Apple announces new IoT app called Home

Apple launched HomeKit two years ago during the crazy early years of home automation. At that time, it was tough to add devices to your smart home suite due to incompatibility and lack of security. Today at Apple WWDC, Craig Federighi announced that Apple has an app called Home that integrates with an enormous range of devices, including cameras and door locks. He said that Apple has partnered with "every major maker of home accessories," as well as home builders in the US and China. The home builders bit was particularly interesting, as it means Apple is working to integrate Home into the physical structure of buildings, so "you can move in and just start controlling your home." Imagine shopping for a house and having to worry about whether it's compatible with Apple or Android.

The big "Internet-of-Things" news at WWDC this year was the Home app, though. It fully integrates HomeKit into all your iOS devices as well as AppleTV. You can see Home right on your iOS home screen, and when you launch it you'll see all your accessories, no matter who made them. Federighi showed the audience how easy it is to tap the lights accessory and turn on or dim the lights.

You can also control several accessories at once by creating a "scene." For example, your Good Night Scene might lock the door, close the shades, turn down the heat, and turn off all the lights. If you want to feel like you're waking up in a science fiction movie, use Siri to activate a scene. "Siri, good morning!" you can say as you wake up, and Home will automatically start your coffee pot and turn on your local NPR radio station for the morning news. You can also set up geofences so that movement outside or in a particular area of the house will trigger a scene. When your car rolls up your driveway, for example, it could automatically open the garage door and turn on the kitchen lights.

HomeKit also works with interactive notifications in iOS, so you can get a live feed from your front door intercom on the lock screen of your iPhone and even unlock your door to let someone in. Concerned about security? Federighi suggested using AppleTV as a secure point for remote access, with end-to-end encryption. The Home app also works on the iPad and Apple Watch. Soon you'll be terrifying your cats from afar by turning on your vacuum robots with just a swipe of the finger.