HomeKit Blog

For the fourth annual 9to5Mac Best of CES Awards, we celebrate new technologies for the Apple ecosystem, which will launch throughout 2020 and expand our smart homes and how we use our Macs, iPads and iPhone. CPCs.

Best Mac Tech - Linedock

Since Apple switched to using only USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 in 2016 with the MacBook Pro line, users have had to come up with some sort of dongle / cable / dock strategy to get the I / O they need.

Last year, Linedock launched its sharp solution for all-in-one USB-C battery / battery / storage for the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which nestles perfectly under the notebook, and this year the company launches 15- and 16-inch Pro versions.

The new versions come with a great 10-port I / O set, including USB-C, HDMI, two UHS-II slots, and three USB-A ports. The entire slim drive fits perfectly under the MacBook Pro to provide full charge with the built-in battery, as well as SSD storage up to 2 TB, which can be updated by the user!

Stay tuned for a closer look as we look at the new Linedock later this spring. You can sign up to be notified about the new Linedock versions here.

Apple's Best Charging Technology - HyperJuice 100W GaN USB-C Charger

We managed to take a quick look at Hyper's new 100-W GaN USB-C charger, and the company brought it to CES this week before the official launch. Up to 30% reduction remains through the Indiegogo campaign, which raised nearly $ 2.4 million for the sleek, compact and powerful USB-C wall charger.

It is the first 100W charger that uses GaN technology to provide a form factor about the size of a card pack, while still providing 2 more USB-C and 2 USB-A ports for a super-efficient experience.

A few touches here, setting this USB-C charger apart from the competition is Hyper using a foldable integrated plug, so you don't have to remember another cable, as well as international adapters.

The HyperJuice 100W GaN USB-C charger is a great choice for charging all Apple devices, whether at home, at the office or on the go.

The best HomeKit technology - Adobe

Our award this year for the best HomeKit technology is at Abode. The company recently launched HomeKit support for its Iota home security system with a software update, making it the first DIY security solution that works with Apple's smart home platform. And Abode has had several shows at CES this year.

In addition to this major update, Abode has unveiled a new smart exterior / interior camera that can integrate with its HomeKit security system or even be used autonomously. A neat touch is Abode includes a mount that allows customers to use the new smart camera as a ringtone.

Exterior / interior smart camera on the left, Iota security system on the right

The HomeKit-enabled Iota security system is available now, and the smart indoor / outdoor camera is set for a March launch.

Past winners:

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Signify's Philips Hue range of exterior lights grows with a new wall-mounted body and new low-voltage spotlights and track lights. The latest products supported by HomeKit offer customers more options for customized outdoor lighting.

Signify distributed the news at CES today:

Bringing your space to life and setting the mood for any occasion has never been easier. With these new products, you can customize your front or yard with 16 million colors and 50,000 shades of warm-white light.

First up is the new Appear wall-mounted device, which provides light both up and down in a directed triangle.

For the new low voltage options, there is Lily XL spotlight that provides greater light output than the existing Lily spotlight.

And the Philips Hue Econic line now includes a low-voltage light, ideal for sidewalks and trails.

Finally, a new 100W outdoor power supply unit and a 2.5-meter extension cable complement the announcements of new Philips Hue products.

Philips Hue Appear and Lily XL will be priced at $ 139.99, and the low-voltage Philips Hue Econic will be $ 129.99.

All new Philips Hue products will be launched in mid-March this spring.

"With our latest additions to the Philips Hue outdoor collection, we provide consumers with endless opportunities to create unique and personalized lighting effects that enhance the attractiveness of the home's board and set the right mood for every occasion," said Jasper Vervoort, business leader for home systems. & Lighting, Philips Hue at Signify. "In this way, they can enjoy their moments at home to the fullest while having a welcoming and safe environment for themselves, their household members and others."

See more Philips Hue products on his website and on the Amazon store.

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Belkin came out with some notable announcements at CES 2020 tonight, under its brands Belkin, Linksys and Wemo. There is a new Wemo smart connector with HomeKit support, a wide range of new Belkin charging accessories and more. Read on for all the details.

Belkin

Leading the way are several thousand new Belkin charging accessories. The company is entering the new GaN charger trend, announcing three new options with up to 68W power:

• The Belkin USB-C GaN 30W charger efficiently charges a MacBook Air and has a foldable connector for ease of use and portability while traveling.
• The Belkin USB-C GaN Charger 60W is the smallest of its kind in the Belkin portfolio and is the ideal solution for a MacBook Pro.
• The Belkin 68W Gakin USB-C charger has two USB-C ports that have Power Sharing Intelligent to detect and direct the most efficient charging to connected devices. It also has a foldable plug that makes it an excellent travel solution.

Belkin's new GaN chargers will be available in April, ranging from $ 34.99 to $ 59.99.

Belkin also announced two new USB-C Boost Charge power banks. The 10K version features an 18W USB-C output with Power Delivery, as well as a second USB-A port with support for up to 12W. The 20K version has 30W charging power with USB-C port and USB-A port.

The 10K Boost Charge USB-C Power Bank will cost $ 39.99, while the 20K version will cost $ 69.99. Belkin says both will be available in March / April this year.

Moving on to wireless charging, Belkin introduced a 3-in-1 wireless charger capable of powering iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods:

This 3-in-1 dock allows the user to wirelessly charge all Apple devices simultaneously. Includes an Apple Watch charging device, AirPods support and a fast iPhone wireless charging support.

The Boost 3-in-1 Wireless Charger will be available in April for $ 109.99.

More Belkin pricing ads:

• Increase Dual 10W Dual Wireless Charging Charge - $ 49.99 March
• Boost Charge Wireless Car Charger + Vent Mount - March, $ 49.99
• Wireless Charging + Portable Upload Boost - March $ 49.99
• Boost Standing Charging Wireless Stand + Speaker - April, $ 49.99

Last but not least, Belkin teamed up with the Devialet audio brand on the new Hi-Fi Soundform Elite + wireless charger. This speaker packs what Belkin calls "high fidelity sound," along with support for up to 10W wireless charging. It will be available next month for $ 299.

Wemo

Meanwhile, the Wemo brand from Belkin has unveiled a new WiFi smart plug, with support for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and HomeKit. Wemo says this is the "little smart plug" it offers, with a form factor that doesn't block other outlets.

The Wemo WiFi smart plug offers wireless control through the Wemo app for connected devices (lamps, heaters, fans and more) without the required subscription or hub. Its new convenient and compact form factor allows you to stack additional Wemo smart jacks or connect another device to the same output, without obstruction.

The new Wemo WiFi smart plug will be available this spring for $ 24.99.

There is also a new Wemo stage, which allows users to quickly access scenes and presets. The scene can be programmed to activate up to 6 scenes and environments, with full support for the Home application. This means that you can assign the buttons on the Wemo Stage to certain HomeKit scenes.

Wemo Stage will be available this summer for $ 49.99.

Linksys

Linksys is preparing to push 5G with some new hardware, including a 5G mobile hotspot, 5G modem, 5G outdoor router and the Linksys Velop 5G Mesh Gateway Gateway. These products will be made available to the public starting in the spring of this year and continuing throughout 2020.

Linksys also announced two new WiFi 6 routers:

Dual-band Mesh WiFi 6 (MR9600) Router:

• WiFi 6 features for faster 4x speeds, more WiFi range and increased capacity
• Linksys Intelligent Mesh ™ technology built-in to extend seamless WiFi coverage with Velop nodes or Velop mesh routers as WiFi needs grow
• WiFi 6 technology in 8 streams with speeds up to 6000 Mbps (simultaneous dual band - 2.4 Ghz, 5 Ghz)
• Available in spring 2020, $ 399.99 MSRP

Velop WiFi 6 system (AX4200):

• Accessible 6-mesh WiFi system with Linksys smart mesh technology, Bluetooth capabilities and advanced security settings
• Coverage of up to 3,000 square meters per node
• WiFi 6 technology in 8 streams with speeds up to 4200 Mbps (Tri-Band - 2.4 Ghz, 5 Ghz, 5 Ghz)
• Available in summer 2020, MSRP $ 299.99 (package 1); $ 499.99 (pack 2)

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One of the new consistent features for this year's smart TVs is 8K, and Sony certainly won't be left behind in this regard.

Announced at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, Sony has confirmed that the latest smart TVs will support Apple's AirPlay 2 and HomeKit. This is not too surprising given that Sony has extended support for Apple's specific features throughout 2019.

So, of course, the latest smart TVs will support AirPlay 2 and HomeKit.

And indeed, this is the case. Sony has confirmed that the latest smart TVs, including 8K high-end models, will support the features. The latest 8K model is the Z8H 8K LED, while Sony has introduced the O8H and MASTER A9S OLED Series. Finally, the company introduced the X950H and X900H 4K LED smart TVs.

Sony's latest 8K and 4K smart TVs adopt some of the features that were previously only available in the MASTERS series, which Sony says is part of the company's goal of getting a more immersive viewing experience for multiple TVs.

Using the best-in-class X1 ™ image processor from Sony, you get the ultimate, clear and precise image quality, giving customers an extremely realistic viewing experience. In addition, with the TRILUMINOS ™ display, Sony reproduces the subtle shades of color, light and gradation from video lenses to the living room, delivering more shades of red, green and blue than ever before. Premium quality sound is also a key part of the viewing experience, and the new models feature Sound-from-Picture Reality ™, which aligns the sound's position with the images on the screen to provide a unique experience. The new models will continue to deliver the creator's intent with Netflix Calibrated Mode, delivering studio-quality Netflix content and IMAX® Enhanced ™¹, which brings the IMAX experience into the house, offering a new level of view, sound and scale.

This line also introduces Ambient Optimization, a new technology that optimizes image and sound quality in any customer environment. To bring this new concept to life, Acustic Auto Calibration detects where the customer sees their TV during the initial configuration and calibrates the sound quality according to the environment. This new feature brings the sound potential of television in any environment.

In addition to Ambient Optimization, this line will have a new Immersive Edge design concept. To maximize the immersive experience, there is now noisy support at the edge of the screen. The minimalist stand is less visible, giving customers an improved and unobstructed viewing experience.

In terms of dimensions, the dimensions range from 45 inches to 85 inches, with the Z8H 8K LED coming in at 85 inches.

With AirPlay 2, Sony's new smart TVs will be able to communicate with other AirPlay 2-equipped devices, such as the HomePod. And with HomeKit integration, smart TVs can react to remote voice commands to Siri, which means you can do things like change the volume.

As mentioned above, LG made a similar announcement today, including the latest 8K and 4K smart TVs.

Are you planning to upgrade to a new TV this year?

The most popular smart home accessories manufacturer Lutron today unveiled a pair of new products at CES 2020, which are still integrating with its line of HomeKit compatible accessories. There is a new Caséta motion sensor and a Caséta repeater, as well as a support for the Aurora wall plate.

