Guides
Schlage® Capability Guides
Feature-by-feature reference for what each lock supports on iOS and the major home platforms.
Schlage® publishes feature lists per product line, not per platform, which is why buyers routinely end up with a lock that cannot do the one thing they bought it for. The clearest example: the Encode (BE488/BE489) has excellent Wi-Fi and the official Apple Watch app, but cannot be added to Apple Home at all, while the Encode Plus (BE499) is a HomeKit and Home Key lock that the same Watch app does not support. Neither fact is obvious from a shelf label.
These guides work platform by platform — Apple Home, Home Key, Siri, Apple Watch, widgets, Alexa, Google Home, Home Assistant — and state for each one which models qualify, what setup it requires, and what stops working when the internet drops. Where a capability is partial rather than present, we say so and describe the specific limit: remote access needing an adapter or hub, access codes being managed in one app but not the other, or state lagging behind reality because it is polled rather than pushed.
If you are still choosing a lock, read the guide for the platform you already live in and then check the compatibility matrix before you buy. If you already own the lock, these pages tell you what you can reasonably expect from it before you start troubleshooting something that was never supported.
- Schlage® Encode Widgets and Lock Screen Controls on iPhoneWhat the official app offers on the Home Screen and Lock Screen, what it does not, and how to build controls yourself on iOS.
- Using Siri Shortcuts With a Schlage® Lock (And Why the Official App Doesn't)Which Schlage models expose Siri actions, why the official app ships no Shortcuts support, and the HomeKit routes that do work.
- Which Schlage® Locks Actually Work With Apple WatchThe official Watch app covers the Encode Deadbolt and Lever only. Here is the full model-by-model picture, including HomeKit workarounds.
- Adding a Schlage® Lock to Apple HomeKit: Which Models Can and Can'tEncode BE488/BE489 is Wi-Fi only and cannot join Apple Home. Only Encode Plus and Sense do. The complete pairing picture in one place.
- Schlage® Lock Automations: Auto-Lock, Geofencing, and Door SensorsAuto-lock timers, geofenced arrival, and door-sensor pairing. What the official app supports natively and what needs a home platform.
- Schlage® With Alexa and Google Assistant: What WorksVoice unlock rules, PIN prompts and status queries across Alexa and Google, model by model, including the limits nobody documents.