While we still waiting for new smart home hardware products from Apple, iOS 18 does bring some new advancements to the Apple smart home software experience, with upgrades to HomeKit and the Home app.
The hero new feature this year is the addition of guest user access, allowing you to let visitors control your smart accessories temporarily, without adding them as a full permanent member of your Home. Also, there is new support for smart robot vacuum cleaners and door locks with Ultra-Wide Band connectivity …
Guest users in Home app
As pictured above, the big new feature available to try out in the current iOS 18 betas is the addition of guest user access in your HomeKit home.
You can invite guests through the Home app ‘Invite People’ flow. Unlike permanent ‘Residents’, Guests have limited access to your accessories based on your preferences.
You can choose how and when guests are allowed to access your home, and control accessories like door locks, garage doors, or the smart alarm system. Guests can only control these accessories while they are physically located at your address, so there’s no risk of tampering from afar.
You can easily revoke access manually too, a perfect feature for when people are living at your home for a short stay.
Robot vacuum cleaners and Ultra Wideband door locks
Support for smart robot vacuum cleaners is the first time Apple will be adopting features in the Matter 1.2 standard, which was formalized in October 2023. Vacuum cleaner integration will be available in the Home app, starting later this year.
Apple will support features like turning your vacuum on and off, changing the cleaning mode, and reading current charge status. Like other Matter and HomeKit accessories, vacuums will be able to participate in automations and scenes, and you’ll be able to ask Siri to control your vacuum to start a cleaning session.
Like many things with Matter, finding vacuum cleaners with Matter 1.2 support is easier said than done. Roborock has pledged support for the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra robot vacuum is coming soon. Hopefully, models by other manufacturers will be on the market soon.
It will be a similar story of dearth, with the next announcement: the new Express Mode unlock feature for smart locks. Theoretically, this will allow users to magically unlock their house door as they approach — simply by the fact of having an iPhone or Apple Watch within six feet proximity. Apple says this feature uses Ultra Wideband for security and speed. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like there is a single HomeKit compatible lock with Ultra Wideband available to buy right now.
Integrated home electricity usage reporting
Finally, the Home app will allow users who live in homes supplied by participating Pacific Gas and Electric Company customers to see a tally of their electricity usage right inside the Home app. You’ll be able to view usage in peak and off-peak times, and compare changes in your usage over time.
If you are an eligible customer, you will be able to connect your account to the Home app in an update to iOS 18 available later this year.
No story for smart home Apple Intelligence just yet
Unfortunately, some of the splashiest new features this year do not have a corresponding smart home story. For instance, all the new Apple Intelligence and Siri features will not be available on the Apple TV or HomePod, arguably Apple’s most voice-orientated device. It’s unclear if Apple Intelligence support for those platforms will be available later, or if new generations of hardware will be required to run the various on-device models.
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