The Caséta Smart Motion Sensor is a battery-operated, self-contained motion sensor that can wirelessly control Lutron lights and Serna shades. According to Lutron, the Caséta sensor offers several key advantages over other smart home motion sensors:

• Detects fine movement three times better than competition, with a 180-degree field of view
• Typical battery life of 10 years - three times longer than other brands of motion sensors

Lutron's motion sensor is completely wireless and independent, which means it can be mounted on a wall, placed on a flatbed or mounted in a corner somewhere throughout the house. The sensor can control any number of Serena smart switches, fan controls and shades.

The Caséta Smart Motion Sensor will be available on Amazon in early February for $ 49.95.

In addition to the motion sensor, Lutron also introduced a new Cassette repeater. This accessory is designed for homes that may be too large or have unusual amenities that make access to the Caseta smart bridge difficult throughout the home.

The Caséta repeater should simply be connected to any electrical outlet located 60 meters from the smart bridge and will extend the system range by another 60 meters. The new repeater works in conjunction with the Caséta Plug-in Dimmer, which also extends the Smart Bridge range.

The Cassette Repeater will also be available on Amazon in early February and retails for $ 74.95.

Last but not least, Lutron has announced a new Aurora Wallplate support for the Aurora smart bulb dimmer, originally introduced last year. The new payment medium is designed to make it easy for users to mount the Aurora dimmer anywhere in their home:

The new Aurora Wallplate bracket allows you to easily replace a decorative dimmer opening dimmer or switch with an Aurora smart bulb dimmer. Simply turn off the power, remove the pallet switch or dimmer from the junction box, cover the wires and mount the wall plate holder and dimmer directly over the opening with the two screws provided.

Or for even more control, use the double-sided tape to wirelessly mount a Lutron Claro smart wall plate and an Aurora smart bulb on any wall surface - perfect for anywhere a switch or dimmer doesn't exist, but control is required .

The Aurora Wallplate Arm will be available in March for $ 10. You can now order Aurora in the morning itself for $ 40.

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After losing the original deadline, IKEA started slowly and quietly launching HomeKit support to play FYRTUR and KADRILJ smart blinds. As it continues to launch, HomeKit Authority was given the opportunity to go further with the HomeKit integration of IKEA and it seems worth the wait.

Here are the software versions you need to take advantage of HomeKit support with IKEA blinds. You can upgrade via the IKEA Home Smart app, but the updates have not yet been distributed to everyone who looks.

• Gateway Tradfri running 1.10.28
• Smart people running 2.2.009
• Open / Close Remote running 2.2.010
• Ikea signal repeater running 2.2.005

To use IKEA smart blinds with HomeKit, you must first add TRADFRI Gateway to your Home application. This is accomplished by scanning the HomeKit association code of the gateway, as with any other HomeKit accessory. After TRADFRI is connected to the HomeKit, the blinds should appear in the Home application.

Once you see your IKEA blinds in the Home app, it works much as you would expect. You can touch the tiles to open or close the blinds completely or press long and use the slider for more precise control - such as opening them to 50%. If you have multiple blinds on a window, you can group them in the Home application, just like in several bulbs in a single device.

As for the Siri control, you can say things like "open the kitchen blinds" or "open the blinds for the living room to 40%." It works on iPhone, iPad, Mac, HomePod and Apple Watch.

IKEA smart blinds can also be integrated with HomeKit scenes and automation. For example, you can have the blinds open and closed automatically every day at sunrise and sunset. By integrating IKEA blinds with HomeKit scenes, you can automatically close them during a "movie night" scene, for example.

Fully, HomeKit Authroity praises the intelligent integration of IKEA blinds with HomeKit and says that performance with the Home app is much better than with the Home Smart app for IKEA for iOS. You can read the full post here. The IKEA smart blinds area is available with limited availability at retail stores.

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Before unveiling its latest intelligent lighting system at CES next week, Nanoleaf unveiled the modular, intelligent and interactive HomeKit lighting system, which is part of its new Learning Series to provide a more seamless experience for smart homes .

Nanoleaf shared the news in a press release today:

Smart light pioneer Nanoleaf unveils Nanoleaf Learning Series, a smart, interactive, integrated lighting system for your home at CES. The latest innovation from the world's leading home decor company creates a fully integrated lighting system for the user right from the comfort of their home. The new offer learns, feels and reacts intuitively to users' needs, in a way that eliminates the often complicated and counterintuitive demands of today's smart home.

We previously examined both the Nanoleaf Light panels and the Nanoleaf canvas, the latter being used as touch-sensitive HomeKit buttons. But the new learning series takes things further with "smart learning technology, motion detection and brightness with programming", to allow users to enjoy their smart lighting more and to think less about control.

While before we have seen triangular and square modulations from Nanoleaf, the Learning Series will start with a hexagonal design.

the first modular intelligent lights, with form interconnectivity. The first in this line will have unified Hexagons with tactile reactivity, with interconnectivity capabilities that allow users the freedom to create all new configurations ...

A pre-order sign-up list for the Nanoleaf Learning Series Hexagons is now live on the Nanoleaf website, with delivery starting this spring.

Nanoleaf also teased some upcoming products that could be part of the learning series, such as light bulbs, lights, remote controls and more.

Check out the full press release below:

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After a few false starts, IKEA is finally ready to offer HomeKit support for its cheap line of Tradfri smart blinds. The update is underway now, though not all Tradfri owners see the required firmware update yet.

The HomeKit blinds category has been a thing of the past, but the IKEA range has been hotly anticipated due to their accessibility. The Fyrtur range costs between 129 and 179 USD. However, you will need the IKEA Tradfri hub to control the blinds through HomeKit.

The blinds were launched in early 2019 without any HomeKit support, which means they can only be controlled by the included remote control or Google Home integration. Initially, IKEA promised to launch HomeKit support for its blinds in the fall of 2019, but this was delayed to "early next year."

The first week of January would certainly count as "the beginning of 2020", so it's nice that this time IKEA has kept its promises.

To get blind support, you must first upgrade your Tradfri gateway to the latest firmware. As the update has just begun, your hub may not be able to immediately see the update for the latest version of the gateway (1.10.28), so you should wait a few hours and try again new.

Assuming you have already added the gateway to your HomeKit home, blinds should automatically appear in the Home application.

The experience with IKEA accessories is the same experience as other HomeKit blinds. You can manually drag the blind cursor from the Home app to raise or lower them or use voice commands with Siri. In addition to basic commands such as "open blinds" or "close blinds", HomeKits also understands expressions such as "open blinds to 40%" or "close blinds slightly" for more minor adjustments. .

(If you have existing blinds and are looking for ways to jump into the smart home experience, consider something like SOMA Smart Shades, which I reviewed earlier this year.)

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LG's lineup for this year includes TVs with up to 8K resolution and support for Apple AirPlay 2 streaming media protocol and HomeKit software for the connected home.

According to LG's announcement this morning at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, the South Korean company has eight new models with 65 to 77-inch screen sizes, which is in line with its 88- and 75-inch screen sizes. .

The products are embedded in ThinQ voice recognition, WebOS operating system, and support for AirPlay 2, HomeKit, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa. Compatibility with Farce Field Voice ethnology from Amazon, Amazon Premium, comes with firmware updates in the future.

The 2020 line-up includes the following models:

• SIGNATURE 8K OLED TVs Available in 77 and 88 inch screen sizes (88/77 OLED ZX models)
• LG NanoCell TVs (models 75/65 Nano99, 75/65 Nano97, 75/65 Nano95) have panel sizes of 65 and 75 inches.

These TVs exceed the new 8K Ultra HD definition of the CTA, which requires a minimum threshold of 50 percent CM. Available ports include digital HDMI and USB inputs. Modern codecs such as HEVC, VP9 and AV1 are also supported. According to the announcement, the new TVs will support 8K streaming at 60FPS smoothly (they are certified to provide 8K 60P via HDMI).

And thanks to an upgraded third-generation Alpha 9 processor, which benefits from deep learning and 8K AI-based enhancement, you get optimized image and sound quality. The chip can recognize faces and text on the screen, "fine tuning and sharpening each one to produce more natural skin tones, well-defined facial features and clearer and more readable characters," LG notes.

Moreover, the automatic genre selection recognizes the type of content being watched and automatically applies the ideal image settings, guaranteeing the best image quality among four genres: film, sports, standard and animation.

It does a similar thing to improve sound quality by increasing the volume of spoken words, with identified background noise and the scene mixed with 5.1 virtual surround sound.

At CES last year, major TV manufacturers such as LG, Sony, Vizio, Samsung and others unexpectedly announced that firmware updates to their selected 2019 models would for the first time bring integration with AirPlay 2 and HomeKit.

Exclusive support for Apple features means that LG customers enjoy their Apple TV + subscription, control smart home devices, and mirror media on their iOS device, without requiring an Apple TV media box.

The cheapest way to make a smart mute device is to leave it on and plug it into a smart outlet or powertrip like Eve Energy. But if you have a device that can only be triggered by pressing or holding a button, now there is a push button compatible with HomeKit!

It is not the first such device, but it is the first fully compatible with HomeKit ...

HomeKit Authority Keymitt Push said.

Keymitt Push is a robotic pushbutton with HomeKit support, and Siri support will be launched at the end of January.

Push is like another device called SwitchBot. However, the main difference between the two is that the SwitchBot only works with Siri shortcuts. While Keymitt Push will be complete, compatible with HomeKit, it will still need the company's Wifi hub.

The device uses Bluetooth to communicate with the hub and acts as a button to work with your intercom, switch, and even your coffee machine. With a torque of 1.6 kg, it can press any button. So, if you have something that works by pressing, make it smarter with this device.

The hardware appears to be identical to MicroBot Push, which runs on its own iOS and Alexa application and is already available for around $ 80. However, the Keymitt version adds HomeKit compatibility.

The Keymitt model is also cheaper - in theory. We do not know the US price yet, but it is likely to be similar to the euro, which is 48.99 euros. However, you will also need the company's wi-fi hub. You will be able to buy a package of both Keymitt smart door and door lock for 228.99 euros, which we can expect again to be converted to about the same number in dollars.

The package is available for pre-order now, with delivery expected for some time this month.

Personally, I can't think of anything I would need - smart plugs are all I need for my mute devices, such as lamps and electric blankets. If you can think of a use of it, let us know in the comments.

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ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J.. January 2, 2020 / PRNewswire / - LG Electronics (LG), the shipping company Real 8K experience, will introduce you extended 8K TV lineup next week at CES^® 2020 - eight TVs with new 77- and 65-inch class models that join LG's existing 88- and 75-inch screen sizes.

