How to Control Your Garage Door with the myQ App

The myQ app, made by Chamberlain, connects your garage door opener to your phone so you can open, close, and check the status of your garage door from anywhere — at home, at work, or across the country. You can also receive notifications if the door is left open, which is a common worry for people who drive away and then wonder "Did I close the garage?"

The first step is finding out whether your existing garage door opener is compatible. Most Chamberlain, LiftMaster, and Craftsman openers made since 1993 are compatible. The easiest way to check is to visit myq.com and look up your opener model. If you see a yellow "Learn" button on your opener unit, it is almost certainly compatible.

If your opener is compatible, you may need a myQ Smart Garage Hub — a small device that plugs into a power outlet in your garage and communicates with your opener. It costs about $30 and includes a door sensor that attaches to the garage door itself. Some newer openers have myQ built in already — if yours does, you can skip the hub purchase.

Once the hardware is in place, download the free myQ app from the App Store or Google Play. Create a free account and follow the pairing instructions. The app walks you through connecting the hub (or built-in opener) to your home Wi-Fi and verifying the door sensor is working correctly.

After setup, the app home screen shows your garage door's current status — "Open" or "Closed." A large button lets you tap to open or close it remotely. You can enable notifications so the app alerts you any time the door opens or closes, or specifically if it is left open for more than a set number of minutes.

Sharing access is straightforward. You can add family members to your myQ account so they can also control the door from their own phones. There is also a guest access feature that lets you send a time-limited access link to a dog walker, repair person, or delivery driver.