Apple’s smart home plans come into focus

Apple has a master plan to conquer the smart home, and after years of HomeKit being just a hobby, it all will begin in 2025. Here’s what Apple has in mind.

The smart home market has been somewhat slow on the uptick while simultaneously changing at a rapid pace. It’s led Apple to appear, at least at face value, behind the competition.

In the last few years we’ve seen new standards for connectivity and working across platforms, dozens of new device types, and countless new products come to market.

With Google, Amazon, and others pulling ahead, Apple needs to step up to the plate. With its slate of software and hardware it has planned, it appears ready to do just that.

Matter brings everyone together

There’s one big reason why it makes senes for Apple to shoot its shot now, of all times. That reason is Matter, and before we get into everything else, we have to start here.

Matter is a new open smart home standard, developed my the Connectivity Standards Alliance. It’s a member-led organization which includes Apple, Samsung, Amazon, Google, and hundreds of others.

Matter hasn’t made the big splash it was supposed to, but it’s improving

This standard does many things, but the simplest is that it allows a device manufacturer to create a product, get certified with Matter, and work across all smart home platforms.

That includes Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, Amazon Alexa, and Apple Home — previously known as HomeKit.

Aside from interoperability, what makes Matter so exciting is support for new features and devices. For example, readers may be aware that Apple is adding support for robotic vacuum cleaners in 2025, by way of Matter.

Robotic vacuum cleaners will be supported in iOS 18.3 in early 2025 thanks to Matter 1.2

Recent versions of Matter include support for large appliances like fridges, stoves, washer and dryers, there are EV chargers and whole-home batteries, even water heaters. It has constantly expanded,

Imagine asking Siri if you have enough hot water left ot take a shower, how long is left until your clothes are dry, or setting a rule to charge your EV when your electric rate is lowest.

These are all things possible with the newest version of Matter.

There have been absolutely speed bumps in the Matter rollout for the past couple years, but things are finally starting to look positive as adoption expands.

To go with Matter, we also have Thread. Thread is a wireless connectivity protocol, like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or Zigbee.

So Matter is the smarts of how they all work together and Thread is how they connect. You can have Apple Home devices running on Thread but many companies are opting to launch Thread in tandem with Matter.

Thread networks span multiple products, are self-healing, use less power than Bluetooth, and are faster than Zigbee or Z-Wave

It creates a mesh network across your home that is self-healing, very low-power, and super latency. This gives it several benefits over traditional connectivity standards.

Apple has been supporting Thread for years. It has already added it into iPhone, HomePod, HomePod mini, and Apple TV 4K.

Funny enough, Apple also has secretly put it into Macs and iPads, too. It just hasn’t enabled the radios yet.

Once it fully launches its smart home plans, many homes could have a good start to a robust Thread network in their homes with just a software update.

It’s been building out this network with the anticipation of a big push into the smart home, just laying the groundwork for years ahead of time. Only now are Apple’s plans coming into focus.

Finally physical Apple Home controls

Apple’s master plan will likely reveal itself with the launch of the company’s big new smart home product – a smart home display. It will be essential to its plans.

The most recent rumors point to a 6-to-7-inch display in a compact form factor that can be either wall-mounted or sit on a dock. The dock, may also offer premium speakers, like the high-end HomePod.

Within the display will sit a FaceTime camera. When placed on the base, the camera will be able to follow you around the room thanks to a built-in motor.

This seems extravagant and something that would take a considerable effort to do. Even so, Apple has been ahead of the game once again.

A quick mockup of a HomePod with a control display

For those that remember, Apple has something called DockKit it has offered for a couple years. It’s the framework that allows for a third-party stand to use the built-in camera and follow you around.

There are a few of these devices already on the market for your iPhone. We saw one from Insta360 as well as one we went hands-on with from Belkin.

Our belief is that Apple is going to use this DockKit tech as the basis of its smart stand for the smart home display. Maybe third parties can make compatible stands and mounts too, not just Apple.

Bloomberg has said that the camera will also be able to identify people in the home, even if their face isn’t visible. Apple does something a little similar with its HomeKit Secure Video analysis but this sounds more accurate than that is.

Recognizing who people are will be important, just like with HomePod requests. The smart display will know who is asking the question to be able to know what information is theirs.

It knows who is trying to send a message, which inbox to check for new messages, or who wants a movie added to their Apple TV watch list. Especially if hand motions are recognized.

