HomeKit is getting an update with iOS 14, which we're expecting to arrive later in the year. Let's do a quick rundown under the cut on what Apple announced at WWDC 2020 about changing when it comes to your smart home setup:
There’s a catch to that, though. LG is limiting the addition of AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support to its 2019 TVs. The functionalities are expected to land “mid-year” this 2019. Owners of these TVs are also expected to get a firmware update that will add Amazon Alexa support on top of the Google Assistant support that these televisions come with. LG hasn’t announced any plans yet of possibly bringing the tech to its slightly older TVs. For now, the LG models that will support AirPlay 2 include LG OLED (2019), LG NanoCell SM9X and SM8X (2019), and LG UHD UM7X series (2019).
Apple's HomePod is one of the most mystifying products in the market today. The most recent product category from Cupertino is essentially a Siri-powered Apple Music speaker with HomeKit inclinations.
After spending time with the device, however, I discovered a choc-full of innovative features and functions aimed to delight iPhone users.
Apple's latest advertisement titled Home App- Welcome Home focuses on Apple's HomeKit enabled ecosystem as controlled by iOS on an iPhone using the Siri voice assistant. The Apple Home app was launched around three years ago and since then has been able to control smart lights like Philips Hue, locks, thermostats, smoke detectors, cameras and a variety of other devices.
Unlike competitors like Google Home and Amazon Echo, which both have standalone smart speakers/home automation hubs, Apple relies on iOS devices like the iPhone or the iPad to control these devices. Will Apple soon make the Apple TV a similar HomeKit hub, or will it create a whole new way to free Siri from iOS, so she can operate independently? Only time will tell.