# How to Use Auto-Unlock for Android > Auto-Unlock is a feature that automatically unlocks your door when you arrive home, without having to reach for your phone or your keys. If you're an iOS use... Source: https://support.august.com/en_us/auto-unlock-for-android-ryNkvLkR_f Last updated: 2021-10-26T21:33:33.645Z Auto-Unlock is a feature that automatically unlocks your door when you arrive home, without having to reach for your phone or your keys. If you're an iOS user, [this article](https://support.august.com/auto-unlock-for-ios-BkKgyDUkC_M) has more information about the Auto-Unlock feature. We’ve made some major performance improvements to Auto-Unlock for Android! The new version of Auto-Unlock is much more accurate, prevents unwanted unlocks, and uses less battery power than the previous version. ### How it works August uses two states to enable Auto-Unlock to function: **Home mode**, and **Away mode**. These modes indicate where Auto-Unlock thinks you are: at home, or away from home. When you are at home (in **Home mode**), Auto-Unlock is not actively doing anything. It is waiting until you leave home. ![](https://cdn.prod2.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f6cab56313fd9001af97923/2398e2d8ad678c0df8210d20173ecbec.png) When you approach your door, Auto-Unlock will unlock your door via Bluetooth. This means Auto-Unlock cannot operate your lock when you are away from home. ![](https://cdn.prod2.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f6cab56313fd9001af97923/bf149ce367fe50aa9dea2791e49254de.png) You are considered away from home when you leave your immediate neighborhood, which is about 200 meters, or a couple city blocks. It is only active when you return to your home area. ### How to Enable Auto-Unlock To enabled Auto-Unlock: 1. Open the **August App** 2. From the Keychain, select the Home the lock is associated with 3. Navigate to **Settings**   and select the Lock from the **House Settings** 4. Go to **Auto-Unlock** 5. Toggle **Enabled Auto-Unlock** to **ON** PLEASE NOTE: You need to be within Bluetooth range of your lock to enable this feature. ### Tips for good Auto-Unlock performance **Leave Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned ON.** * Wi-Fi and Bluetooth must be enabled to use the Auto-Unlock feature. Your phone uses Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to determine your location. If your location is not accurate, Auto-Unlock will not work correctly or at all. **Leave location services ON** * Auto-Unlock uses phone’s location to determine when you are close to Home. Location services must be enabled in order for Auto-Unlock to work correctly. **Location permission (Android 10 and higher)** * Set location permission to "All the time". **Take advantage of the notifications.** * Android 8 and above use notifications to communicate to you about Auto-Unlock. Notifications for previous versions of Android can be turned on in the settings. **Open and use the August App at least once a day.** * This teaches the operating system that August App is a commonly used application. **Whitelist the August App for battery savings (Android 9).** * Preserve battery life by whitelisting the August App. From your home screen, go to Settings > Apps > August > Battery > Optimize Battery Usage. * PLEASE NOTE: These steps may vary from model to model. [This article](https://support.august.com/auto-on-android-phones-terminate-background-tasks-H1JemOEaE) has more info on specific phones. **For best results: Enter and exit your home through the door where your August Smart Lock is installed.** * If you enter through a door without Auto-Unlock enabled, the Auto-Unlock feature will still attempt to unlock the Smart Lock enabled door the next time it sees it. If you have a large house, this could be minutes or hours later. * If you plan to enter through a different door, you can cancel the Auto-Unlock through the notification that appears when you approach your home area. ### Home and Away modes explained #### Home mode Nothing happens automatically. ##### What does it mean? You are assumed to be at home, and Auto-Unlock is not actively doing anything. ##### How is it activated? **Automatically** You are placed in Home mode after Auto-Unlock successfully unlocks your door when returning home. #### Away mode Your phone will attempt to unlock your lock the next time you are near it. If you'd like to ensure your door is locked, please also [set up Auto-Lock](https://support.august.com/how-do-i-enable-auto-lock-BkICUL1ROG). ##### What does it mean? You are assumed to have left home, as well as your immediate neighborhood. ##### How is it activated? **Automatically** You are placed in Away mode when your phone leaves the area around your home. This is typically about 200 meters away from your August Smart Lock, or a couple city blocks. **Manually** If you've suspended Auto-Unlock, you can re-enable it by simply opening the August App. ### Troubleshooting ##### My door didn’t unlock when I expected it to **You may not have gone far enough away from home** * To enter Away mode, you must go further than 200 meters or a couple city blocks. Only then will Auto-Unlock attempt to unlock your door when you arrive home. * You can make sure Auto-Unlock tells you when you’re far enough away by enabling the notification. Auto-Unlock notification settings can be found in Lock Settings > Auto-Unlock.  ##### My door unlocked when I didn’t expect it to * Auto-Unlock incorrectly thought you left home * If you have very poor Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity. Your phone uses these to determine your current location. * Auto-Unlock didn’t see your lock when you came home * You entered through a door other than your Auto-Unlock enabled one. * Bluetooth on your phone was turned off when you came home. * Your lock’s batteries were very low. ### How does August use my location data? Your location data is only stored on your phone within the August App. August does not collect or store your data remotely, and has no way of looking at your location data. For more information, please see our [Privacy Policy](http://august.com/legal/privacy-policy/). ##### Related Products: * [Wi-Fi Smart Lock](https://august.com/products/august-wifi-smart-lock) * [Smart Lock Pro](https://august.com/products/august-smart-lock-pro-connect) * [August Smart Lock](https://august.com/products/august-smart-lock-connect) ## Related Articles ##### How to Enable Auto-Unlock on Android Phones with Custom Vendor Optimization that Terminates Background Tasks In order to get Auto-Unlock feature to work with your phone, the August App needs to be able to occasionally run short background tasks . For these ph...  [View more](https://support.august.com/auto-on-android-phones-terminate-background-tasks-H1JemOEaE)   ##### How Does Auto-Unlock Work? Auto-Unlock is one of the most popular and unique features for August Smart Lock users. Having your door automatically unlock without having to reach for y...  [View more](https://support.august.com/how-does-auto-unlock-work--HJELxRwlB)   ##### How to Allow August to Turn on Wi-Fi We made an update to the August application for Android to ensure a better Auto-Unlock experience...  [View more](https://support.august.com/allow-august-to-turn-on-wi-fi-BktUGh6TN)