During the WWDC 2020 keynote event, Apple announced updates on iOS 14 to HomeKit that will arrive later in the year. The new features include additional automation control and adaptive lighting routines. For HomeKit cameras we will get face recognition, Apple TV camera support and expanded Doorbell support with HomePod.
HomeKit is Apple’s smart Home framework and is available on iPhone, iPad and Mac. But now it will get a feature upgrade to make it more usable, here is the full low down in what’s new for HomeKit in iOS 14 right from WWDC 2020.
Automations and status screen
In iOS, the Home app will be more aware for automations. HomeKit will suggest automations like opening the garage for someone arrives home. It’ll also have a new visual status in the top of the Home App that will show you which the accessories that attention.
Adaptive lighting in HomeKit
Already found in smart home lighting from LIFX and others, HomeKit will now get native adaptive lighting. It will be possible to automate colour temperature changes for HomeKit-compatible lights throughout the day. HomeKit will gradually change the lighting for daytime hours, but also transition to warmer lighting at night time. This is like the feature Night Shift in Macs and iOS devices.
Facial recognition and activity zones
Cameras in HomeKit Secure video will now get facial recognition classification in iOS 14. I expect this to work similarly as the facial recognition features found in the Netatmo smart Indoor camera. However, to identify familiar faces it will use data from faces tagged in photos from the Photos app on your iOS device.
Besides this, HomeKit cameras will get some love from Apple TV and HomePod. You will now be able to get a live view within Apple TV. Plus, if a user is watching Apple TV and someone rings a HomeKit enabled doorbell. A picture-in-picture live feed of who is at the door will appear. If you are running a HomePod in your home, this will announce when someone’s at the door and if it is a known face, HomePod will say their name.
One of the biggest feature requests since Apple announced HSV is activity zones. In HomeKit in iOS 14 You’ll be able to define activity zones that focus on the most important areas. This will be great if your camera faces a busy street or just want to focus the camera on one area.
iCloud for HomeKit in iOS 14
To take advantage of activity zones and facial recognition, you need an iCloud account that supports HomeKit the Secure Video. Plus, you will need to be running a HomeKit hub such as the iPad, HomePod, or Apple TV. The support iCloud accounts are the 200GB or 1TB iCloud storage plans priced at $2.99 or $9.99 per month. It is also worth point out that Apple didn’t announce an increase to the supported cameras. So the 200GB plan works for a single HomeKit Secure Camera while the 1TB plan works for up to five HomeKit Secure Cameras.
Once we have had sometime with the new HomeKit iOS 14 features, we will do a full rundown. So don’t forget to subscribe for when this land’s. If you have a question or a comment, then leave it below. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