The diverse 2020 range includes premium 88- and 77-inch LG SIGNATURE OLEDs 8K Televisions (88/77 OLED ZX models) and LG NanoCell advanced TVs (75/65 Nano99, 75/65 Nano97, 75/65 Nano95 models), with each model surpassing the new industry official. 8K Ultra HD definition set by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) with trusted independent labs, such as TÜV Rheinland, which validates LG SIGNATURE OLED 8K and LG 8K NanoCell TV exceeds this definition.^*

Not just LG 8K TVs deliver Real 8Kthey are also proven by the future to provide clients with peace of mind with more ways to enjoy Real 8Kthe experience. The new models offer the ability to play native 8K content thanks to support for the widest selection of 8K content sources from digital HDMI and USB inputs, including codecs such as HEVC, VP9 and AV1, the latter being supported by major streaming providers, including YouTube. LG 8K TVs will support 8K Streaming content at 60FPS fast and are certified for delivery 8K 60P over HDMI.

The latest LG version 8K Televisions also offer improved performance thanks to the new α (Alpha) 9 Gen 3 AI processor. Through the use of deep learning technology, the 2020 line offers optimized image and sound quality for all content types through AI. 8K Upscaling. Based on a smart deep learning network, AI 8K Upscaling offers clear and precise action 8K images by analyzing content and applying four-stage noise reduction and frequency-based Sharpness Enhancer enhancement to increase lower resolution content to near 8K perfection.

The AI ​​Picture Pro of the α9 Gen 3 processor is capable of recognizing faces and text on the screen, fine-tune and sharpen each one to produce more natural skin tones, well-defined facial features and clearer and more readable characters. In addition, its selection of automatic genres recognizes the type of content tracked and automatically applies the ideal image settings, guaranteeing the best image quality among four genres: film, sports, standard and animation.

LG's AI Sound Pro analyzes and classifies content sound into five categories - music, movies, sports, drama or news - for clearer voices and a richer, more textured background sound. The spoken words are isolated and their volume is increased, which makes users understand distinctly while identifying background noise and scene mixing with virtual 5.1 surround for increased immersion.

In addition to the exceptional viewing experience, LG 8K Televisions offer a new level of comfort possible through AI technology. Users can monitor and control compatible IoT devices directly from the TV's dashboard, while hands-free voice control allows viewers to easily control multiple connected devices, even from across the room. Available in 144 countries, ThinQ voice recognition is incorporated into every LG 8KTV. And with the popular LG smart TV platform, webOS, the new TVs support Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit, as well as Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, with Amazon Alexa Premium's Far-Field Voice compatibility in the future.

LG is complete, 8K The alignment will be displayed during CES 2020 from January 7-10 at the company stand (no. 11100, Central Hall, Las VegasConvention Center). Track all LG CES activities and announcements by visiting https://ces2020.lgusnewsroom.com/.

^* Test results for the new 77-inch LG OLED SIGNATURE 8K and 65 inch NanoCell 8K (Nano97 Series) TVs confirmed by TÜV Rheinland, which exceeds the requirements of the minimum contrast modulation threshold (CM) for Real 8K.

About LG Electronics USA
LG Electronics USA, Inc., headquartered in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a $ 54 billion global technology and manufacturing innovator. In the United States, LG sells a wide range of innovative home appliances, home entertainment products, mobile phones, commercial displays, air conditioning systems, solar energy solutions and vehicle components. The marketing theme "Life is good" includes how LG is dedicated to people's happiness, exceeding expectations today and tomorrow. LG is a 2019 ENERGY STAR® partner of excellence throughout the year. www.LG.com.

It looks like Apple will officially participate in this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to unveil its Smart HomeKit platform and Siri devices. The annual Technology Show will begin in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This would be the first time that the Cupertino technology giant will be present in an official capacity at the annual technology fair in decades. In fact, the iPhone maker was last unveiled at CES, officially in 1992, when CEO John Sculley gave a presentation at a Chicago version of the summit to unveil the Newton handheld.

In addition to Apple, which presents its HomeKit platform for the connected home, some companies will showcase new home-based products that work with Siri digital assistant, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman.

This is very pressing on the news that Apple, Amazon, Samsung and Google are teaming up with a new technology foundation charged with promoting standards for smart home devices and the wider internet of things. Moreover, Apple is hiring for a team working on new software and smart home devices, the report adds.

Just don't expect new hardware releases at CES:

However, new large devices from larger companies will not be displayed in Las Vegas again. It's been a few years since CES was home for a significant product launch, such as Microsoft's Xbox console in 2001. Instead, the conference helps tech giants meet suppliers, negotiate partnerships and prepare for their own events. during the year.

In recent years, Apple has taken a backdrop to the conference, sending engineers and managers to CES to evaluate the competitive landscape and identify new technological trends.

The report notes that Apple's Jane Horvath is scheduled to speak on a CES consumer privacy panel, entitled "Chief Round Officer Table," on January 7, according to the CES agenda.

Amazon and Google will also present their existing digital support products at CES. Samsung will be one of the exhibitors at CES, according to Gurman, with voice technology and smart home devices, said it will be the main focus of the annual technology exhibition.

According to a recent Forrester Research survey, the smart home device market is expected to expand by 26 percent annually between 2018 and 2023.

A Home application concept posted on Behance pulls off a tricky trick: combining power and flexibility with ease of use.

Apple has done its best to move this line, devices that appear as simple on / off buttons while a long press reveals more powerful controls. For lights, for example, you can touch a button to turn it on or off, and long press to control the brightness or color - and to do things like assign another room ...

Chinese fine arts student Lu Yuhang has taken this to a new level with his concept of smart home applications. It's not specifically positioned as a home application concept, but as a more generic one, but it's clear that the goal is the same: one place to control all the smart home devices.

Its key is a flexible grid that allows users to decide what content they want.

Users gain complete control over the characters and color for both text labels and buttons. And, of course, there is a dark way.

There are photo-realistic representations of the devices and there is a much easier way to move them between cameras, allowing you to do this with multiple devices at once.

While this may be a rather rare need, one of the things we found when designing our smart home is that it was often helpful to create virtual cameras for easier Siri control. For example, while our living room is a single room, with a dining area, we have a separate "living room" and "living room" for HomeKit purposes. Similarly, cabinets are a "room" for lighting, as is the storage area under the platform bed.

You can assign different permissions to different family members - for example, limited permissions for children.

The whole concept of Home application is worth checking out. Tell us what you think in the comments.

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Apple’s newly announced Connected Home over IP initiative – made with Amazon, Google, the Zigbee Alliance and others in tow – is a grand attempt to unify a really broken environment for smart home appliances. Apple’s participation will help HomeKit gain a leg up in the smart home wars going forward, and should also help devices from other makers be more secure.

We’ve all been hearing about smart home technology for years. The tech has been coming out in dribs and drabs for a long time now, but it’s finally hitting mainstream acceptance. You can walk into any home improvement store like Home Depot or Lowe’s and find dozens of smart home appliances you can install yourself or hire a contractor to put in for fairly short money – doorbells, security cameras, thermostats, you name it.

What’s more, many more mainstream kitchen appliances and household gadgets feature some sort of “smart” connectivity – whether it’s a downloadable app, a configurable web service, or what have you.

But figuring out if the stuff you’re buying works with what you already have can still be a head scratcher. Does this smart light bulb work with Siri on my iPhone? How about Alexa? Does that Google Home speaker I just bought work with my garage door? While loads of folks are buying this gear, many others are staying away because the different protocols create a completely indecipherable word salad. Or worse, they buy something, install it, then discover it doesn’t work with the next smartphone or tablet or other gadget they use.

Having said that, the market for smart home products continues to grow. IDC said that the worldwide market for smart home devices will grown from 815 million device shipments this year to 1.39 billion by 2023. Apple, Amazon, and others want to juice this, and they see this common communications protocol as a step in that direction.

Home automation security concerns

The security of smart home devices and software remains questionable for many consumers. We’re inundated with news stories about homeowners who experience security issues with their home automation devices.

There have been countless reports of hackers spying on homes with security cameras and nanny cams, for example. We’re all familiar with the scandals involving third-party contractors listening in to the private conversations or intimate moments of people recorded on snart smart speakers. Botnet hackers have hijacked IoT devices in people’s homes. This is creating a lot of resistance in potential buyers of home automation gear, and for good reason.

The fact is that protecting one’s self against such exploits is simply beyond the capability of many folks who might otherwise use smart home gear, so they don’t bother.

Apple’s HomeKit security play

At WWDC earlier this year, Apple refocused its efforts on HomeKit to promote what it’s doing to protect user privacy and improve user security. That’s a smart play and very on brand for a company that emphasizes its focus on user privacy in almost every major communication.

Specifically the company rolled out HomeKit Secure Video. The protocol analyzes your locally-recorded security camera footage, encrypts it and then uploads it to iCloud. You get alerts if your camera sees activity. A handful of security camera makers announced support on day one, including Neatatmo, Eufy, and Logitech.

Apple also announced HomeKit-enabled routers from Linksys, Eero, and Spectrum which automatically firewall your smart home appliances. This way, even if your household network gets compromised, your smart devices can still be relatively security.

Apple’s own efforts to secure its HomeKit protocol were a positive step forward, but more had to be done. That’s where Connected Home over IP comes into play.

Enter Connected Home over IP

Fast forward to this week. Apple, Google, Amazon and the Zigbee Alliance announced the formation of the Connected Home over IP working group. This is a big foundational deal. The Zigbee Alliance alone comprises more than 500 different companies working on smart devices, including everyone from Comcast to Ikea to Samsung.

The Working Group is developing and promoting the adoption of a new common connectivity standard for smart home devices:

The goal of the Connected Home over IP project is to simplify development for manufacturers and increase compatibility for consumers. The project is built around a shared belief that smart home devices should be secure, reliable, and seamless to use. By building upon Internet Protocol (IP), the project aims to enable communication across smart home devices, mobile apps, and cloud services and to define a specific set of IP-based networking technologies for device certification.

Apple wasted no time.

Within hours of the announcement, Apple open-sourced portions of HomeKit to help further adoption of this tech. The company is letting developers use the HomeKit Accessory Development Kit (ADK) to prototype, and it is contributing the HomeKit Accessory Protocol (HAP) to the working group as well.

Apple put its money where its mouth is by making sure developers interested in this new protocol can get their hands on the software tools they need to get their products to work. Apple is working at a deficit compared to Amazon, which commands the lion’s share of the home automation device market, and Google, which is in a distant second place, at least according to some market research reports.

No change today

Regardless, as it stands today, the landscape of smart devices is littered right now with each player entrenched in their own standard. Smaller companies with limited resources have to pick their champions. So when you go online, or to Home Depot or Lowe’s to pick up a DIY home security system, a smart thermostat, light switches, lawn irrigation system with smart sensors, or what have you, you have to make sure that the gear you’re buying works with the other devices you already have.

It makes a lot more sense for everyone to work from a common protocol that provides a baseline for each manufacturer to adhere to. Making sure these devices work together and provide a level of security and guaranteed operability for anyone is the minimum threshold we should expect, not just from Apple but from anyone selling us smart home appliances.

For now, we all have to keep an eye out for the brand and technology our platforms of choice support, and for most people reading this editorial, that’s HomeKit. But the future of smart home appliances seems ripe for change, and Connected Home over IP is a big part of that.

