Apple today announced Apple Home Collection, a new lineup of smart home accessories — including indoor and outdoor cameras, thermostats, temperature sensors, and a video doorbell and door lock — designed in collaboration with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric. These new accessories are simple to set up starting with one tap with iPhone, and everything is managed through the Apple Home app — no separate app or account required. Each accessory is encrypted end-to-end in Apple Home, so only users and the people they choose can access their home data. Building on the thousands of Works with Apple Home and Matter accessories available today, Apple Home Collection offers customers a new array of recommended products to better understand what’s happening inside and outside their home, manage access, and keep the temperature just right throughout the day. Availability for all products begins in December, with select accessories available starting early 2027. “Apple Home Collection makes it easy to choose smart home accessories with confidence,” said Matthew Costello, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering, in a statement. “Working closely with industry leaders LG Electronics and Schneider Electric, we designed every accessory to work seamlessly with Apple Home, so managing your home is simple, reliable, and private.”
A New Kind of Apple Home Works with Apple Home and Matter certification have allowed a wide array of third-party accessories to connect with Apple’s smart home ecosystem for years, and Apple Home Collection takes it even further. Apple worked closely with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric to create an integrated Apple Home experience across the new product lineup. And like all accessories in Apple Home, Apple Home Collection products are designed for privacy, with Home app data encrypted end-to-end, so LG Electronics, Schneider Electric, and Apple can’t read it. These new Apple Home Collection products feature a clean, minimal aesthetic and premium materials, with every detail considered, from how they mount and adjust to how they look and feel alongside Apple products throughout the home. Each product can be set up starting with a single tap with iPhone, controlled entirely from the Home app and using Siri, and work as either standalone accessories or together as a connected system. “LG Electronics has spent decades developing technologies and products designed around the way people live,” said Kihyun Jung, LG Electronics’ executive vice president, in a statement. “Working closely with Apple, we’ve co-created a more connected, intuitive, and convenient home experience for our customers.” “As a global leader in energy technology, we are proud to bring our experience in innovative and advanced climate control to Apple Home,” said Olivier Blum, Schneider Electric’s CEO, in a statement. “Schneider Home’s new Smart Thermostat is a true collaboration with Apple to give customers a seamless way to help manage their home’s energy use, effortlessly blending efficiency with everyday comfort and simplicity.”
Home Monitoring LG’s lineup of four cameras gives users a private and intelligent way to monitor their homes when using a home hub like Apple HomeView, HomePod, HomePod mini, or Apple TV 4K. Every camera captures up to 2.5K resolution video and recognizes people, familiar faces, pets, vehicles, and packages, with video history securely stored in users’ supported iCloud+ plan, so there’s no separate camera subscription. The lineup includes the following devices: • LG’s Video Doorbell offers dual cameras that capture separate views of visitors and packages — allowing users to switch between the front and bottom camera views seamlessly — along with a built-in spotlight and a chime that plays through HomeView, HomePod, and HomePod mini. The front camera captures 2.5K resolution video, and the bottom camera captures full HD resolution. • LG’s Floodlight Cam delivers powerful perimeter monitoring with adaptive dual floodlights that activate automatically when motion is detected, and low-light color night vision that preserves clarity in darker conditions so users can see more of what’s happening outside. • LG’s Outdoor Cam also offers low-light color night vision and can be easily angled, delivering flexible outdoor coverage with simple self-installation. • LG’s Indoor Cam takes a distinctive approach to privacy in the Home app by automatically tilting upward and downward to adjust the view when users check in on the home, and tilting back down to stop monitoring as soon as the first member of the household returns. Users can also tilt the camera manually or in the Home app at any time, whether to take a quick look around the room or adjust the view to exactly where they need it.
Each camera works with iCloud+, giving users access to 10 days’ worth of event video history. On eligible iCloud+ plans, Apple Intelligence adds automatic video descriptions that summarize what’s happening in a clip, along with the ability to search footage using natural, descriptive language. Built-in storage keeps cameras recording even when Wi-Fi goes down, and improvements to the way footage is captured and stored ensure detected moments aren’t missed during a network outage. Users can view live footage and camera activity at any time right from the Home app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV 4K, or HomeView — with quick live snapshots that give an at-a-glance view without needing to open a full livestream.
Home Access LG’s Smart Deadbolt Lock brings a new level of convenience to home access. Using Ultra Wideband technology, the lock can tell how close a user is and when they’re approaching the door. As a user with a home key on a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch walks up, the door unlocks automatically, with no tapping required. For flexibility, users can also tap to unlock with an iPhone or Apple Watch, use an integrated PIN pad, or rely on a hidden backup key slot. The lock can sense if the door has been opened, closed, or tampered with, alerting users if it’s open even while locked. Guest access can also be shared directly through the Home app, making it simple to grant a dog walker, house sitter, or visiting family member their own way in.
