Home app

If you’re an Apple user who’s been eyeing Samsung’s SmartThings ecosystem, you might be wondering how well it plays with Siri and your other Apple devices. The good news? SmartThings has robust HomeKit support, meaning you can control a wide range of smart home devices using Siri voice commands, the Home app and Apple’s automation features. Here are five impressive ways to integrate SmartThings into your Apple-powered smart home.

Eufy expanded its HomeKit ecosystem Monday with the release of the Indoor Cam E30, a sophisticated 4K security camera priced at $69.99. It’s a big upgrade from the 2020 model, marking Eufy’s second HomeKit-compatible camera launch in recent months following September’s S3 Pro Outdoor Cam. E30 upgrades include advanced pan-and-tilt mobility and color night vision through lighting.

The new Meross Matter Smart Home Thermostat works with HomeKit and other smart-home platforms, offering an affordable entry point at $70 (limited time price, regular $99.99), the company said Thursday. And the new device represents one of only a few Matter-compatible smart thermostats currently available for U.S. HVAC systems.

Turns out we won’t be able to order robot vacuum cleaners around with Siri commands and the Home application quite as soon as hoped. Apple moved the release date for this feature to early 2025.

When it launches, though, it’ll be a powerful tool for controlling these automated home-cleaning devices.

The new unveiled Lockly Zeno smart locks are its first ones to work with Apple Home and Home Key for use with iPhone and Apple Watch, the company said Thursday. Lockly Visage, with advanced facial recognition access technology, and Lockly Vision, with an integrated 2K video doorbell with intercom, are the two flagships.

“As technology progresses, so do customer expectations. We’ve made it our mission to always go above and beyond the cutting edge to set a new standard for the smart home industry,” said Frank Polidoro, Lockly CRO. “We are extremely excited to partner up with The Home Depot to bring our latest innovation to homeowners and the professional market.”

Aqara’s new Presence Sensor FP1E monitors smart-home spaces for human activity and helps launch automations via HomeKit and other platforms, the company said recently. To get the most out of it, though, you need an Aqara Matter bridge.

The new Smart Doorbell Camera that Ecobee rolled out Tuesday offers an “industry leading” vertical field of view and a “first of its kind” live video stream beamed to a thermostat screen, the company said.

For any smart home powered by HomeKit or Amazon Alexa, the camera offer clear vision day or night, radar-sensing tech for accurate detection and a battery-free enclosure that allows reliable usage in extreme temperatures, Ecobee said.

New Nanoleaf Essentials Matter Smart Holiday String Lights — with support for the new Matter standard and all smart-home plaforms, including HomeKit — are coming in time for winter holidays, the company said Thursday.

Or maybe even in time for Halloween, for that matter. At any rate, it’s almost time to get festive.

The new HomeKit-compatible Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus offers support for Apple’s Home Key as well as fingerprint scanning, according to Yale Home.

The company also says a new version coming soon will support the Matter smart-home standard.

A popular smart light bulb from TP-Link suffers from severe security flaws that could give hackers passwords and other information, researchers said Wednesday.

A paper examined four flaws in the bestselling TP-Link Tapo L530E, which works with Apple’s HomeKit platform.

Aqara flipped the “on” switch Tuesday for a new multipurpose RGBCCT smart light strip, its first such product — the LED Strip T1.

It works with HomeKit and other smart-home platforms and features Apple Home’s Adaptive Lighting.

Eve Systems rolled out its second generation of the Eve Flare portable smart LED lamp Tuesday, adding Thread networking support.

It also released the Eve Shutter Switch, but only in parts of Europe.

Belkin’s smart-home accessories brand, Wemo, is “backing away from Matter and dimming our dreams of a smart home utopia.” That’s according to a report published Wednesday.

At a time when companies are rushing to ready products for the new smart-home networking standard, which is meant to let different brands work together, Wemo’s hesitation is a surprise.

Its products work only with HomeKit. Now it looks like that won’t change anytime soon.

Onvis updated its formerly Bluetooth-only CT3 contact sensor with the Thread wireless protocol. That means it should work smoothly with HomeKit and Siri. It won’t just let you know when doors or windows open or close, it will launch related automations.

This is especially good news if you want to jack up home security by automatically tripping alarms or turning on lights when a door or window opens.

Consumer electronics maker LG added Apple TV, Apple Music, AirPlay and HomeKit to its webOS Hub Tuesday, making Apple’s core services available to smart TVs from 200 brands that use the custom software.

The update starts rolling out Friday in more than 100 countries and regions. It could provide quite a boost to Apple globally as new users try the features.

HomePod 2 and (surprise!) HomePod mini both include temperature and humidity sensors. These can be used by Apple’s Home app to control HomeKit accessories. Or just tell you how hot or cold it is in your living room.

Here’s how to use the sensors in Apple’s large and small smart speakers.

Apple has not given up on updating the underlying architecture for its Home app. After initially pulling the upgrade, the company is working on version 2 and could release it soon.

Apple apparently plans to re-release its update to the underlying architecture of its HomeKit home-automation system in the near future. The upgraded platform for the Home app is included in the latest iOS and iPadOS betas.

The company briefly made this update available to all users in December before withdrawing it due to unspecified problems.

Worried about keeping your valuables safe? Venerable lock maker Yale said Tuesday it has two new smart safes for you: Yale Smart Safe and Yale Smart Safe with Wi-Fi.

And you can control the new safes using the Home app via HomeKit. Or, in the case of the Wi-Fi-enabled safe, with the Siri voice assistant.

With iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, and macOS Ventura 13.1, Apple introduced a new architecture for the Home app. Following issues reported by early adopters, the company has pulled the upgrade option altogether.

The new Home app architecture promises improved performance and reliability. It was an opt-in upgrade, with users getting the option when they opened the Home app after installing iOS 16.2.

iOS 16.2, which Apple released Tuesday, brings many new features that make it a must-have update for all iPhone owners. From security advancements and productivity boosters to cosmetic tweaks and other fun stuff, it’s positively loaded with upgrades.

Here are the top new iOS 16.2 features you should try right now. (Note: Many of these features also appear in iPadOS 16.2, which Apple also released today.)

A number of devices across Eve Systems’ product lineup are receiving support for the home automation networking standard Matter with a new, optional firmware update, the company said Monday.

Matter support — which lets devices from different makers work together over the same network — will come to Thread-enabled devices in the company’s Eve Door and Window, Eve Motion and Eve Energy lineups.

Accessories maker Meross now allows you to order one of the first smart plugs designed for the new Matter smart home wireless networking standard.

And not only that. The plug, which the company said will ship on December 31, appears to be one of the first smart gadgets to sport the Matter logo.

And right now you can get it for 30% off in a launch discount.

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This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: iOS 16 … iPadOS 16 … macOS Ventura … watchOS 9…. We’re racing as fast as we can through all Apple’s WWDC22 keynote revelations, but we’re gonna need a longer show. It’s our WWDC22 recap!

Also on The CultCast:

• How about that super-skinny new MacBook Air?
• And the blazing-fast new M2 chip that powers it?
• Next-gen CarPlay looks like a total cockpit takeover.
• What happened to Apple’s AR/VR headset?!?

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Apple rebuilt its Home app from the ground up for iOS 16, ensuring it will make managing HomeKit a breeze and support the upcoming Matter home-automation standard.

But for those who’ve been using an iPad as a hub for HomeKit, the house party’s over as of iOS 16’s release.