Have you incorporated HomeKit or other smart home technology into your home? What do you think? Is Connected Home over IP a lot of smoke and mirrors, or is it disruptive? Sound off in the comments.

Apple and others announced plans to create a new connectivity standard for smart home devices, which they’re calling Connected Home over IP. Now Apple is putting its money where its mouth is by open sourcing portions of its HomeKit Accessory Development Kit (ADK).

The Connected Home over IP working group hopes to improve interoperability between smart home devices through a new, unified connectivity protocol. It includes Apple, Amazon, Google, and the Zigbee Alliance, and also has buy-in from companies like Ikea, Samsung, Schneider Electric, Silicon Labs and others.

Shortly after announcing its involvement, Apple told developers that it had open-sourced portions of the HomeKit ADK to accelerate development of this new standard. Developers can now use the HomeKit ADK “to prototype non-commercial smart home accessories.”

Apple also said that it will contribute its HomeKit Accessory Protocol (HAP) to the working group, adding:

Existing HomeKit accessories will continue to work after the new protocol becomes available since Apple plans to continue to support HAP for communication with smart home accessories in its ecosystem.

Are you developing using HomeKit? Using HomeKit stuff in your house? What do you think of Apple’s embrace of open standards for smart devices? Let us know in the comments.

While Apple has so far touted HomeKit as the best way to ensure security and privacy of smart home devices, the company has now agreed to work with other tech giants on an open standard for smart home security.

The new working group comprises some of the biggest names in smart home tech, including major rivals…

Apple made the announcement this morning.

Amazon, Apple, Google, and the Zigbee Alliance today announced a new working group that plans to develop and promote the adoption of a new, royalty-free connectivity standard to increase compatibility among smart home products, with security as a fundamental design tenet. Zigbee Alliance board member companies such as IKEA, Legrand, NXP Semiconductors, Resideo, Samsung SmartThings, Schneider Electric, Signify (formerly Philips Lighting), Silicon Labs, Somfy, and Wulian are also onboard to join the working group and contribute to the project (…)

The industry working group will take an open-source approach for the development and implementation of a new, unified connectivity protocol (…)

The project aims to make it easier for device manufacturers to build devices that are compatible with smart home and voice services such as Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Google’s Assistant, and others. The planned protocol will complement existing technologies, and working group members encourage device manufacturers to continue innovating using technologies available today.

Project Connected Home over IP welcomes device manufacturers, silicon providers, and other developers from across the smart home industry to participate in and contribute to the standard.

The project will be based on four existing proprietary standards.

The Project intends to leverage development work and protocols from existing systems such as:

1. Amazon’s Alexa Smart Home

2. Apple’s HomeKit

3. Google’s Weave

4. Zigbee Alliance’s Dotdot data models

It’s surprising to see Apple embrace an open-source approach when it has worked so hard on promoting HomeKit as the way to go, but it remains to be seen how far the open standard will go. Will it mean all compatible devices can be controlled by the Home app, for example, or will that remain exclusive to HomeKit-certified devices?

However, the good news for consumers is we should have an easier set up and integration process for non-HomeKit-compatible devices.

The Project aims to improve the consumer experience of trying to use smart home products that aren’t compatible with each other. We believe that the protocol has the potential to be widely adopted across home systems and assistants such as Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant, and others. If the Working Group succeeds with this goal, customers can be confident that their device of choice will work in their home and that they will be able to setup and control it with their preferred system.

It will be some time yet before we’ll see the benefits: the working group aims to release a draft specification in late 2020, so it will likely be sometime in 2021 before we’ll see devices using the new standard.

Photo: Shutterstock

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IKEA’s Fyrtur and Kadrilj smart blinds are now widely available in retail stores, but they notably lack HomeKit support in their current form. IKEA had promised that HomeKit support would roll out sometime during the fall of this year, but it now appears that has changed.

In a post on Twitter this weekend, first spotted by HomeKit Hero, IKEA customer support indicated that HomeKit functionality “should be added to the blinds early next year.” This is a change from the last update we had from IKEA, when it said that HomeKit support would roll out “later this fall.”

This isn’t necessarily a surprising delay. There are only two weeks left in the fall, and IKEA had gone silent on the status of the update until now. It’s always wise to be cautious when manufacturers promise future HomeKit support via a software update. More often than not, those sort of updates end up being delayed or even canceled in some instances.

IKEA does have experience in retroactively adding HomeKit support to its accessories, though. IKEA originally touted that its $10 Tradfri smart plug would support HomeKit, but when it actually launched to the public, HomeKit support was delayed and eventually added via a software update 6 months later.

IKEA’s website currently has 8 different sizes available for the Fyrtur smart blinds, ranging from $129 to $179 in pricing. This makes them more affordable than other smart blinds on the market, but other smart blinds do currently offer HomeKit support. IKEA’s smart blinds currently integrate with Google Assistant and IKEA’s own Smart Home application.

Do you plan on buying IKEA’s smart blinds once they have HomeKit? Have you already bought them based on IKEA’s promises? Let us know down in the comments.

Hi, the HomeKit functionality should be added to the blinds early next year.

Thanks,
Dan

— IKEA UK Support (@IKEAUKSupport) December 7, 2019

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Earlier this year, Apple, and several other companies, made waves by announcing that AirPlay 2 and HomeKit would be making the leap to smart TVs from the likes of Samsung, Vizio, and Sony.

Since then, the companies have been releasing software updates to their smart TVs to bring support for the features. Now it’s Sony’s turn. As reported today by FlatPanelsHD (via MacRumors), Sony is now rolling out the software update to select smart TV models from 2018 and 2019 to add support for HomeKit and AirPlay 2.

Android 9 is the software update each supported TV is getting starting now. For 2018 models, it’s the Sony A9F and Z9F. Meanwhile, for the 2019 lineup, owners of the Sony A9G, Z9G, X950G, and X850G (55-, 65-, 75-, and 85-inch models) are getting the update as well.

A major software update is scheduled to begin December 2019 for your Android TV,” said Sony. “The software update is being rolled out in stages and may not yet be available for your TV. If you enabled the Automatically check for update feature, a notification will appear on your TV when the update is available.

Interestingly, it sounds like Sony actually added the 2018 models to the update list just recently. In the original report, FlatPanelsHD says that Sony didn’t originally include those models to the update schedule, but decided to add them anyway. So good news for the 2018 model owners out there!

The bad news is that the report indicates that no other Sony-branded smart TVs will be getting the software update, so if you don’t own one of the aforementioned models you probably shouldn’t expect to get AirPlay 2 or HomeKit support.

With AirPlay 2 support, smart TV owners can stream not only video, but also music, photos, and more to the set directly from your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Meanwhile, with the addition of HomeKit, owners will be able to use Siri voice commands and the Home app to control the smart TV.

Good news for (some) Sony smart TV owners! If you own one of these models, have you been looking forward to the arrival of AirPlay 2 and HomeKit?

Another popular home security camera now supports Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video feature. Starting this weekend, Netatmo is rolling out HomeKit Secure Video support to its uniquely designed Smart Indoor Camera, enabling more advanced control and recording via the Home app.

Netatmo’s update for the Smart Indoor Camera was first noted on Reddit and subsequently confirmed by HomeKit Hero.. The update appears to be rolling out to everyone, not just Netatmo beta testers. This means that in the Netatmo Security app for iOS, you should see an update for your Smart Indoor Camera – which was previously known as (and still often referred to as) the Netatmo Welcome.

HomeKit Secure Video support on the Netatmo Smart Indoor Camera means that you can securely record and store footage in the Home app on iOS through iCloud. Recorded video is available to view for ten days through the Home app. HomeKit Secure Video requires a 200GB or 2TB iCloud storage plan – though the recorded doesn’t count towards your data limits.

Apple emphasizes the privacy benefits of the feature:

With HomeKit Secure Video, activity detected by supported cameras is privately analyzed by your home hub using on‑device intelligence to determine if people, pets, or cars are present. When important activity is detected, you and anyone you share your Home app with will receive a rich notification that lets you view the clip right from the Lock Screen.

Netatmo is the second manufacturer to begin the rollout of HomeKit Secure Video. Last month, Logitech released an update for the wired Circle 2 camera with HomeKit Secure Video support. Apple also recently detailed all of the cameras and routers that will soon be compatible with the latest HomeKit features.

If you want to get started with HomeKit Secure Video, you can pick up the Netatmo Smart Indoor Camera or the wired Logitech Circle 2 on Amazon. The Netatmo option features a unique cylindrical design, but the Circle 2 is more affordable in refurbished condition.

What can you expect when using HomeKit Secure Video? Be sure to check out Zac Hall’s detailed look at the feature right here to find out more. Also be sure to check out our HomeKit gift guide for some of the best gift options this holiday season.

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Abode has been planning to bring HomeKit functionality to its Iota home security system for two years and today it has delivered on that promise to support Apple’s smart home platform. Abode’s security system includes door and window sensors, motion sensors, vibration sensors, cameras, and more.

Abode announced the news in a press release and also created a landing page to detail the arrival of HomeKit functionality:

Control your home with abode’s gateway using the Apple Home app and Siri. It’s the same home security you’ve always enjoyed with abode, now available in the same place you control the rest of your smart devices: from your iPhone, iPad, Mac Apple Watch or HomePod. It’s time to enjoy abode peace of mind with Apple ease.

Abode’s CEO shared more about the launch, including the claim that Iota is the first and only HomeKit-enabled DIY home security system.

“As the only HomeKit -enabled DIY home security system, we are excited to give Apple customers an option that works with their preferred interface,” said Chris Carney, abode CEO & cofounder. “abode envisions a smart home that is safe and accessible to anyone and by continuing to integrate with major ecosystems and brands, we are giving our growing community the ability to have a home security system that meets their exact needs. With this integration, abode users have the convenience, privacy, and security that comes with HomeKit, plus the peace of mind provided by abode’s security and professional monitoring options.”

Abode details how adding HomeKit to its security system allows customers to “control more with less effort.”

Control more with less effort. Group all of your HomeKit-enabled devices together and control them at the same time to make your life easier. For instance, create an automation to disarm your iota alarm, unlock your doors, and turn your lights on when your garage door opens. Smart devices should be smart enough to work together, no matter the brand. Now, they are.

The company highlights the wide variety of smart products it offers beyond just the security system and accessories. Check out the whole system at Abode’s website, with Iota starter kits priced from $229 (note that the Iota Gateway is required to get HomeKit support at this time).

For existing customers with the Gen 1 and Gen 2 Iota systems HomeKit support is starting to roll out today, so look out for an update.

To start, abode is adding HomeKit compatibility to iota, the all-in-one security solution with plans to add HomeKit support for Gen 1 and Gen 2 systems so that all abode customers can use it with their Apple devices.

Check out our previous review of the Gen 1 system on our sister-site 9to5Toys here.

