Why the Schlage® Home App Now Shows Ads (And What You Can Do About It)

What the banners actually are

They are not third-party advertising. Schlage documented them in its own App Store release notes, describing banners as communication about new products, features and user tips. There is no ad network involved, no third-party tracking pixel and no auction — these are Schlage marketing Schlage products inside an app you already paid $200–$300 of hardware to use.

That distinction matters for two reasons. First, ad-blockers and DNS-level blocking (Pi-hole, NextDNS, AdGuard) will not remove them, because the banner content is served from Schlage's own API alongside your lock data. Blocking that domain breaks the app entirely. Second, it means the banners are unlikely to go away — they are a product decision, not a monetization experiment with a third party that might lapse.

Why there's no off switch

[VERIFY: confirm no toggle exists under Settings > Notifications or Settings > Preferences as of current version]

As of this writing there is no documented setting to disable in-app banners. The app's notification preferences govern push notifications about lock events, not in-app promotional content. Users who reported the banners alongside a forced app upgrade found no path back — once the minimum supported version moves, older builds stop authenticating against the API.

What actually works

The realistic options depend entirely on which lock you own, because Schlage's models differ sharply in whether they can be controlled outside the official app at all.

1. Check whether your lock supports Apple Home

   Encode Plus (BE499) and Sense (BE479) can be added to Apple Home. The standard Encode (BE488/BE489) is Wi-Fi only and cannot — this is the single most important fork in the road.

   Confirm: Open the Apple Home app. If your lock appears as an accessory, you have this option.

2. Move daily control to Apple Home (Encode Plus and Sense only)

   Once paired, lock, unlock, status checks, Siri commands, automations and Home Key all work from Apple Home. You then open the Schlage app only for firmware updates and access-code management.

   Confirm: You can lock and unlock from Control Center without opening the Schlage app.

3. Add access codes through Apple Home where supported

   On Encode Plus, always-on access codes can be created and managed in Apple Home directly, removing one more reason to open the official app.

   Confirm: [VERIFY: exact Apple Home menu path for lock access codes]

4. Use a third-party app (all Wi-Fi models)

   For the standard Encode, Arrive, and anyone who wants widgets, Lock Screen controls or Shortcuts, a third-party client talks to the same Schlage cloud account without the promotional layer.

5. Reduce how often you open the app at all

   Set auto-lock behaviour once, create your permanent codes once, and let notifications tell you what happened. Most owners open the official app daily out of habit, not need.

What doesn't work

• Blocking ads at the network level. The banners share an endpoint with lock state.
• Staying on an old app version. Forced upgrades cut off API access to older builds.
• Deleting and reinstalling. Banners return with the current version.
• Turning off notifications. Different system entirely.

If none of this helps

If you own a standard Encode and want out of the official app, your only options are a third-party client or Home Assistant, which reaches Schlage Wi-Fi locks through the same cloud API on a 30-second polling interval. Be aware that cloud polling meaningfully increases battery drain — see our battery article before setting that up.

Common questions

Can I turn off the ads in the Schlage Home app?

No setting currently exists to disable them.

Are these third-party ads tracking me?

No. They are Schlage's own promotional banners served from Schlage's API, not a third-party ad network.

Will a Pi-hole or ad blocker remove them?

No, and blocking the domain will break lock control.

Does the Apple Home app show these banners?

No. Apple Home has no promotional content, but only Encode Plus and Sense can be added to it.

Did an app update force this on me?

Yes for many users — the banners arrived with a mandatory version upgrade.

Sources

• Schlage Home release notes, App Store (official)
• Schlage Home listing, Google Play — user reviews (review)
• App Store user reviews, 2026 (review)