Amazon's newest service will let delivery people drop off packages inside your house
Amazon wants to get inside your house — literally. To complement its smart home device, Alexa, the company announced Wednesday a new service for Prime users called Amazon Key, which will allow delivery people to actually drop off packages inside your home, The Verge reports.
Amazon Key works with another Amazon device, the Cloud Cam, plus a smart lock of your choosing. When a courier arrives with a delivery, he or she will scan the barcode on the package. If the package is at the correct home, the door will unlock and the Cloud Cam will start recording. The Prime customer will then receive a message confirming that the package was delivered, plus a video of the delivery taking place.
The service makes sense for anyone who has ever dealt with stolen, missing, or weather-damaged packages, or just wants the convenience of not having to carry another thing inside. But The Verge asks: "Will Prime customers trust Amazon to monitor their homes around the clock, and to know when it's okay to unlock their doors for a stranger?"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Amazon Key isn't just for deliveries either. "[T]he company is hoping that you'll use Key when ordering stuff like dog walking or kitchen cleaning from its Amazon Home Services division," The Verge explains.
With a launch date of Nov. 8, a Cloud Cam, smart lock, and free installation bundle will cost $249.99, with individual cameras running $120. Watch The Verge break it down below. Jeva Lange
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Sundance Film Festival looks for a new home as movie buffs dial in
In the Spotlight The festival will be moving to Salt Lake City, Boulder, Colorado, or Cincinnati
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Trillionaire tome
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
'On arrival, workers faced a system of racial segregation'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocks
Speed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US Steel
Speed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battle
Speed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rally
Speed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Enron mystery: 'sick joke' or serious revival?
Speed Read 23 years after its bankruptcy filing, the Texas energy firm has announced its resurrection
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US charges Indian tycoon with bribery, fraud
Speed Read Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted by US prosecutors for his role in a $265 million scheme to secure solar energy deals
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published