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Adobe Systems announced Thursday that its Iota DIY smart security system is finally HomeKit compatible. HomeKit is available as an update to the Iota system, enabling Iota users to control the system using the Apple Home app on the iPhone, and Siri on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and HomePod.

Iota includes HD camera, motion sensor and two-way voice support. Adobe sells the product in a starter kit priced at $299 (marked down to $229 as this article was written), with the ability to add on accessories like door and window sensors, key fobs and other products as you need them.

You can connect up to 160 additional devices from companies like Lifx, Nest, Yale, Kwikset, Z-Wave, Zigbee, and many others. The integration enables Iota users to create sophisticated home monitoring, automation, and security workflows using a variety of third-party products.

HomeKit compatibility lets Apple users use the software included on their devices to arm and disarm the Iota, receive notifications of motion events triggered by Iota sensors, or ask Siri what’s going on. It’s worth noting that the Iota camera doesn’t yet support HomeKit Secure Video, however. Apple announced Secure Video as part of improvements to HomeKit at WWDC 2019 this past June.

Adobe announced iota in early 2018 and promised HomeKit support right off the bat, though the company failed to deliver.

Abode said its Gen 2 and Gen 1 security systems will also add HomeKit compatibility in the near future.

A new smart lock with a unique approach has been announced today called Level Lock. The clever invisible design means it works with your existing (traditional) deadbolt and keys to bring Apple HomeKit functionality to any door without changing the look of your existing hardware. Beyond Siri and the HomeKit integration, there are handy features like auto-unlock via proximity with your iOS device (in addition to Bluetooth), a “Party Pass” feature to give multiple friends or family access, and more.

Level Lock has launched with preorders open for early customers with the new HomeKit lock slated to ship in January 2020.

While there have been some HomeKit lock products in the past to attach to the back of your deadbolt to offer the ability to keep your existing lock and key, Level Lock takes that idea to a whole new… threshold.

This smart lock just replaces the interior fitting of your deadbolt giving it the HomeKit smarts and leaving your existing deadbolt intact.

Level Lock is available now for preorder at a special early reservation price of $199. Check out the video below for more on this invisible HomeKit smart lock.

What do you think? Is this a compelling way to bring HomeKit functionality to your locks?

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HomeKit Secure Video officially arrived last week starting with Logitech Circle 2 cameras. While my early impressions are positive for Apple’s new smart security camera feature, the very first version of HomeKit Secure Video leaves out some familiar features.

HomeKit Secure Video has a focus on privacy while starting with a set of basic home security camera features. If you trust Apple with your data more than with whatever company makes your home security camera, HomeKit Secure Video is probably a great fit for you. But it may take some time for Apple to catch up if you’re already used to a mature set of security camera features.

Turning a camera on and off

HomeKit Secure Video cameras can be set to record clips and stream video, only stream, or turned off individually, and each mode can be assigned to when people are home or away.

But something Stephen Hackett asked me over the weekend is if it’s possible to turn cameras on and off without location. In his case, he would like to use HomeKit Secure Video in his detached home office when he’s not inside, but geofencing control isn’t an option since the house and office are too close.

You can manually turn a camera on and off by digging through the camera’s settings in the Home app, but that’s just not smart home automation. My suggestion was connecting the HomeKit Secure Video camera to a HomeKit smart plug as a workaround. It’s not as elegant as it should be, but it’s a solution for now.

In the future, Apple should make turning HomeKit Secure Video cameras on and off as easy to turning a light on and off in the Home app. Allowing HomeKit Secure Video cameras to be controlled through Siri, Control Center, scenes, automations, and the Shortcuts app would be a remedy. That would also open up time-based mode switching for cameras — like turning off recording and streaming during work hours.

Controlling resolution and perspective

One of the surprising things about HomeKit Secure Video is how the Logitech app can no longer access the Circle 2 camera after switching to Apple’s feature. There’s plenty of warning before the firmware update is applied, but it does mean losing features specific to Logitech’s app.

For example, Logitech included toggles for setting the Circle 2 camera to capture video in 720p HD or 1080p Full HD. The lower resolution option was ideal for improving performance on slower networks, but Apple’s Home app defaults the cameras to 1080p with no toggle. Apple’s Home app also lacks the ability to change perspectives from super wide to regular.

Motion zones

With the arrival of HomeKit Secure Video, customers of non-HomeKit cameras are more tempted than ever to replace Nest and Canary security cameras with Logitech Circle 2 cameras and whichever cameras include support next.

But Apple hasn’t included one of the more common home security camera features with HomeKit Secure Video. Many cameras let you draw an area around its field of view to focus on specific areas from detecting motion. For example, you may want to ignore your street for vehicle motion but include your driveway.

A zones feature seems like an obvious next feature for Apple to add now that it’s controlling HomeKit camera features.

Reviewing clips

In general, one common complaint among HomeKit Secure Video early adopters is the complexity of the user interface for reviewing clips. It’s hard to discover, and it’s cumbersome to navigate. The interface is usable, but it isn’t as user-friendly as other apps yet.

For me, there’s one Logitech Circle 2 app feature that I really miss with HomeKit Secure Video and the Home app. Logitech included a free feature for viewing a time-lapse video of the last day for easily reviewing activity.

Here’s an example from someone on YouTube:

Apple’s Home app lets you play a full day’s video of clips all at once, but the time-lapse version is easier to review quickly.

Apple TV app

Where do you view HomeKit Secure Video streams and recordings? Apple’s Home app. Where is Apple’s Home app? iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac (the Apple Watch Home app is only for viewing live streams). There’s one big screen that’s great for watching video but doesn’t have the Home app: Apple TV.

Fortunately, Aaron Pearce develops the awesome HomeCam app which lets you view HomeKit video streams from the Apple TV. The bad news is that HomeKit Secure Video features beyond live streaming are only in Apple’s Home app.

Here’s to hoping for an official Home app for Apple TV in tvOS 14!

Apple is off to a good start with HomeKit Secure Video, and we’re only working with the initial release version this year. Going forward, Apple will need to keep up with smart camera features from other vendors to avoid being the private but basic version of smart home security cameras.

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Footage from home security cameras contains your most personal and sensitive data. With HomeKit Secure Video, activity detected by supported cameras is privately analyzed by your home hub using on‑device intelligence to determine if people, pets, or cars are present. When important activity is detected, you and anyone you share your Home app with will receive a rich notification that lets you view the clip right from the Lock Screen. Recorded video is available to view for ten days from the Home app. It’s securely stored for free in supported iCloud accounts and doesn’t count against your storage limit.

Apple adds that Eufy, Logitech, and Netatmo are committed to supporting HomeKit Secure Video, but only Logitech has released working software so far.

How it works

The way HomeKit Secure Video setup works is rather surprising.

For example, Logitech Circle 2 cameras are configured and updated through Logitech’s Circle app for iPhone, iPad, Android, and streams are also viewable on the web. Circle 2 has also worked with basic HomeKit support for a while which let you view snapshots of motion captured and live streaming video.

When converting Circle 2 cameras to HomeKit Secure Video cameras, the Circle app totally removes converted cameras from Logitech’s control (removing Android and web support). All camera management is totally moved to Apple’s Home app, including controlling status indicator lights and night vision.

If you’re a paying Logitech Circle Safe subscriber, you also have to agree to cancel your monthly subscription on your own after converting to HomeKit Secure Video. That’s because HomeKit Secure Video cameras can’t be reached by Logitech, and the monthly cloud recording feature is replaced by features in Apple’s Home app.

This effectively turns the Logitech Circle 2 cameras into Apple HomeKit cameras. Reverting from HomeKit Secure Video cameras requires contacting Logitech customer service.

What you need

HomeKit Secure Video has a few must-have requirements before getting started.

HomeKit Secure Video won’t work without a dedicated home hub on your Wi-Fi network, and free 5GB and 99¢/month 50GB iCloud storage plans won’t support HomeKit Secure Video.

You can still stream video using HomeKit like before, but subject detection and cloud recordings won’t be supported. HomeKit Secure Video won’t count against iCloud storage space on plans it does support.

You also need a compatible HomeKit Secure Video security camera. I’ve personally been a big fan of Logitech Circle 2 Wired cameras (I own three) for a while, and being the first and only HomeKit Secure Video cameras on the market makes that even more true.

Logitech makes these cameras more versatile in terms of placement with special accessories including:

You can’t use HomeKit with Logitech’s wireless version of Circle 2, but all three accessories work with the wired version and HomeKit Secure Video. More options are expected to be on the market in the future.

Note that HomeKit Secure Video only supports up to five cameras. There’s no option for paying for additional cameras or more than 2TB storage.

Customizing alerts and managing recordings

When you finally get the chance to dive in and see what all HomeKit Secure Video can do, I highly recommend spending some time adjusting the default settings on each HomeKit Secure Video camera before letting them loose.

HomeKit generally has some curious default settings, and HomeKit Secure Video is just begging to be customized from the out-of-the-box defaults. Explore the settings for each camera to understand exactly what you can change and how it will affect the experience.

Here’s how I’m handling notification settings:

• Allow snapshots in notifications: on
• Status change notifications: on
• Activity notifications: on
• Time: Any
• People: When nobody is home
• When a clip is recorded

I suspect I will adjust some of these settings for outdoor versus indoor cameras over time, but it’s a manageable starting point for now.

You can also adjust streaming and recording options for when you’re home, when you’re away, and in general. Options include off, detect activity, stream, and stream & allow recording. For now, I’m using stream & allow recording for each HomeKit Secure Video camera.

General recording options let you record when any motion is detected (the old fashioned method) or when specific motion is detected. This can be based on people detection, animal detection, and vehicle detection. For example, you may want to ignore cars from an outside camera or ignore pets from an indoor camera, but always want to be notified by people detection.

Recording options also let you enable or disable audio recording, and you can tap a button to erase all recordings from a specific camera here.

HomeKit Secure Video records up to 10 days of motion footage (cameras can stream all footage but only motion detection triggers recording) and older clips will automatically be deleted on a rolling basis.

After you’ve finished setting up and customizing how your HomeKit Secure Videos work, the only thing left to master is how to view and share recordings.

The process isn’t exactly obvious, and the interface is one that could be improved for usability in future software updates. For now, this is how it works:

• Open the Home app and tap a HomeKit Secure Video camera to view the stream
• Tap the screen to view the on-screen controls including a timeline scrubber along the bottom of the screen
• Drag the timeline from left to right to go back in time and see recorded clips
• A date picker will appear at the top of the screen when viewing older clips
• Tap the action button (arrow coming out of a box) to share or save a specific clip when it view
• Tap next in the top right corner when you find the clip you want to share or save

Sharing a video can be done with the share sheet using AirDrop, Messages, Mail, or most other sharing methods familiar to other apps. You can also select save video to add the clip to your photo library. Clips are automatically tagged with the date and time of capture in the file name without viewing metadata.

HomeKit Secure Video will use icons to explain what type of motion was detected to start recording the clip, and you can “play” a full day of clips for viewing at all captured clips in order.

