What You Need
Before you start, make sure you have the following:
A Nuki Smart Lock Pro (4th Gen) or Nuki Smart Lock Ultra. These are the models with built-in Thread radios, which is required for Matter. The older Smart Lock 3.0 and the non-Pro 4.0 don't support Matter natively (you'd need the Nuki Bridge, which adds latency and complexity).
An Apple Home hub — this is either a HomePod, HomePod mini, or Apple TV 4K (2nd gen or later). The hub acts as a Thread border router, which is the communication layer between your Nuki and the Apple Home ecosystem. Without a hub, you can't add Matter devices to Apple Home.
An iPhone running iOS 16.1 or later with the Home app. That's all. No extra bridges, no accounts, no subscriptions.
Setting Up Matter
Here's the step-by-step pairing process:
1. Open the Nuki app on your iPhone and go to your lock's settings. Tap "Smart Home" and then "Matter." The app will show a QR code and a numeric setup code.
2. Open the Apple Home app. Tap the "+" button and select "Add Accessory." Scan the QR code shown in the Nuki app. Home will detect the lock and start the pairing process.
3. Assign the lock to a room (e.g., "Front Door" in "Hallway"). Give it a name that's easy to say — Siri will use this exact name for voice commands.
4. Wait for the pairing to complete. This can take 1–3 minutes as the Thread network establishes the connection. Once done, the lock appears in your Home app with a lock/unlock toggle.
Important: Make sure your HomePod or Apple TV is powered on and connected to your home Wi-Fi during pairing. The Thread border router needs to be active for the initial handshake.
Using Nuki with Siri
Once paired, Siri voice control works immediately. Here are the commands you can use:
"Hey Siri, lock the front door" — locks the door. "Hey Siri, unlock the front door" — unlocks the door. For security, Siri will ask you to confirm on your iPhone or Apple Watch before unlocking. "Hey Siri, is the front door locked?" — checks the current lock status.
Siri commands work from your iPhone, Apple Watch, HomePod, Mac, and CarPlay. The unlock confirmation is a security feature you can't disable (and shouldn't — you don't want Siri unlocking your door because your HomePod heard your TV).
Voice control through the HomePod is particularly useful when your hands are full — coming home with groceries, for example. Just say the command as you walk up, confirm on your Watch, and the door unlocks by the time you reach it.
Apple Home Key with Keypad 2
This is the feature Apple fans have been waiting for. The Nuki Keypad 2 NFC supports NFC, which means you can tap your iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock — just like paying with Apple Pay. Nuki implements this through the Aliro standard, which is Apple Home Key compatible.
To set it up: pair the Keypad 2 NFC with your Nuki Smart Lock in the Nuki app, then enable Home Key in the Apple Home settings for your lock. Your iPhone will add the key to your Wallet app, right next to your credit cards and transit passes.
In daily use, it's magic. Walk up to your door, hold your iPhone or Apple Watch near the Keypad, and the door unlocks. No app to open, no PIN to enter, no fumbling for keys. It works even when your iPhone is dead (Apple Watch has a power reserve for NFC). And because it uses NFC, the range is centimeters — nobody's unlocking your door from the street.
Automations
Apple Home automations let you trigger lock/unlock based on conditions. Here are the most useful ones:
"When I arrive home" — unlock the front door. Set this up using location-based automation in the Home app. When your iPhone's GPS detects you're within a set radius of home, it triggers the unlock. You'll still need to confirm on your device for security.
"When I leave home" — lock the front door. This one runs automatically without confirmation (locking is less sensitive than unlocking). Never worry about forgetting to lock up again.
"At 11:00 PM" — lock the front door. A simple time-based automation for peace of mind. Set it and forget it.
"When the last person leaves" — lock the door. If multiple family members use Apple Home, this triggers when the last iPhone leaves the geofence. No more "did someone lock up?" texts in the family group chat.
You can combine these with other HomeKit accessories. For example: "When I arrive home → unlock front door + turn on hallway lights + set thermostat to 21°C."
Troubleshooting
If pairing fails or the lock shows "No Response" in the Home app, here are the most common fixes:
Check your Thread border router. Your HomePod or Apple TV needs to be within Thread range of the Nuki lock (roughly 10–15 meters through walls). If it's too far, the connection will be unreliable. You can check Thread network status in the Home app under Home Settings → Home Hubs.
Reset the Matter pairing. In the Nuki app, go to Smart Home → Matter and tap "Reset." Then re-pair from scratch in the Home app. This fixes 90% of issues.
Update firmware. Both the Nuki Smart Lock and the HomePod/Apple TV should be on the latest firmware. Nuki regularly pushes Thread and Matter improvements through firmware updates.
Restart your Home hub. Unplug the HomePod or Apple TV, wait 10 seconds, plug it back in. Thread border routers can occasionally need a restart to re-establish mesh connections.
If you have multiple HomePods, Apple automatically selects the best one as the primary Thread border router. You can check which one is active in Home Settings. If the selected hub is far from your Nuki, try moving one closer.