Lastly, this display will almost certainly support Apple Intelligence. The potential timing aligns with Apple’s promised personal Apple Intelligence update — how convenient.

This makes sense because you’ll be able to get visual answers to your questions. And there will have to be some support for apps, that can tie into Apple Intelligence via new app intents.

Right now the Home app is the easiest way to control your home. A smart display would help

Apple has needed a physical control panel for the smart home for a while. A way to see your doorbell rung, to easily control lights, or monitor your camera feeds.

Every other smart home platform has them – except Apple. Amazon just launched new versions of its smart displays that are also wall-mountable like this.

After years of rumors, we finally had a likely release date set for early 2025. A possible spring event.

Now though, another rumor has come along saying that Q3 of 2025 is more likely. At least for the manufacturing.

We obviously don’t know what Apple is planning here. Things like supply chain reports can be accurate, but they often don’t tell the whole story.

Apple could announce and debut the product in early 2025 then give developers time to prep their apps, make a big show of software enhancements at WWDC, before releasing the product to the public in the fall.

That could account for the delayed manufacturing and still have a launch earlier in the year.

While this smart display will be central to Apple’s plans, it is not the whole picture. There are four more products set to be coming.

Updates to familiar products

The first of these device will be an updated HomePod mini. Right now, there isn’t a lot we know about this device.

HomePod mini is set to see its first hardware upgrade in 2025

It will probably keep the same form factor, increase the processor, and maybe improve the audio by some degree thanks to the years of time for added development.

Another report out of Bloomberg says this new HomePod mini will be one of the very first devices to use Apple’s in-house wireless chip.

This new bluetooth and Wi-Fi chip could offer improved device-to-device connectivity, which would be helpful for smart home applications where accessories need to react instantly.

The second device is an updated full-size HomePod. This will technically be a third-generation device.

A new full-size HomePod is in active development

A new HomePod mini is slated for 2025 while the full size HomePod is less clear. It hasn’t been mentioned in a lot of rumors, though we did see at least one component purportedly leak.

There’s also a good chance rumors are being conflated between the actual smart display and this new HomePod with a display.

The current HomePod display is minimal

The biggest change on this one will be an updated top screen that will be full-color and touch sensitive. More of a screen than what we have now.

The third upcoming device will be a new Apple TV. This has been reportedly been ready to go for a while now.

It’s possible that this new Apple TV was delayed due its close ties with the upcoming smart display. That new display is running a modified version of tvOS.

Many new elements of tvOS look as if they’d be right at home on a smart display. Things like the new screensaver updating interface and Control Center.

Apple TV 4K has been due for a refresh, if even just the processor

It would make more sense to debut these closer together as they’re share such similar code and likely features. In fact, Apple may be introducing a whole new version of its software called homeOS which would be devoted solely to these smart home devices.

Another reason why some announcement around WWDC could be likely.

A new product for your home

The last device coming from Apple is its own first-party smart home camera. This one is especially exciting for us.

This is a 2026 endeavor, so don’t get too excited for a quick release. This camera will likely support Matter, which currently doesn’t support cameras.

As the CEO of the CSA, Tobin Richardson, recently told us on the HomeKit Insider podcast, cameras will be supported very soon by the standard.

The Logitech Circle View is a great HomeKit Secure Video camera

The spec for Matter 1.5 will be announced in the spring which could include cameras. That would give Apple the rest of the year to finalize the camera for a 2026 release.

You can expect features like advanced AI person recognition, HomeKit Secure Video recording at a higher resolution than 1080p, and a high degree of privacy and security.

Needless to say it will also integrate into the smart display. See a live feed, get motion alerts, and more.

No longer a hobby

Let’s put a bow on it, shall we?

Apple is about to drop a whole new smart display with support for tons of new device types, an entire smart home operating system, and several new smart home accessories.

Homes will have robust Thread networks to connect everything together. Your doors will be able to unlock as you approach.

And you’ll have an intelligence AI-powered Siri to help control and automate your devices that will have a familiar understanding of you and your family.

Unlocking the Level Lock via the Home app

This is a lot of moves from Apple who has historically been slow and purposeful in its smart home moves. It’s proof Apple is ready to take the smart home seriously.

Between Matter, Thread, and Apple Intelligence, the pieces are finally ready for Apple to bring it all together. Maybe now it will be a bit more competitive in this growing space.

Time will tell.