Xiaomi smart lock in China wrongly identifies deliveryman as homeowner, unlocks door

A Xiaomi smart lock in China reportedly became unlocked after it mistook a food deliveryman's face for the homeowner's face.

This shocked the homeowner who was lying in bed at the time.

The purported homeowner posted about the Aug. 10 incident on social media, which subsequently sparked controversy about facial recognition technology used in digital locks, Chinese media reported.

Deliveryman's face resembles mine: Homeowner

The homeowner, surnamed Shi, who lives in Beijing, told Shanxi Radio and TV News that his door had a Xiaomi Smart Door Lock 2 Pro installed.

Shi said that after ordering some food, he was doing some work in bed when the deliveryman arrived.

From inside, Shi told the deliveryman to hang the order on the door handle, but when the man did this and turned to leave, the facial recognition function activated and opened the door for him.

A video circulated to Weibo showed that the deliveryman, dressed in yellow, briefly turned back in confusion when the door unlocked, but continued walking down the stairwell.

Shi told Hubei TV that the deliveryman face's did bear a resemblance to his, and that he subsequently contacted Xiaomi's customer service on the matter.

He also arranged with them for an engineer to make repairs.

A Xiaomi staff could be heard telling Shi in the video, "This issue should not be happening [with this lock]. If such an issue does occur, it could be due to a software or component problem."

According to its product details, Xiaomi Smart Door Lock 2 Pro boasts secure and reliable "3D structured light facial recognition technology" and claims to be able to detect faces accurately, even at night.

Shi said it was the first time experiencing such an issue with the smart lock, adding that the lock would occasionally require a second scan to verify the face.

Users suspect it's tactic from competitors

On Weibo, a number of users expressed their concerns for home security with the use of automatic door locks, especially with regards to facial recognition technology.

However, others speculated on whether the incident was genuine, or merely a fear-mongering tactic by Xiaomi's competitors.

One user wrote: "So which other company is about to announce their new lock?"

Xiaomi's response

In response to media queries on the issue, Xiaomi's customer service said that customers who encounter similar problems with their smart door locks should contact Xiaomi customer service immediately.

They said their staff would arrange for an after-sales technician to visit the affected customer for an inspection.

At the same time, staff would record the case and refer it to a specialist, who would follow up with the customer on the issue, Xiaomi's customer service added.

Top image from Weibo/AliExpress website