Apple making a play for the ‘smart homes’ crowd with a new app, set to be introduced in iOS 10.
Appropriately titled ‘Home’, the app will allow iPhone users to create, sort and customize both ‘scenes’ and rooms of smart-device activity with simple drag-and-drop functionality.
They’ll be able automate aspects of this, turning on the air-conditioning when your phone’s GPS detects you are almost home.
The Home app feels like a natural advancement of the company’s introduction of HomeKit in 2014, which first enabled iPhones to interface with smart appliances.
The catch here is that users will need an Apple TV or iPad to act as a hub. However, early impressions from beta testers say the addition makes smart appliance use significantly better regardless of that limitation.
It’s unknown at this time what brands will or won’t support integration with Home but it’s expected that at least some form of Siri support will be on the cards for the app’s final release.
