watchOS 8 brings a significant update to the Home app on your Apple Watch, making it easier to control your HomeKit accessories and scenes, use Intercom and more, right from your wrist.
Apple may unveil a new operating system at the WWDC21, its upcoming developer conference, with an Apple Music job ad referencing the previously unannounced software twice.
The first smart home devices from Apple, Google, Amazon and other companies, based on the new Project CHIP interoperable standard, are scheduled to arrive later this year.
Apple's given up on the full-size $299 HomePod to focus on the more affordable $99 HomePod mini, with a new report alleging additional smart speakers from Apple may be on the way.
Apple is no longer making full-size HomePods, but a new report alleges that the company had been actually working on a new version of the Siri-powered speaker before the discontinuation.
Heads up, Amazon is running a sweet deal on this smart video doorbell from Eufy. It's easy to install, offers super clear video, does not require monthly fees, and right now it's just $90.
Turning your home into a smart home doesn't have to be expensive. Right now Amazon has the Kasa Smart Plug, which allows you to operate a light or appliance using your phone or voice, for just ten bucks.
The free, open-source Scenecuts app by Seattle developer Nick Hayward is a great little utility that allows you to bypass Apple's unimpressive Home app and access your smart home devices and trigger HomeKit scenes directly through the macOS menu bar.
Apple introduced a tinier version of its popular HomePod called HomePod mini. This smart speaker is not only smaller in size, but also in price as compared to its parent. Both of these features put the HomePod mini more in the running as a direct competitor to the Amazon Echo.
Whether for yourself or a gift for a loved one, you might be trying to decide between the two (or three including the Amazon Echo Dot). To help, we have a comparison of HomePod mini versus Amazon Echo. Hopefully this will help you pick the best smart speaker for your home or someone else’s.
There are certain smart home accessories that do more than turn off or change color. Devices like door locks and motion sensors are used to keep you safe and in control of your home. So it’s with good reason that accessories like these come with notifications.
If you’d like to receive an alert when your door locks or motion is detected, as examples, here’s how to set up notifications for your HomeKit devices.
Controlling your smart home from your iPhone and iPad is simple with the Home app. And with iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and macOS Big Sur, you have a clearer way to see and manage your HomeKit accessories.
What used to be written summary section at the top of the Home app is now a visual summary of your connected devices. This allows you to quickly take action or more easily control your accessories. Here’s the scoop on using the visual status section for devices in the Home app.
If you use the Home app to control your smart lights, doorbell, or thermostat, you’ll be glad to know the app wasn’t left out of the iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 updates.
To manage your accessories easier, you can control them from the handiest spot on your device – Control Center. And what’s even better is that these controls are just as smart as your devices because you’ll see accessories and scenes based on time of day or usage. Let’s take a look at how to use controls for your Home accessories in Control Center.