Kevo Lock Unlocks or Locks by Itself

Overview

Kevo locks were designed and manufactured by Kwikset, using firmware, software, and cloud services developed by UniKey Technologies. While UniKey did not manufacture the hardware, we have extensive experience supporting these locks and have identified the most common causes of this behavior.

If your Kevo lock appears to unlock or lock on its own, it is typically caused by one of the two issues described below.

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Possible Causes

1. Capacitive Sense (Touch-to-Open) Circuit Failure

How Touch-to-Open Works

The Touch-to-Open (TTO) feature uses a capacitive sensing circuit located in the exterior portion of the lock. When you touch the outside of the lock:

• The LED ring or bar spins blue
• The lock performs a Bluetooth scan for nearby phones running the Kevo app
• If an authorized phone with a valid eKey is detected, the lock may lock or unlock

What Can Go Wrong

If the capacitive sensing circuit fails, the lock may detect false touch events, even when no one touches the lock.

This can happen if:

• The interior antenna cable is damaged, pinched, or exposed
• The cable misinterprets electrical noise as touch input

If these false touch events occur while an authorized phone is nearby, the lock may unlock or lock unexpectedly. Repeated false touches can cause the lock to cycle between locked and unlocked states.

Signs This Is the Cause

This issue is likely if:

• You see the exterior LED ring or bar spinning blue without touching the lock

How to Check

1. Remove the interior cover of the lock (inside the door)
2. Remove the exterior portion of the lock
3. Inspect the black cable connecting the exterior and interior sections

   • Look for signs of wear, pinching, or damage

     

4. Inspect the connector block on the interior side

   • There should be six pins, all straight and intact

     

If you find damage to the cable, connector, or pins, this is likely the source of the false touch events.

⚠️ Note: Repairing the lock is not supported. In some cases, users choose to replace the lock with a pre-owned Kevo lock obtained from a third-party marketplace like eBay or Facebook Marketplace.

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2. Kevo Main Board Firmware Issue

Background

A very small number of Kevo locks have been observed to unlock themselves, without relocking. This issue:

• Only affects unlocking, not locking
• Is related to the lock’s main board firmware, which controls the motor and power management

Potential Cause

If your lock is not running firmware version 1.9.49, it may be affected by a known firmware issue. This firmware was developed and maintained by Kwikset, and UniKey does not have the ability to modify or update it.

Locks running firmware version 1.9.49 generally operate more reliably, but the issue can still occur in very rare cases.

Possible Mitigation

There is no known permanent fix for this issue. However, you can try:

• Performing a factory reset of the lock
  (Follow Step 4 in the Kevo Lock Stopped Working instructions)

This may reduce the frequency of the behavior.

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Summary

• Spontaneous locking or unlocking is usually caused by:
  • A capacitive sense circuit hardware failure, or
  • A rare firmware issue on the lock’s main board
• False Touch-to-Open events are the most common cause
• Hardware damage cannot be repaired
• Firmware issues have no permanent fix, but a factory reset may help

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