This is a prototype / beta service, whether they call it that or not. It’s got significant limitations (not being compatible with existing smart locks, WTF?) and risks that can only be ironed out in the field.
With Amazon’s millions of customers, they’ll find plenty of guinea pigs, and these folks will receive excellent customer support. Doesn’t mean the service will be a success or survive; but impressed with Amazon pushing innovation as always.
You seem to think any Joe off the street could be delivering these packages at any time without the delivery company or Amazon knowing who they are. These are people employed by the delivery company with credentials to access the Amazon Key delivery system. Why couldn’t they require every delivery person delivering Amazon Key deliveries setup their facial recognition as part of initial setup? Then the facial recognition could be completely automated.
It’s a good point, we’ll just have to see how it actually gets implemented.
I have had huge issues with delivery from Amazon Logistics over the last year because I use a wheelchair and these particular people frequently leave packages that block the walkway, so that I literally can’t get in or out of my house.
So I know all too much about how the service works now. Amazon Logistics drivers in many areas, including mine, are not Amazon employees. They are a contracted delivery service that picks things up at warehouses and delivers them within a 500 mile radius. Amazon doesn’t know who the individual drivers are ahead of time, and they don’t drive a fixed route. And they do hire some temp workers.
As I said, I have been dealing with specific delivery issues for about a year now.
I have no problems that cannot be resolved with any of the other carriers, including USPS, FedEx, UPS, and DHL-– but they all have drivers on fixed routes. Even when UPS adds temps for the holidays, they are ride along assistants working with a regular route driver.
With Amazon Logistics, Amazon themselves has not always been able to locate the individual driver who delivered a particular package. In fact, it got so bad that Amazon finally notated my account that they should not use Amazon logistics for deliveries unless there was no other option. Because of the safety issues due to the wheelchair and having the walkways blocked.
I read the information carefully on the new service to see if it was going to be a new group of Amazon employees. It’s not. 
Are there special drivers for in-home delivery?
Amazon Key in-home deliveries are carried out by some of the same professional drivers who you trust to deliver your Amazon orders today. These individuals are thoroughly vetted, with comprehensive background checks and motor vehicle records reviews.
Anyway, we will see what happens. I may be too pessimistic just because of having previously encountered problems which Amazon has not been able to fix precisely because they are using an outside service for package delivery. And it may be that they will have much better tracking of the individual drivers who are providing the key service. I certainly hope so! 
This is honestly the type of thing that USPS, Fedex, UPS, DHL etc should have worked on as a conglomerate. I get stuff from amazon, yes, but I get plenty of deliveries from others.
This is meaningful to me, not necessarily because of package theft - I get that’s going to be a draw for many, we don’t don’t experience that around here - but just to protect packages from the elements from time to time. Don’t ask, I have a porch area that really lacks in weather coverage, nice and fancy but not really practical. For me the value is if all such deliveries are covered, i think people benefit from the same when they face theft.
I wonder how many incidents are going to occur with people being in their house with their junk hanging out for the delivery person to see (it will happen, you watch), people pulling guns, or worse.
I hope amazon / my dream of a shipping conglomerate comes out with a option to do this with garage doors instead. I’d be much more comfortable doing that, and I think it would be better for them as well. I could rig such a lock to open my garage door, but it would be better to have a native support.
They said that is also an option. So is placing packages in trunks of vehicles.
Oh. I must have missed that.
Having that flexibility would make this better, but limited to amazon gives this limited utility for me.
It’s just one more thing added to the list for someone to hack. That’s the 21st century.
But that’s rather the point, isn’t it?
Amazon wants to be the primary and ultimate source of everything you need, and successfully providing enhanced delivery services is a major competitive advantage.
Heck, they may even pull leverage with FedEx, UPS, etc., to “discourage” these companies from offering the same option to other sellers.
I agree that’s to Amazon’s advantage, that’s why I said i think the shipping companies should have created a industry conglomeration company to launch this themselves. Show some innovation. Letting amazon approach with this cuts them out, and locks consumers in.
Amazon isn’t the 1st to do this. Walmart is.
Yup… But Amazon is more likely to get people to adopt it. I’ve only made 3 Walmart orders in my life.
Except Walmart is doing a very small pilot program with fewer than 500 people in Silicon Valley.
The test is taking place in Silicon Valley with a few August Home users who have opted in to the service.
Amazon has opened this up in 36 cities to start.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=202177430
So Walmart is running a test, but Amazon has launched a new service.
Yes but Walmart has been increasing their online buying and delivery to compete directly against Amazon.
They are both running test services. Walmart has limited it to a small area at the start. Amazon is pushing theirs to a larger market but it’s still just a test. It doesn’t matter that Amazon calls it a service, it’s a test. They are both in the beta stage and depending on the feedback it could be the path forward or it could prove to be something that needs to wait until the market is ready. Eventually it will be the normal way things get delivered.
Most of my packiages are from Amazon and most are delivered by UPS. I have a keypad on my garage door opener with a different code than the indoor. I gave UPS the garage goor opener guest code and provided them directions about putting packages inside the garage via my UPS app on my iPhone. This protects my packages from theft and the elements. I have both internal and external cameras and a security system and they all watch everything. I’m happy with this arrangement.
Even with all that, opening the inside of the house to deliveries is too much for me.
That works if you always have the same delivery driver. The drivers here are always changing. Even the USPS driver seems to be different several times a week. Needless to say I end up with a lot of mail that is addressed to somewhere else.
UPS has an app for their drivers with special delivery instructions, including gate codes or garage door code. It doesn’t matter who the driver is that day, the instructions are available to them.
The customer can either put these instructions in through the UPS website or you can call their 800 number
https://www.ups.com/us/en/help-center/sri/ups-my-choice-delivery-instructions.page?
FEDEX has a similar system.
I was talking about UPS, not the USPS. I’d never give my code to the USPS. They’d certainly mess it up, UPS however, does a good job. No matter the driver, they have access to the access code and delivery instructions via ‘my choice delivery’ setup online or via the smartphone app.
I asked Yale about lock/module compatibility and their response makes it sound as though the module is the only difference between current models and the Amazon Key models - and that upgrade modules could be coming. Here’s what they say:
The Amazon key module is only compatible with Assure series locksets – which are models ending in 6 – YRD226 would be the Assure equivalent of your lock. At this time, only complete Amazon Key enabled locks are available. We hope to offer upgrade modules for the Assure locks, but have no timeline for their release.
Hmmm…as a network engineer, I read that the opposite of the way that you did: that there is something more than just a module involved. Because otherwise you could just swap the modules out. The fact that they say “only complete Amazon key enabled locks are available” suggests to me that there is something more involved than the RF module. But we should find out more eventually. Thanks for sharing what they told you.