If you believe motion was captured that shouldn’t have been, you can even share a clip to Apple for review to improve its detection features.

You do miss out on some of Logitech’s app-specific features like creating a timelapse video of all captured clips throughout the day, but HomeKit Secure Video includes up to 10 days of footage with a decent level of intelligence.

The new feature will make HomeKit cameras more useful for a lot of customers, and some will even be able to save money on monthly subscriptions to Logitech and other camera makers.

Shop for Logitech’s HomeKit Secure Video camera here, and find out more about how HomeKit Secure Video works here.

Logitech has announced today that it is rolling out HomeKit Secure Video support to its popular Circle 2 Wired home security camera. With this update, users can tap into their iCloud storage to record and save security camera activity directly to iCloud.

Logitech first teased this update back in June, following Apple’s announcement of HomeKit Secure Video at WWDC. At the time, the company simply said the update would come “later this year.”

Currently, HomeKit Secure Video for the wired Circle 2 is available via a beta firmware update. Here’s how to convert your Circle 2 cloud storage prurience to HomeKit Secure Video:

1. In the Logitech Circle app tap Settings.
2. Tap Smart Home Integrations.
3. Tap Apple HomeKit.
4. You’ll see the list of cameras that are in the Circle app and the cameras that can support Homekit.
5. Tap (Beta) Convert to support HomeKit Secure Video and follow the onscreen instructions.

HomeKit Secure Video allows users to securely record and store footage from security cameras in the Home app on iOS through iCloud. Apple touts the privacy benefits of the feature:

With HomeKit Secure Video, activity detected by supported cameras is privately analyzed by your home hub using on‑device intelligence to determine if people, pets, or cars are present. When important activity is detected, you and anyone you share your Home app with will receive a rich notification that lets you view the clip right from the Lock Screen.

Recorded video is available to view for ten days through the Home app. HomeKit Secure Video requires a 200GB or 2TB iCloud storage plan – though the recorded doesn’t count towards your data limits.

If you don’t see this option in your Logi Circle app just yet, the update appears to be rolling out slowly, so be sure to keep checking throughout the day. Today’s update is available for the wired Logitech Circle 2 camera, which has become a popular choice among many HomeKit users.

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For the perfect atmosphere when arriving home after a long day at work or starting your day with something upbeat, you can set up scenes with HomeKit.

Scenes let you control multiple accessories that you connect in the Home app at one time. You can create scenes based on your leaving, arriving, or a custom setting. Then, the automated scene takes over with the settings you choose.

Here’s how to create scenes with HomeKit on both Mac and iOS.

Set up HomeKit scenes on Mac

You can create HomeKit scenes easily on your Mac. Pop open the Home app and then follow these steps.

1) Click the plus sign button on the top right and select Add Scene or click File > Add Scene from the menu bar.

2) You can pick a Suggested Scene from the top or create your own by clicking Custom.

3) Double-click the Accessories you want to use and adjust them for the scene. For instance, you might change the temperature for a thermostat or lock/unlock your front door.

You should see those connected accessories display as options or you can click Add or Remove Accessories to add more.

4) Click Test This Scene to make it works as you expect.

5) Optionally, you can turn on the toggle for Include in Favorites. This is a handy way to have easy access to your scene on the main screen of the Home app. If you turn off the toggle, you’ll access the scene in the corresponding room for it.

6) Click Done at the top.

When you want to run your scene, just open the Home app and click it. Those scenes based on leaving or arriving will run automatically as long as you have your device with you.

Set up HomeKit scenes on iOS

Setting up scenes on your iPhone or iPad is just as simple as it is on Mac. Open the Home app and do the following.

1) Tap the plus sign button on the top right and select Add Scene.

2) Like on Mac, you can pick a Suggested Scene from the top or create your own by tapping Custom.

3) Press and hold the Accessories you want to use and adjust them for the scene.

You should see those connected accessories display as options or you can tap Add or Remove Accessories to add more.

4) Tap Test This Scene to make sure it works.

5) Optionally, you can turn on the toggle for Include in Favorites to display it on the Home app main screen. If you turn off the toggle, you’ll access the scene in the corresponding room.

6) Tap Done at the top.

When you want to run your scene, just open the Home app and tap it. And remember, scenes based on leaving or arriving will run automatically assuming you have your device with you.

Add music to your scene

With the release of iOS 13.2.1, one of the new HomePod features lets you add music to your HomeKit scenes. This is an awesome way to throw on some cool tunes to get the party started or create the ideal setting for a romantic evening.

You can set up the scene with music on either your Mac or iOS device. But to specific the music you want to play, you’ll need to configure that on iOS.

1) Create a scene using the steps above and make sure to select your HomePod as one of the accessories you want to use.

2) Under Media on the New Scene screen, tap Audio.

3) You can then choose to Play, Pause, or Resume Audio as well as Adjust the Volume Only.

4) Below those options, tap Choose Audio. You can then search for or select the music you want.

5) You may have additional options after choosing your music such as Repeat and Shuffle. And you can adjust the volume setting.

6) When you finish, tap the arrow on the top left to go back.

7) If your scene is complete, tap Done.

Note: If you set up a scene using the Home app on your Mac, it will also display on your iOS device. So if you create a scene on Mac to include music, just open the scene on iOS to choose the music you want as in the steps above.

Wrapping it up

Scenes are nifty ways to control your smart devices without much effort. Tap to run a scene you create on your iOS device or let the scene run automatically when you leave or arrive.

Are you going to set up a scene in your home? Will you take advantage of the music feature for your HomePod or simply adjust the lights or temperature? Let us know what type of scene you create in the comments below!

Apple yesterday released the iOS 13.2 software update for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. With it came a new computational photography feature for the latest iPhone 11 devices, dubbed Deep Fusion, in addition to Announce Messages With Siri that was originally supposed to arrive as part of the initial iOS 13.0 update, plus a whole bunch of other important changes.

iOS 13: hands-on video walkthrough

iOS 13.2 is a substantial update with many under-the-hood fixes and important improvements. In order to help you get the most out of your iOS device, we’ve put together a little tutorial laying out everything new in iOS 13.2 and explaining how to use all the new features.

Harris’ video will give you the lowdown on what’s going on in iOS 13.2 in under four minutes.

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Continue reading for the full tutorial, included right ahead.

How to use all the new iOS 13.2 features

Here are the new features in iOS 13.2, and how to use them.

Deep Fusion boosts your iPhone photography game

Deep Fusion is a brand new computational photography feature for the latest iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max smartphones. Powered by the Neural Engine of the A13 Bionic chip, Deep Fusion does advanced image processing to optimize every part of the photo for texture, detail and noise. It first captures multiple images at various exposures.

The shots are fed to the chip’s Neural Engine which in turn runs a pixel-by-pixel analysis and fuses the highest quality parts of the images together. The results are photos with better lighting, finer detail and reduced noise, especially for mid to low-light scenes.

Deep Fusion is subtly implemented — there’s no switches or toggles to worry about. You just snap a photo and trust Deep Fusion to do its magic. For those wondering, the Night Mode feature which Apple introduced with the newest iPhones is what will handle primarily low-light photographs, with Deep Fusion sitting out of that specific scenario.

For a deeper explanation of what Deep Fusion is, how it works and how using this standout feature boosts your iPhone photography game, be sure to read our excellent explainer.

Announce Messages With Siri is delayed no more

Aside from implementing support for the new AirPods Pro noise-cancelling earbuds which start shipping Wednesday, iOS 13.2 brought out a cool Announce Messages with Siri feature. This was supposed to arrive with the initial iOS 13.0 update but got delayed until iOS 13.2’s release.

Announce Messages with Siri reads your incoming messages aloud to your earbuds without requiring you to first unlock the phone. Siri plays a tone, then announces the sender’s name and reads the message. If a message is too long, Siri announces the sender’s name and says only that they sent you a message. Important: Siri won’t announce messages if you’re using your device.

But it doesn’t stop there — your trusted digital assistant will avoid interrupting you and will listen after reading the message aloud so that you can reply hands-free. This lets you carry on your conversations without having to say “Hey Siri” every time.

You can have Siri announce your incoming messages with these headphones:

• AirPods (2nd generation)
• AirPods Pro
• PowerBeats Pro
• Beats Solo Pro

With your earbuds connected to your iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch, venture into Settings → Notifications → Announce Messages With Siri, then tap Announce Messages With Siri to get started with this feature. Don’t see the toggles? That’s probably because your headphones are not paired with the phone or turned on or you have unsupported headphones.

For a truly uninterrupted experience, toggle the option Reply Without Confirmation to have Siri send your replies immediately without first reading them back to you.

There are other options you can play with, too.

You can turn on announce messages capability on a per-app basis. For example, perhaps you’d you prefer to have it on for the stock Messages app, but disabled for any third-party apps that integrate with Siri, like Viber or WhatsApp (for now, it seems you can only enable the feature for Messages).

You can optionally limit the feature to certain contacts only. To customize that filter, tap Messages underneath the Announce Messages From heading and you’ll land on the options screen where you can limit the feature to specific contact groups.

• Favorites: Siri will only announce messages sent by your Phone favorites.
• Recents: Only announce messages received from people listed in Phone → Recents.
• Contacts: The feature will be enabled for everyone in Contacts.
• Everyone: Always announce messages no matter who is sending them.

To quickly turn the feature on or off, simply customize your iPhone’s or iPad’s Control Center to include the new Announce Messages with the Siri platter.

Managing your privacy with Siri

iOS 13.2 brings Apple’s promised toggles for opting in and out of the controversial Siri grading program. The company says the grading process involves its own employees listening to audio recordings of your Siri interactions (or computer-generated transcriptions of your requests) and grading responses. This doesn’t just help Siri’s machine learning improve over time, but also Dictation and language-processing features, such as Voice Control.

You are opted out by default.

If you’d like to help Apple improve Siri and the Dictation feature, iOS 13.2 now lets you elect to let the company store and review audio of any Siri and Dictation interactions on your iPhone or any connected device, such as Apple Watch or HomePod.

Managing Siri grading

To opt in or out of Siri grading, tap Settings → Privacy → Analytics and Improvements and turn on or off the switch labeled with the text Improve Siri & Dictation. You will be asked to set this preference when setting up your iPhone or upgrading the operating system on your device.

Here’s the fine print:

By enabling Improve Siri & Dictation, you agree and consent to Apple’s and its subsidiaries’ and agents’ transmission, collection, maintenance, processing and use of this information, including your audio interactions and Siri data, to provide and improve Siri, Dictation and other language processing features like Voice Control. At all times information received by Apple from your use of Siri and Dictation will be trend in accordion dance with Apple’s Privacy Policy.

This settings is controlled for each device individually.

Apple indicates that if your Siri or Dictation interactions are selected for review by the system, the request — along with the response the assistant provided — is analyzed to determine accuracy and generally improve Siri.

