This is officially when I focus my attention on what’s going to be revealed at WWDC June. Rumours are always rampant at this time of the year. I don’t think Apple will spend much time during their keynote showing HomeKit improvements. So let’s dive into what’s on my iOS 16 HomeKit wishlist.
HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.
An overhauled Home app for iPhone and iPad
The current iPhone Home app is starting to look old. As I’ve continued to expand my HomeKit device count, the Home app isn’t scaling well with it. Although the idea of HomeKit rooms is great, access to them is extremely slow. Apple must make changes to the access method to rooms if they want them around, which is a good thing in general. I’d love to see Apple let you map where you’re at based on proximity to a HomePod mini or an Apple TV and then the Home app could display devices near where you’re standing in the house.
Second. Now that Apple has made it possible to connect unlimited HomeKit cameras on iCloud+ the way they are integrated in the Home app must change. Like the list of HomeKit devices, as you add more than a few cameras, it becomes just a scrolling list. HomeCam has struck the right balance of usability and functionality with HomeKit cameras. It might be time for Apple to break cameras out of the Home app with a dedicated HomeKitCam app.
As dated as the iPhone app is, the iPad app could also use an overhaul. The Home app looks pretty boring when used to mount HomeKit on a wall. There are a lot of opportunities for Apple to innovate here to make it an actual use case.
Continuous recording
For HomeKit cameras that are wired, I’d like to see Apple expand the option to use continuous recording. For battery-powered HomeKit cameras, it doesn’t make sense to record 24/7 as it would drain the battery. For wired cameras, though, I’d like the option – even if it was a feature only on the $9. 99/month plan, to record everything at all times. Especially with the release of the first outdoor floodlight camera from Eve, it’s time for continuous recording.
Granular sharing by device or room
When sharing HomeKit access, there’s really not much granularity to it other than for cameras. But what if my children don’t have HomeKit access? There is currently no way for me to do this. I’d ideally like to see a situation where I can give access to certain rooms or block access to particular devices.
Summary
There are just three things I want to see in HomeKit in iOS 16. HomeKit is the most foundational tool for smart homes. I believe granular sharing and continuous recording are key features.