I’m a bigApple Homefan. My house has over 100HomeKit accessoriescontrolling the lights, blinds, locks, thermostats, and so much more. Of all the annoucenments Apple made atWWDC 2024, the changes the company has planned for HomeKit have me the most excited. Not every year is an extravaganza with updates. Still, this year will bring notable improvements to the platform, including one I’ve been waiting for a while.
Here’s everything coming to HomeKit this fall with iOS and iPadOS 18.
My 10 favorite iOS 18 features that you need to try
Despite Apple Intelligence not arriving until next month, iOS 18’s first public release includes several awesome new features.
5UWB Locks
Unlock your door while walking up to it
Home Keyhas been a feature within Apple Home for a while now. Home Key-enabled locks allow iPhone and Apple Watch users to enter their homes with a wave of their device. Home Key works similarly toApple Paybut changes the status of your door lock. I’m a huge fan of Home Key. So much so that I have a compatible lock on every exterior door of my house.
New to iOS 18 is ‘Express Mode.’ Don’t let the name fool you: This isn’t the same feature that speeds people throughpublic transit. No, Express Mode in HomeKit allows compatibleUltra Wideband(UWB) door locks to unlock as soon as you approach your door rather than needing to waive your iPhone or Apple Watch. As far as we know, no locks currently sold support UWB. But be sure, I’ll buy one or two as soon as they’re available.
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4Improved Guest Access
A much-needed upgrade
Apple Home already includes Guest Access for door locks with a keypad. If you’re hosting a guest, you can create a user, assign an access code, and toggle which doors they can unlock using their code. However, many other smart lock apps include guest modes with scheduled or temporary access. Finally, Apple is bringing a similar feature to HomeKit. IniOS 18, when adding a guest, you can set a schedule for when they can access your home and select which accessories they can and can’t access. Customizable guest access means you’ll have tremendous granularity for setting specific access times for a dog walker or housekeeper and limited accessory access for visiting house guests.
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3Home Electricity
An important piece for the future of home automation
Initially only available to Pacific Gas and Electricity users in the US, home electricity allows users to monitor their home’s electrical usage within the Home app. Users will see breakdowns by day, week, month, six-month, and yearly periods, along with a percentage change metric. You’ll also see the percentage of electricity used during peak and off-peak hours.
Electricity usage savings can be a significant benefit of a smart home, so Apple bundling this into its popular home automation ecosystem is a welcome addition. While home electricity won’t be available to me at launch, I’ll be thrilled to start using it when it does by crafting new automations. Now, here’s wishing Apple and Tesla would let me add my Power Walls into HomeKit.
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2Set your Home Hub
Troubleshooting will be much easier now
The ability to set your desiredHome Hubis finally coming in iOS 18. In classic Apple fashion, the company has never allowed users to set whether their home hub should be aHomePod,HomePod mini, orApple TV. Instead, preferring the auto-magic approach. The challenge some users found themselves in was trying to troubleshoot connectivity and reliability issues by unplugging hubs and using workarounds. Fortunately, those pains will be behind us soon, allowing us to select our desired home hub based on our knowledge of our home and network.
1Robot Vacuums
I can’t wait for this one
While selecting my preferred home hub is cool, it’s the second fiddle to my favorite addition to Apple Home this fall, Robot vacuums! For a long time, I had never owned a robot vacuum because of HomeKit’s lack of support for them. That was until my girlfriend moved in, bringing hers along. Little did I realize how awesome robot vacuums are. The moment a HomeKit-compatible robot is available either specifically for HomeKit or via theMatter smart home standard, I’ll be grabbing one, damned of the price, and automating it with my other HomeKit accessories. Maybe I just like new accessory categories because they give me an excuse to buy new things? Who knows.
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