in our Matter, Thread and Zigbee explainer.

Which apps and assistants each works with

Yale’s comparison table lists the same partners for the Wi-Fi versions of all three Assure Lock 2 models: Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, Philips Hue, ecobee Smart Security and Airbnb, with Siri, Google and Alexa for voice. The Bluetooth versions list Apple Home and Siri only.

The Smart Lock with Matter is designed for Google Home, Yale says, and also works with Apple Home, Alexa and SmartThings through Matter, alongside the Yale Access app. The Approach Lock with Wi-Fi (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) lists Google Home, SmartThings and Alexa; Yale says it will add Matter later through a software update, without giving a date. If you are still picking a platform, how Apple Home, Google Home and Alexa differ covers the hubs each one needs.

The Approach and the Nest x Yale

The Approach is the line for a door you cannot change. Yale says it replaces only the inside thumb turn of most single-cylinder deadbolts, keeps your existing keys, and installs with a screwdriver; the keypad sticks or screws on anywhere within 30 feet. Yale rates the lock at 12 months per set of batteries and the keypad at seven. August sells the Approach too, beside its own two locks, which our August lineup sets out.

Yale’s US store link for the Nest x Yale Lock opened the Smart Lock with Matter page on 31 October. If you already own a Nest x Yale, Google’s update table still lists it as receiving critical security updates, past its minimum date of 31 March 2023; our list of Google Nest update dates has the rest.

All of the locks we could read list AA batteries. What happens when they run flat, and the backup ways in, are in what happens when a smart lock’s battery dies. Schlage’s six smart locks, two of them with Apple Home Key, are laid out the same way in our Schlage lineup.

Who each one suits, by the specs

• An iPhone household that wants to tap to unlock: the Assure Lock 2 Plus (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab), the line with Home Key.
• Unlocking by fingerprint on the lock itself: the Assure Lock 2 Touch.
• A Google Home or Matter setup with a Thread border router already: the Smart Lock with Matter.
• A renter, or a door whose outside must not change: the Approach Lock with Wi-Fi.
• An alarm system or Z-Wave hub: the Z-Wave versions of the Assure Lock 2, Touch or Assure Lever.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between Yale Assure Lock 2, Touch and Plus?

Same Assure Lock 2 family. The Touch adds a fingerprint reader to the touchscreen keypad. The Plus adds Apple Home Key, so a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch unlocks it with a tap, and Yale sells it key-free only.

Do Yale smart locks need a hub?

Wi-Fi versions do not; Yale says its Wi-Fi Smart Module needs no hub or bridge. Bluetooth versions work at the door without one, but remote access through Apple Home needs an Apple TV or iPad as home hub. Z-Wave versions need a Z-Wave hub or alarm system.

Which Yale lock works with Matter?

The Yale Smart Lock with Matter, which connects over Thread. Yale says it needs a Matter hub and a Thread border router and works with Google Home, Apple Home, Alexa and SmartThings. Yale says the Approach Lock with Wi-Fi will get Matter later through a software update.

Does the Yale Assure Lock 2 with Bluetooth work with Alexa or Google Home?

Not on its own. Yale says Bluetooth models work only with Apple Home. Alexa, Google Home and its other partners need a Wi-Fi model or the Yale Wi-Fi Smart Module added later.

What batteries do Yale smart locks use?

The Assure Lock 2, Assure Lock 2 Plus, Smart Lock with Matter and Approach Lock list 4 AA batteries, included. The Approach’s separate keypad takes 4 AAA. Yale rates the Matter and Approach locks at up to 12 months per set.

Can I put a Yale smart lock on a rental door?

The Approach Lock with Wi-Fi is the one Yale designs for that: it installs on the inside of most single-cylinder deadbolts, leaving the outside and your existing keys unchanged, with a screwdriver.