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 My Auto-Unlock by Distance (Geofencing) does not work as expected on my smart lock. How can I fix this?

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    Instructions for Halo Lock variants

    Geofence logo

    Enable Auto-Unlock by Distance, to automatically unlock the door as you approach your home. This feature is available in all Halo lock variants and can be enabled in the Lock Settings in the Kwikset App.

    Auto-Unlock by Distance utilizes your phone location to unlock the door when you are close to the 15ft. radius of your home. Auto-Unlock should be enabled and configured for each lock separately and each user in the home who wishes to use Auto-Unlock by Distance must enable and configure the feature on their own phone. The phone’s location will be used as the trigger for the Auto-Unlock to function.

    To prevent unintended unlocking, this feature will activate only after the phone travels at least 250ft away from your home and then returns within a 15ft radius of the home.

    Important Notes:

    • Environmental conditions and other factors impact feature reliability and the distance of the lock trigger
    • Auto-Unlock depends on phone connectivity and GPS accuracy. 
    • User must remain logged into the app for the feature to function.

    If your lock is having issues with Auto-Unlock by Distance, try the below troubleshooting tips.

    1. Check Lock Settings:
      • Ensure that Auto-Unlock by Distance is enabled in the Lock Settings.
      • If there are multiple locks in the home, the feature will need to be enabled for each lock individually in the respective Lock Settings.
      • Auto-Unlock by Distance relies on a specific phone's location. Each user in the home who wishes to use Auto-Unlock by Distance must enable and configure the feature on their own phone.

      Lock Settings
    2. Ensure Home Boundary is Accurate:
      • Ensure the home boundary was correctly set during your initial setup. If not, use the "Edit Boundary" option to adjust.
      • Stay close to your lock with your phone so the phone picks up the lock's GPS location on the map. This step is crucial for capturing the lock's location correctly.
      • As an additional verification step, check if your home address is captured correctly.

      Map Boundary
    3. Set Location Services to “Always” on Your Phone:
      • Ensure that location services are enabled on your phone.
      • During the initial setup, when prompted for location permission, ensure, Location Services is set to Always and the Precise Location turned on in your phone settings.
      • If the location service is turned off or modified, Auto-Unlock by Distance will not function correctly.
    4. Network Connectivity – Phone and Lock
    5. Battery Status – Phone and Lock:
      • Low battery in general affects the overall performance of the lock; make sure the lock is not at low battery level.
      • If the Main screen of the Kwikset App shows low battery, follow the battery replacement instructions, and replace the battery. Check out this Battery Performance FAQ for additional information: https://www.kwikset.com/support/answers/how-can-i-extend-the-battery-life-of-my-smart-lock.
    6. App and Firmware Updates:
    7. Auto-Unlock by Distance Accuracy Factors:
      • Environmental conditions and other factors impact feature reliability and the distance of the lock trigger.
      • Auto-Unlock by Distance depends on phone connectivity, mobile data/Wi-Fi strength and GPS accuracy.
      • User must remain logged into the app for the feature to function.
      • Wi-Fi network restrictions from public or shared Wi-Fi networks such as an office or hotel may affect accuracy, try connecting to mobile data instead.
    8. Auto-Unlock by Distance Notification:
      • Check if you have turned on notifications for Kwikset App.
      • To receive push notifications related to Auto-Unlock by Distance, ensure that Wi-Fi or mobile data is enabled on the phone.
      • Power saving features on your phone could affect the timing of notifications. If you experience delays or don't see notifications when the phone is locked, try turning off the Power saving feature.
      • Wi-Fi network restrictions from public or shared Wi-Fi networks such as an office or hotel may affect accuracy, try connecting to mobile data instead.
    9. Additional Tips:
      • Restart the Kwikset App
      • Restart the Phone
    10. Related Features:
      • Check out the Auto-Unlock by Duration option in Lock Settings. When enabled, the door will automatically lock after a chosen time duration (ranging from 30 seconds to 10 minutes).

    Contact Support:

    If you have followed the steps above and are still experiencing issues, please contact our Customer Support team. https://www.kwikset.com/support/customer-service