Finding the hardest way
Where to start with this? Probably best to begin with the fact that the app hardly ever succeeds in unlocking a door on the first try. It asks for infinite permissions, from ones that make sense (Bluetooth and local network), to ones that really don’t (always-on location and my motion/fitness data). All this to is ostensibly to try (and rarely succeed) at guessing if I’m near a door reader that has an NFC reader built into it. You know the readers have NFC built in, because Apple Wallet opens when you wave your phone near the reader in a desperate and unsuccessful attempt to get the door to open. So why don’t they add a card to Apple Wallet and use the NFC functionality that’s literally meant for this kind of thing? Who knows, but they don’t. And so every time I come up to a door, I have to get my phone out, open the app and pray that it works this time. All because they tried to find their own solution to a problem that already had one. Additionally, the Apple Watch app only works if my phone is nearby and has the app currently open. That’s not super helpful. The nice thing about the watch is normally that I can leave my phone behind! But now I can’t go for a walk without my phone since I won’t be able to get back in. Honestly this app has given me a whole new appreciation for metal keys.