It's the fourth of Advent and thus the last weekly review before Christmas Eve. Before we recap the events of the past seven days, we would therefore like to wish all SmartApple readers a Merry Christmas in advance.

HomeKit blinds: Omniablinds starts pre-ordering

The first Eve Motion Blinds are set to launch early next year, after a bit of a delay. There will be several manufacturers offering their own blinds with Coulisse's motor and Eve Systems' HomeKit technology.

This week, Swedish company Omniablinds became the first manufacturer to launch pre-orders. The cheapest models start at $318.

Using U1 chip to control HomeKit devices.

In an exciting video, developer Bastian Andelefski shows an app that can be used to specifically control HomeKit devices. To do this, it is sufficient to point the iPhone at the corresponding HomeKit device to get the corresponding control elements displayed.

This is made possible by the U1 chip integrated in the iPhone, which is not yet available to developers. So unfortunately it remains a concept at the moment.

Voice recognition starts on the HomePod

After a bit of a delay, voice recognition on the HomePod launched in this country this week. Activated in Apple's Home app, Siri recognizes users by voice and can access personal music, calendar, reminders, and more.

To do this, the HomePod forwards the voice command to the iPhone of the corresponding user. To do this, make sure that all devices are up to date and Siri is enabled in the iCloud settings.

Automation of the Week: Monitoring the Tea Teapot with HomeKit

Since we always forget our tea warmer when leaving our own four walls, we have equipped it with a temperature sensor without further ado.

This detects when the candle is burning in the teapot and can remind us when we open the front door. We have described the suitable automation in this post.

IKEA publishes numerous updates

Earlier this week, IKEA released firmware updates for 20 devices. The innovations primarily include bug fixes and stability improvements.

The associated app has also been given an update. This means that the remote control previously required for setting up lamps and drivers is no longer necessary.

HomeKit door lock from Schlage with Thread and HomeKey surfaced.

At the US regulatory agency FCC, esteemed colleague Jon at HomeKit Authority has spotted a new HomeKit door lock from Schlage with Thread support.

What's special about the find is a picture of the user manual that talks about HomeKey support. Apple debuted the technology, which lets you use your iPhone or Watch wallet as a key, at this year's WWDC. Unfortunately, the new door lock is designed for the American market.

Yeelight wants to support Matter

Chinese lighting solutions maker Yeelight officially confirmed this week that it plans to support the new smarthome standard Matter.

So far, however, the company has only announced an update for the Yeelight Pro Gateway, where all lights connected to the hub will support Matter. However, the company also offers many devices that do not require the gateway. It is not yet known whether these devices will also receive a corresponding update.