New KeyMe app allows you to store, share and duplicate physical keys

keyme 1

We’ve all been there, right? You get home from a long day of work or school, walk up to your front door, reach in your pockets and—you can’t find your keys. After some quick backtracking, you realize that they’re inside, on the kitchen counter, and you’re locked out. What do you do?

Well unless you have a spare hidden in a fake rock or under the doormat, the first step is calling anyone who has or might have a house key. But if that doesn’t work, and breaking a window isn’t an option, the next step is a $200 call to your local locksmith. That is, unless you have KeyMe…

keyme 2

KeyMe is a simple and secure way to store, copy, and share your physical keys. The company launched last year, and over the summer it began installing kiosks at different gas stations across New York City. Today, it’s launched a companion iPhone app for its key-storing data service.

TechCrunch breaks down how it works:

“Using the app, you place your key on a white piece of paper and take two scans, of its front and back. The app then translates that into two pieces of information: the key type and a series of numbers that serves as the depth cutting instructions for any locksmith…

You walk in and pull up a screen on your phone which is the instructions. It has your key type and that series of numbers, which is common locksmith language. Without any pre-context they’ll be able to use their hardware and make your key. “

The key data is stored in your cloud-based digital keychain, which KeyMe promises is very secure. The app and account are free, until you actually need it. When you do end up losing your keys, it’ll cost you $9.99 to unlock that key data, plus whatever your locksmith charges for the cutting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTQGDLFIsZM

The point here is that the service is supposed to save you both time and money in the event of a lockout. It can take a locksmith several hours to mold and cut a key from scratch, and cost you as much as $200 depending on the difficulty. With, KeyMe that comes down considerably.

To be honest, I can’t remember the last time I locked myself out of my house in recent years. But this would have really come in handy in college, when I had an apartment whose front door would automatically lock when closed. If you want to check it out, you can find KeyMe in the App Store.

Let us know what you think of KeyMe in the comments below!