Controls in the Home app allow the doorbell and lock to work together as a front-door system — letting users see who’s there and unlock the door in a single view or by asking Siri. When a visitor rings the bell, a chime sounds through HomeView, HomePod, or HomePod mini, and a notification appears on the user’s Apple devices, like iPhone or iPad. From wherever they are, users can see who’s at the door, speak to the visitor, and unlock the door for them. The new smart lock is Matter compatible and supports Aliro, working entirely locally so core access functions continue even without an internet connection. Home Climate Two new Smart Thermostats are available — one from LG Electronics and one from Schneider Electric — so users can choose the product that best fits their home’s broader energy ecosystem. Using on-device intelligence from iPhone, Adaptive Temperature in the Home app automatically adjusts the thermostats based on whether someone is at home, winding down at night, or away, ensuring the home is always at the right temperature without any manual scheduling.
In the contiguous U.S., Clean Energy Guidance can shift heating and cooling to cleaner, lower-cost periods for users with a compatible utility plan, and the Home app displays usage insights over time, including peak and off-peak rate information. The new thermostats can read temperature and humidity across multiple rooms using LG Electronics’ and Schneider Electric’s new standalone temperature and humidity sensors, or the sensors already built into HomeView, HomePod, and HomePod mini.
Both thermostats and temperature and humidity sensors are Matter compatible and DIY-friendly, and work with a broad range of HVAC systems, with on-device wire detection to simplify installation. One Home, Working Together Every product across the new lineup shares a consistent, seamless setup and control experience. Starting with a single tap with iPhone, the accessory is added to Apple Home, similar to setting up HomePod — with no additional app to download and no separate account to create. Every device supports Thread, helping it maintain connectivity even if a Wi-Fi connection drops. Products also automatically update their network credentials if a customer changes their home Wi-Fi, eliminating a common smart home frustration. The accessories are designed to work together, and users can control every product with Siri. A single “Good Morning” scene can simultaneously adjust the thermostat, tilt an indoor camera down while a user is getting ready, and start music on HomePod. Using on-device intelligence from iPhone or Apple Watch, users can set up Apple Home to recognize key moments throughout the day: As the last user leaves for work, the thermostat adjusts for an empty home, the door locks, and cameras begin monitoring again. Before they arrive home, the thermostat begins adjusting the temperature, and the front door unlocks automatically as they approach. Privacy at Home Privacy is foundational to Apple Home. Camera footage and personal data in the Home app are stored end-to-end encrypted and never accessible to LG Electronics, Schneider Electric, or Apple. Camera footage is securely processed locally on the customer’s own Apple Home hub or in Private Cloud Compute and, for users with iCloud+, stored encrypted in iCloud for 10 days. No one, not even Apple, can access the data. Professional Installation Available at Apple Retail For customers who prefer to have their smart home accessories professionally installed, Apple Retail now offers third-party installation from ADT for an additional charge, available in the U.S. starting this fall. Pricing and Availability • Apple Home Collection will be available starting in December at apple.com/store, in the Apple Store app, and at Apple Store locations, with select accessories available starting early 2027. • LG Video Doorbell Wired starts at US$249.95, LG Floodlight Cam starts at $399.95, and LG Outdoor Cam Plug-In starts at $299.95, all available in Essence Graphite and Essence Silver in the U.S., Canada, and the UK. LG Indoor Cam Plug-In, also available in the U.S., Canada, and the UK, starts at $199.95 in Essence White. • LG Smart Deadbolt Lock starts at $349.95 and is available in Essence Graphite and Essence Silver in the U.S. and Canada. • LG Smart Thermostat starts at $199.95 and LG Temperature Sensor starts at $39.95, and are available in Essence White in the U.S. and Canada. • Schneider Home Smart Thermostat starts at $199.95 and is available in Silver + White in the U.S. and Canada. Schneider Home Room Sensor, also available in the U.S. and Canada, starts at $39.95 in White. • Installation accessories for smart thermostats are available separately at apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app. LG C‑Wire Power Adapter starts at $24.95, Schneider Home Trim Plate starts at $14.95, and Schneider Home C‑Wire Power Adapter starts at $24.95. • Apple HomeView is not available for sale in the European Union, as Siri AI is currently unavailable in iOS in the EU. Apple is working constructively with the EU in an attempt to find a path forward. MacDailyNews Take: While we’re sticking with our Anker Eufy 4K solar-powered outdoor cameras (no wires and no issues), some of these other items are intriguing. Because Apple is relatively late to the game here, we already have smart thermostats, other aforementioned camera systems, smart deadbolt locks, etc., so we’ll see home well Apple Home handles them all, hopefully freeing us from having to use several third-party apps to control everything and access all of their capabilities (one app for the cameras, another for the thermostats, etc.). Support MacDailyNews at no extra cost to you by using this link to shop at Amazon. The post Apple unveils Apple Home Collection, a new lineup of smart home accessories appeared first on MacDailyNews. You're currently a free subscriber to MacDailyNews. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
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