Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Would you like your Amazon Prime delivery left inside your door?

Amazon packages outside a property.
Jeramey Lende/123RF / Jeramey Lende/123RF
Will you trust a delivery service to leave packages inside your home when you’re not there? That’s the big question behind a potential delivery option that may be offered to Amazon Prime members, according to a TechCrunch article based on a report on The Information (subscription required).

If you’re one of the more than 63 million Amazon Prime members in the United States — a number reported by Fortune in early July — chances are you order a lot of stuff. The same Fortune report stated that Amazon has more Prime members than nonmembers as customers and that while nonmembers spent an average of about $500 in 2015, Prime members averaged $1,200. So that’s a lot of Amazon Prime deliveries.

Recommended Videos

According to the TechCrunch report, two smart home connected lock companies are “working with retailers on technology that would allow delivery people temporary access when they’re making deliveries.”

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Connecting the dots on the companies involved, the two lock companies are smartphone-controlled lock company August and Garageio, a connected garage door opener startup. Locks from both companies work with Amazon Echo, and both companies have existing relationships with Amazon. So what other company would it be?

In the tests of August locks with an unidentified retailer in Seattle — Amazon headquarters, wink, wink — shoppers are given the option for in-home delivery during checkout. If a shopper gives the OK, a one-time access code is issued. The delivery service uses the code to open the front door or garage door, leave the package, and close the door. The code can’t be used again.

In the August lock testing, the goods were reportedly delivered without external protective packaging. If the shirt, book, or computer you order has its own packaging anyway, why use an external box to protect the goods from the weather when they will be left in the house? Inside delivery would mean not only that deliveries would be protected from weather and potential theft, but the retail company would also save money on packaging. Landfills across America would be happy, too.

Amazon continues to grow, and in many cases continues to amaze and please customers with rapid delivery, which is free for Prime members. As TechCrunch notes, not many homes currently have August smart locks, and fewer have Garageio garage door openers. The potential of in-home delivery service might be a factor that prompts more sales of the connected home devices — although they’ll be left on the steps until installed.

Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown Contributing Editor   As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce…
Amazon’s drone delivery ambitions receive major boost
An Amazon delivery drone dropping off a package.

An Amazon delivery drone drops off a package. Amazon

It’s been 11 years since Amazon founder Jeff Bezos revealed that his company was looking to deliver orders to customers using small flying drones.

Read more
Yale Keypad Touch lets you control the front door with your fingerprints
The Yale Keypad Touch installed on wooden siding.

Yale released the Approach retrofit smart lock last month -- the first-ever retrofit lock from the popular company. This month it's following up with the Yale Keypad Touch, a wireless accessory that lets you control the Yale Approach with nothing more than your fingerprints.

Because the Yale Approach smart lock doesn't include a keypad, most shoppers will want to add one to their purchase. Without a keypad, you'll be left controlling it with your smartphone. Yale previously let you bundle in the Yale Keypad with the Approach, turning it into something more akin to a traditional smart lock.

Read more
What to do if your Amazon Alexa app is not working
Alexa app on phone.

If you use Amazon Alexa and its quit responding to you, you may have realized by now that there are a ton of thing that could be causing that problem. One big issue is that the Amazon Alexa app itself has potentially shut down communication with you. Instead of getting overwhelmed by the all of the possibilities, letting your Amazon Echo devices sit there useless, and feeling despair, try an ordered list of potential fixes to get things started.

While there are a lot of different reasons for an Alexa to quite responding, if you go through the following techniques one by one, you'll certainly get a resolution to any problems you might be having with the Alexa app. We'll walk you through everything from updating your Alexa device to contacting Amazon for advanced help if no simple fix will work.
Check for a software update

Read more