Can't be home? UPS tests smart locks to deliver inside your building
So far the service is only in New York City, but it might go nationwide.
UPS started testing the program in Manhattan earlier this year and has expanded to Brooklyn.
Tired of missing deliveries when you're not home? UPS wants to make it easier to get packages in New York City.
UPS on Tuesday said it's started a pilot program with Latch smart access devices to provide in-building deliveries to multi-unit homes in the Big Apple. This collaboration could increase security and convenience for people who aren't home to receive packages, said UPS.
Here's how it works: UPS drivers will receive devices that enable them to enter Latch-equipped buildings. Each building has a unique credential. Latch records the time and location of each entry, and audits the trails UPS drivers take.
UPS started testing it in Manhattan earlier this year and has expanded to Brooklyn. The company said it may offer the service nationwide later on.
The delivery service isn't the first to offer smart access solutions to apartment dwellers. In June, Amazon launched Hub, where tenants can pick up their packages from a large metal locker in the common area of their apartment complex. The tech giant's Amazon Key system, which it introduced in May, takes things even further. Amazon Key pairs a smart lock with an Amazon Cloud Cam so that deliveries can be dropped off in your home.
"We believe that smart access can fundamentally change the way people live in urban environments," Luke Schoenfelder, Latch CEO, said in a press release. "Enabling deliveries with UPS is one of the most significant parts of that evolution."
First published on July 17, 11:29 a.m. PT.
Update, July 18 at 7:12 a.m. PT: Adds information about Amazon Key.