Depending on the context of your request, Apple employees may review Siri data directly relevant to the request in order to grade the effectiveness of Siri’s response. Only Apple employees, subject to strict confidentiality, are able to access audio interactions with Siri and Dictation.

Your request history may include:

• Computer-generation transcriptions of your requests.
• Audio recordings for users who have opted in to improve Siri and Dictation.
• Related request data, including device specifications, performance statistics and the approximate device location at the time the request was made.

Apple wants you to have peace of mind knowing that no Siri recordings are associated with your Apple ID. Instead, they’re tied to a device-generated identifier for six months.

Deleting recordings from Apple’s servers

In addition to opting out of Siri grading, a separate switch lets you delete any audio interactions from Apple’s servers that are retained for six months or less.

To delete these recordings, go to a new Siri & Dictation History section in Settings → Siri & Search, then tap the option Delete Siri & Dictation History. After confirming the operation, you’ll see a message informing you that Apple has received your request.

“Your Siri and Dictation history will be deleted,” cautions the prompt.

Any Siri and Dictation data associated with the random identifier is also deleted when you disable Siri altogether: in Settings → General → Keyboard, disable Enable Dictation and then go to Settings → Siri and turn off Listen for Hey Siri and Press Side Button for Siri.

What you need to know

As mentioned, Siri interactions are associated with your device on Apple’s servers.

After six months have passed, Apple removes that association from your device. It’s important to know that any Siri or Dictation data that’s no longer associated with your device won’t be automatically deleted when you use the option to manually delete voice recordings from Apple’s servers.

According to Apple, audio recordings and transcriptions may be retained for up to two years on the servers. Only its own employees are permitted to listen to the audio files selected for review. Apple has stopped using outside contractors for the Siri grading program.

“The small subset of feature requests that have been reviewed may be kept beyond two years, without the random identifier, for ongoing improvement of Siri,” cautions the firm.

Deleting apps faster on the Home screen

iOS 13.2 introduces new quick actions when pressing Home screen icons with 3D Touch or Haptic Touch. Aside from the obligatory Share App option, you can now delete the selected app right form the shortcuts menu without waiting for the jiggle mode, which is very handy.

Moreover, Apple has renamed the Rearrange Home Screen option as “Edit Home Screen”. Functionally, nothing has changed because the renamed option still invokes icon jiggle mode faster than long-tapping an icon and continuing to hold after the shortcuts menu pops up.

Brace yourself for 70+ new emoji

With iOS 13.2 come a bunch of new emoji.

You get 70+ new or updated emoji like yawn face, waffle, orangutan, prosthetic arm, bionic leg and ear, plus new animals, food, activities, accessibility emoji and gender neutral emoji.

A new skin tones selection feature for couple emoji is of particular note. To use it, simply long-tap an emoji representing a couple, which will reveal a floating menu where you can choose the skin color of each individual in that emoji.

Video resolution and FPS toggles in the Camera app

This seemingly mundane addition is going to make a lot of people happy, at least those with iPhone 11 models.

No longer do you need to go to Settings → Camera just to change video resolution and frame rate because there are now dedicated switches for that, right in the Camera app. Just tap new labels in the upper-right corner of the Camera app when video mode is selected to cycle through the available resolution and frame rate options.

The toggles work on the latest iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max models for both front and rear cameras, as well as for regular and Slo-Mo mode. And while older devices do display the chosen video resolution and frame rate in the Camera app, tapping either label will do nothing.

Hiding Safari website previews has been relocated

iOS 13.0 introduced updated contextual menus across the system.

In Safari, for example, long-tapping a link pulls up such a menu along with a preview of the underlying link. In iOS 13.0, you can optionally replace the website preview with the link’s URL by choosing Hide Link Previews from the menu.

In iOS 13.2, the options for hiding/showing previews are found at the top of the preview window and renamed as “Hide preview” and “Tap to show preview” (it’s a regression rather than a change for the better, if you ask me).

Your Home Screen and Dock settings get a dedicated section

iOS 13’s Settings app on iPad has gained a new root-level menu option: Home Screen & Dock.

Nested between Display & Brightness and Accessibility, this section brings together the following settings in one place that used to be scattered elsewhere:

• App icons: Choose between having up to 30 smaller icons on each Home screen (More) or the usual 20 icons (Bigger). This feature was previously found in Settings → Display & Brightness section.
• Keep Today View on Home Screen: Ensures that your widgets are always displayed on the Home screen rather than revealed with a left swipe. This toggle also used to live in the Display & Brightness section of the Settings app.
• Multitasking: Tapping this subsection takes you to a new screen with your usual multitasking options that used to live in Settings → General → Multitasking & Dock:
  • Allow Multiple Apps: Determines if you can drag apps from the Dock on your Home screen to create Split View and Slide Over.
  • Picture-in-Picture: Watch video while working in another app
  • Gestures: Turn multitasking gestures on or off.
• Show Suggested and Recent Apps in Dock: Show or hide Siri-suggested apps and recently launched apps at the right side of the vertical limiter in the Dock. This option was previously found in Settings → General → Multitasking & Dock.

Because this new Settings section deals with iPad-specific options, it’s available on iPadOS 13.2 only and not on iPhone and iPod touch.

New AirPlay settings are available

Before iOS 13.2, Handoff was its own section in Settings → General.

In iOS 13.2, you get a new Settings → General → AirPlay & Handoff section with combined preferences for both features. Tap it and you’ll find two previously unavailable AirPlay toggles:

• Automatically AirPlay to TVs: You have these choices to control how your iPhone or iPad behaves when playing content from apps you regularly use with AirPlay:
  • Never: Never send content to nearby AirPlay-enabled TVs.
  • Ask: Ask every time before automatically connecting to nearby TVs.
  • Automatic: Let the device discover and auto-connect to nearby AirPlay TVs.
• Transfer to HomePod: Turn on this switch to transfer what’s currently playing on your iPhone to a HomePod by bringing the phone close to the speaker top. Keep in mind that this feature also requires an updated HomePod software.

AirPlay is built into select television models from major manufactures like Samsung, LG, Sony, Visio and others. The full list of supported AirPlay TVs can be found on Apple’s website.

AirPlay is Apple’s device-to-device media streaming technology.

Close app windows on iPad more easily

iOS 13.0 made us more productive with support for app windows. A single iPad app like Notes or Safari can now open multiple windows that can be viewed side-by-side in Split View mode.

When you first drag a multi-window app on top of another app to create a Split View environment, iOS 13.0 presents you with thumbnails of the app’s open windows. This has changed a bit in iOS 13.2 in that those thumbnails can now be swiped away when initiating multitasking in order to elegantly close app windows that you no longer need.

TV app makes adding content to Up Next easier

The TV app has picked up 3D and Haptic Touch shortcut menus. Just long-tap or 3D Touch an item to reveal a show’s thumbnail and options such as removing it from your Up Next list.

Bonus: you now have a faster way to add a particular show or movie to your Up Next list — tap a show to get to its page, then hit a new Add button located near the top-right corner.

Music app introduces listening history

You can now view your listening history in the Music app in iOS 13.2, and we’re surprised it took Apple that long to implement this super-handy feature. Simply swipe down the Up Next panel to get to a new History section with your recently played tracks. You’ll feel subtle haptic feedback when swiping to let you know there’s more content above the Up Next list.

To clear the list, tap Clear.

I like it a lot that iOS’s 3D Touch and Haptic Touch menus in the Music app are no longer full width, which was confusing as hell. Now they’re a bit narrower, similar to the contextual menus in the TV app, which looks way more aesthetically pleasing (more importantly, the new look informs the user that they can scroll options in the contextual menu.

HomeKit now supports secure video and compatible routers

iOS 13.0 has brought together multiple sensors into single tiles.

With iOS 13.2, the Home app can show your HomeKit accessories and sensors as separate tiles. To do so, simply long-tap a multi-device tile and choose the option Show as Separate Tiles. This is useful if you’d like to access the features of a particular accessory separately.

The Home app now supports HomeKit Secure Vide and HomeKit-compatible routers.

The former lets compatible security cameras privately capture and store video safely encrypted in iCloud (it even features people, animal and vehicle detection). And thanks to support for HomeKit-enabled routers, the Home app on iOS 13.2 puts you in full control of what your smart accessories communicate with over the internet or in your home.

Research app gets privacy settings

In iOS 13.2, there’s a new Research panel in Settings → Privacy.

From there, you can control whether particular app studies which are accessible through Apple’s Research app are permitted to collect sensor and usage data from your device.

Your favorite new feature of iOS 13.2?

Having read about everything new that the latest iOS 13.2 software update brings to the table, which new feature has impressed you the most, and why? While we’re at it, are you going to opt in to Siri grading or not? I have nothing to hide, I guess, so I’m going to allow Apple to store and analyze my voice interactions because I want to help them make Siri better.

What are your thoughts so far on iOS 13.2?

Be sure to let us know by sharing your thoughts in the commenting section down below.

Apple is playing catchup with Amazon and Google by putting new recruiting efforts into its smart home device plans, according to a new report by Bloomberg. Apple is adding personnel to its smart home software and hardware effort, according to the report.

Apple’s efforts include expanded outreach to third-party accessory and appliance makers who produce smart home devices, and Apple’s internal team is said to be looking at new products beyond the HomePod speaker.

Apple has posted 15 job listing it its website since September for HomeKit engineers, and has reportedly been recruiting candidates from other companies as well.

HomeKit is Apple’s software framework for controlling and managing smart home appliances. It was first introduced with iOS 8 back in September of 2014, but adoption of the technology has been very slow. There have been some signs of life, such as the backfill of HomeKit support into Vizio TV models dating back to 2016, with a software update. But it’s been a trickle compared to the torrent of Apple competitors.

While support for the API is baked into the software that powers Apple devices, the number of devices outside the Apple brand which support it are infinitesimal compared to its competitors: Apple only counts a few hundred HomeKit-compatible devices – many of which it lists for sale on its own web site, while Amazon counts more than 80,000 Alexa-compatible devices and Google says its Google Home platform works with more than 10,000.

Apple’s smarthome team is headed by former Mozilla CTO Andreas Gal, who came to Apple last year when Apple acquired Silk Labs. Gal reports to Arun Mathias, part of Apple senior vice president of software engineering Craig Federighi. The company declined to comment to Bloomberg on the new hires.

Are you using HomeKit or another smart home technology to automate your life? Are Apple’s efforts enough, or have you been left wanting? Let us know in the comments.

There’s a new report today suggesting that we may be seeing Apple-branded HomeKit accessories as the company explores ways to boost the popularity of smart home technology.

According to a new report by Bloomberg, Apple is investing heavily in its smart home division in an attempt to grow the company’s presence in the smart home market.

Whilst HomeKit has grown significantly in the last few years, it trails Google Home and Amazon’s Alexa platforms in terms of the sheer number of compatible devices. The company is apparently looking at ways to encourage more manufacturers to make HomeKit accessories, and may even release smart home accessories of its own, following the HomePod’s muted reception.

