Apple is preparing to expand HomeKit with support for more types of connected devices, and that may be just as important as the new smart home hardware it plans to unveil this month.
A new Bloomberg report says Apple is adding new device categories to HomeKit while working directly with third-party manufacturers on products designed for its Siri-powered home ecosystem.
Exactly which categories are coming isn’t clear yet, but the timing makes sense. Apple can build an impressive home hub, give Siri a major AI upgrade, and put new chips inside the HomePod mini and Apple TV.
None of that fixes one of HomeKit’s longstanding limitations: there simply aren’t enough things for it to control.
Apple’s hardware needs a bigger ecosystem around it
HomeKit handles the basics well. Lights, locks, thermostats, cameras, blinds, and common sensors are already well established in Apple’s Home app.
Move beyond those categories and things get more complicated. Matter itself supports a growing range of appliances and specialized smart home products, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Apple Home exposes everything those devices can do.
Some accessories offer limited controls, while other device categories still don’t have a particularly useful place in Apple’s interface.
That becomes harder to ignore if Apple wants its new 6-inch home hub sitting on kitchen counters and walls throughout the house.
A dedicated control panel is much more useful when it can interact with appliances, environmental sensors, and other devices beyond the lights and locks people have been controlling from their iPhones for years.
Working directly with manufacturers could help Apple close that gap instead of waiting for accessory makers to build around HomeKit on their own.
Apple is building the controller and the ecosystem at the same time
Apple plans to unveil its new home hub on October 13 alongside an updated HomePod mini and fourth-generation Apple TV.
All three are being built around the company’s upgraded Siri, giving Apple multiple devices that can act as interfaces for the home.
The hub is the biggest change because Apple hasn’t previously sold a dedicated screen whose primary job is to remain in the home and control everything around it.
That also raises the stakes for HomeKit. Amazon and Google spent years building large catalogs of compatible smart home products before Apple had anything resembling a dedicated home display.
Apple is arriving much later with tighter integration across the iPhone, Apple Watch, HomePod and Apple TV, but that advantage only goes so far if the accessory someone wants to buy isn’t fully supported.
Apple hasn’t revealed which HomeKit categories it’s adding or which manufacturers it’s working with.
Those details could ultimately matter more to the success of its smart home push than another faster chip inside a HomePod.
