There's a handful of Apple-compatible smart home products already on the market, but as of right now, you can't control them via one master app or hub. This is one of the biggest disadvantages of Apple HomeKit — the software framework that smart gadget builders use to make their devices iOS-compatible — especially when you compare it to the streamlined experience of the Amazon Echo.
Put simply, Apple's smart home platform is too siloed.
But here's some potential good news: the rumor mill (once again) says Apple is hard at work developing a smart home app for iOS 10 ahead of next month's annual Apple Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC). If it's legit, this would give Apple smart home users a muchbetter way manage smart locks, lights, blinds and so on, without having to use a specific app for each gadget.
The rumor, first spotted by MacRumors, comes by way of an Apple worker who allegedly wrote on an Amazon review that a HomeKit app was in the works:
"As I work in marketing for Apple, we test many Smart Home devices, especially for iOS HomeKit integration. [...] Some advice, there are many third party applications, most free, that offer more control and customization(s) with many Smart Home devices. "Yonomi" is a free app that I often use, "Home" is another which cost $14.99. Both offer support for many devices with more added daily (including Amazon "Echo"). The next version of iOS due this fall will have a standalone "HomeKit" app as well."
"As I work in marketing for Apple, we test many Smart Home devices, especially for iOS HomeKit integration. [...] Some advice, there are many third party applications, most free, that offer more control and customization(s) with many Smart Home devices. "Yonomi" is a free app that I often use, "Home" is another which cost $14.99. Both offer support for many devices with more added daily (including Amazon "Echo"). The next version of iOS due this fall will have a standalone "HomeKit" app as well."
Although Apple declined to comment on the rumor, a dedicated HomeKit app is precisely what the company needs to empower users with an easy way to control the smart home gadgets but also help them feel more connected to the smart home experience overall. One of the big advantages of the Amazon Echo is it's a dedicated entry point for a smart home: You can dim the lights, order an Uber and get a weather report, all from a single source.
Sure, Siri can do all of these too, but HomeKit lacks a physical and psychological signpost to point users to this connected world. The gadgets connect to one another, but you'll need to operate each one individually with separate apps on your iPhone or iPad — the devices Apple previously argued are the only hubs you need.
But giving users a single app where everything is contained, it would bring give users a consistent doorway to building and using their smart home: Launch HomeKit, do your thing.
Of course, it's still a rumor at this point. While company previously denied interest in developing a HomeKit app, it filed for a trademark of a HomeKit app icon last year — a move that shows it has, at least, been thinking about HomeKit.Source : Mashable.com