From one perspective, that makes no sense…

When it comes to new products, Apple famously says no a thousand times for every time it says yes. It tries to focus on a small number of products that it can sell in high volumes.

So far, its one foray into Apple-branded HomeKit accessories appears to have been less successful than the company might have hoped. Even in the US, HomePod has around a 5% share of the smart home market, while Amazon Echo holds some 70%.

Now, I’ve often said that’s a grossly unfair comparison: a tinny-sounding $50 speaker pitched against a device with some really impressive audio tech and sound quality way better than its $300 price would suggest. The two products are not even remotely comparable. But, all the same, the market has shown it will take cheap-and-cheerful over quality.

Other smart home accessories wouldn’t have that kind of price differential. There’s no reason at all that Apple couldn’t sell smart lighting, door lock, CCTV systems and the like for much the same sort of price as other respected brands like Philips, August, and Arlo.

However, the fact remains that the potential sales of any individual product type are unlikely to match the popularity of Apple’s more mainstream accessories, like the Apple Watch (not likely to remain an accessory for long) and AirPods. Applying Apple’s laser-focus test, Apple-branded HomeKit accessories make no sense at all.

There is, though, a bigger picture here: the ecosystem.

Smart home products are still pretty niche. Non-techy friends who visit our apartment still see it as something like the Star Trek bridge, and most have gone no further in their own homes than buying an Echo Dot.

Apple’s Home app makes smart home tech much more accessible. Instead of needing one app for your lights, another for your blinds, yet another for your robot vacuum cleaner and so on, everything can be controlled through a single app.

Think, too, about how much potential there is for Apple to revolutionize the setup process. Configuring most smart home tech is a horrible experience, even for techies. Running an app, waiting for it to painfully find the product, exiting to the Settings app to connect to the product’s own Wi-Fi hotspot, entering our router credentials… The process is convoluted, unfriendly, and unreliable.

Imagine instead if Apple-branded HomeKit accessories worked like AirPods or HomePod. Move your phone close to the device, be asked if you want to add it to your home, say yes – then have the rest happen automatically.

That’s something that would dramatically boost the uptake of smart home products. But even more importantly for Apple, it would further lock people into the Apple ecosystem. If switching from iPhone to Android meant losing that ease of use, and having to install half a dozen apps to control your various smart home products, hardly anyone would ever do it.

So from a short-term perspective, Apple-branded HomeKit accessories make no sense. But from a longer-term one, Apple could significantly boost demand and significantly strengthen its already-enviable brand loyalty. If I were Tim Cook, this is that one time in a thousand I’d be saying yes.

That’s my view – what’s yours? Please take our poll, and share your thoughts in the comments.

According to a new report by Bloomberg, Apple is investing heavily in its smart home division in an attempt to grow Apple’s presence in the smart home market.

Whilst HomeKit has grown significantly in the last few years, it trails Google Home and Amazon’s Alexa platforms in terms of the sheer number of compatible devices. The company is apparently looking at ways to encourage more manufacturers to make HomeKit accessories, and may even release smart home accessories of its own, following the HomePod’s muted reception.

Today’s report from Bloomberg suggests there is a much bigger company initiative to try and get Apple to capture a bigger portion of the smart home market.

The new effort is reportedly headed by Andreas Gal, who Apple hired as part of an acquisition of Silk Labs in late 2018. Apple is looking to engineer solutions that make it easier for third-party smart home accessory manufacturers to adopt HomeKit.

Bloomberg also says that the group is also exploring whether Apple should produce smart home accessories of its own, like lights or door locks. It has been previously reported that Apple is working on a companion to the HomePod for 2020, a smaller voice assistant speaker with a lower starting price.

One potential area of interest for Apple’s hardware teams is home security cameras, which could synergize with the forthcoming iOS 13 feature called HomeKit Secure Recording. This will let HomeKit cameras automatically upload clips to a user’s iCloud account, in an end-to-end encrypted fashion. Bloomberg says that a few years ago, Apple was looking at making a ‘wide range’ of home accessories but the development was shelved.

Apple has made it easier for companies to make HomeKit accessories in the last year or so by transitioning from a hardware authentication module to a purely software-based system. However, some manufacturers continue to complain that adding HomeKit is costly and that the Apple certification process is slow.

Apple’s only smart home device, the HomePod, was praised for its sound quality but sales have been sluggish due to its premium price point next to much cheaper voice assistant cylinders from Amazon and Google. In addition to rumors of a cheaper version in 2020, Apple is also adding key software functionality soon to improve the product’s appeal, namely music handoff and multi-user voice profiles for Siri requests.

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HomeKit support for Arlo Pro and Pro 2 cameras started to roll out this week and we went hands-on with the support for Apple’s smart home platform. Now, Arlo’s Director of Product has answered a range of questions on the company’s forums and shared when Arlo Ultra should receive HomeKit support, details about HomeKit Secure Video, and more.

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Update 10/22: Delivering on its promise of a Q4 release, Arlo has brought HomeKit support to its flagship smart camera, Arlo Ultra. The company detailed the news in a press release today and updated its website to reflect the change.

“We’re excited to expand the option for HomeKit cross-compatibility to our industry-leading Arlo Ultra camera, knowing our users have already found great value in the automations made available to them in previous-generation Arlo models,” said Tejas Shah, SVP Product and chief information officer. “Now, Arlo’s lineup of wire-free camera solutions are fully compatible with HomeKit, giving users the added convenience to manage their cameras with simple voice commands.”

Arlo Ultra is the company’s high-end offering and starts at $399 for one camera, with bundle deals offering savings from retailers like Amazon. The HomeKit support for Ultra cameras is rolling out now through a firmware update.

Meanwhile, the more affordable Arlo Pro and Pro 2 cameras include HomeKit functionality, while the new Pro 3 camera is still waiting on support. Hopefully, we’ll see the just-announced Arlo Video Doorbell get the HomeKit treatment soon as well.

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Arlo hosted a “Chat about HomeKit” with the company’s Director of Product, Greg Falgiano, on its forums today. While HomeKit support for Arlo Pro and Pro 2 was very welcome, it left out owners of the high-end Arlo Ultra. Falgiano confirmed that the Ultra is the next product to gain HomeKit functionality. He said Arlo’s goal is to finish that in Q4 but he didn’t share a more specific timeframe than that.

He also said that the company isn’t planning on making its cameras work with Apple’s upcoming HomeKit Secure Video for now.

Yes, Arlo Ultra is the next product to be certified for HomeKit. Our goal is to have that completed by Q4 of this year. Arlo does not currently plan to support Apple HomeKit Secure Video, but we will support a range of other features that will enable Arlo cameras to participate in the HomeKit ecosystem

Another user asked about the possibility of adding an arm/disarm option with HomeKit for Arlo cameras.

The inability to arm/disarm Arlo through Homekit is not ideal. I understand there may be issues directly adding the Base Station to HomeKit to allow this.

Could you instead create Siri Shortcuts as part of the Arlo App to allow arm/disarm of the system. This would at least allow users to incorporate Arlo Modes into Siri Shortcuts with other Homekit devices. This should be an easy addition to the Arlo App.

Falgiano said the issue is currently a HomeKit limitation that affects all cameras, not just Arlo’s from being able to arm/disarm from HomeKit. However, he did mention that enabling support for Siri Shortcuts could be a good workaround.

@illuminous thanks for the suggestion on Siri shortcuts. I agree that would be a good addition to the Arlo app.

For arming/diarming, we looked into this with the Apple team and the option isn’t available for camera “device types.” This applies to all cameras on the HomeKit ecosystem, not just Arlo. We passed the feedback on to Apple as we have heard this request from a few customers. We have to wait until it is officially supported before we can implement the feature though.

Are you waiting patiently for HomeKit support for Arlo Ultra? Have you got it up and running on your Pro or Pro 2 camera setup? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Smart home accessory maker Netatmo today announced that its Weather Station now supports Apple HomeKit. With a firmware update, owners of the Weather Station since the 2016 model revision will be able to start interacting with their sensors in the Apple Home app and with Siri voice commands through the HomeKit integration.

The Weather Station exposes the following data to HomeKit: indoor and outdoor humidity, temperature, indoor CO2 level, and indoor air quality. If you have additional beacon modules for other rooms, that info will also be part of the HomeKit home.

As of iOS 13, all of these different sensor services will be grouped into a single tile. With iOS 13.2, currently in beta, users will be able to ungroup the services and represent each supported sensor inside the Netamo Weather Station with a separate tile of information.

In addition to viewing the data in the Home app, you can of course ask Siri for this information. You’ll be able to ask questions like ‘what is the temperature in the living room?’ to your iPhone, iPad, HomePod, Apple TV and Apple Watch. Netatmo’s HomeKit integration also extends to automations. Users will be able to trigger automations based on changes to CO2 or air quality.

Due to limitations in the HomeKit protocol, some features of the Netatmo Weather Station cannot be exposed to HomeKit and users will still have to go to the Netatmo app to find out certain statistics. Sensors currently unavailable in HomeKit include noise levels, atmospheric pressure, wind and rain. Netatmo is committed to adding support for these particular data metrics if and when the Apple Home app supports them.

HomeKit integration is supported by Netatmo Weather Stations sold in 2016 and later. You can read about why it took so long to get it rolled out in the company’s blog post. The company had to make significant hardware and software modifications to the unit to be able to support the HomeKit protocol and be authorized by Apple.

Smart home technology is more widespread and affordable than ever, and Apple is at the forefront of this revolution with their HomeKit software. Using Apple’s Home app users can configure and control their smart home appliances with Siri directly through their iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Haper has released a Smart Lighting series specially designed to work with Apple HomeKit, a perfect illustration of Smart Home technology’s ability to make everyday life simpler.

The iHaper B2 E26 Smart LED Light Bulb emits a pristine white daylight that can be easily dimmed or brightened with voice commands. Users can also remotely control the lights to turn them on or off when not at home. It’s on sale for $15.97, which is 20% off the usual price.

For those who don’t have a Smart Light or prefer to use lights already on hand, the Smart Wi-Fi E26 Light Bulb Socket can make ordinary LED, CFL, incandescent and halogen bulbs up to 25W work like a smart bulb. With this smart socket users can control the lighting throughout their home without getting up to flick a switch, and can even schedule lighting patterns for when they are out of town. The Smart Wi-Fi Light Bulb Socket is on sale for $11.97, which is a 40% discount.

iHaper also has a B1 E26 Smart LED Light Bulb for sale at 55% off its regular price. Like the other Smart Lighting products it’s designed to work with Apple HomeKit, but can also be configured for use with Alexa and Google Assistant. While it usually costs $26.99, this Smart LED Light Bulb is on sale for $11.97.

And, if you don’t have any free sockets for these bulbs, you can always opt for the iHaper DL1 Smart Desk Lamp, which gives you that same smart light flexibility but plugs into the wall instead. It’s on sale for only $64.99 (35% off its usual price.