Apple has taken steps to make its HomeKit smart home platform more accessible to third parties in order to encourage faster adoption, the company announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference on Wednesday (via Forbes).
Apple told developers in session that they no longer need an MFi (Made for iPhone/iPod/iPad) license to test out HomeKit smart products before bringing them to market, and are even free to experiment with the platform using popular custom-fit boards like Arduino and Raspberry Pi.
The looser licensing should make it easier for developers to test out prototypes of smart home gadgets, although certification must still be obtained before the products are ready for commercial sale, Apple noted.
In addition to the licensing change, Apple has updated its HomeKit specification so that compatible smart products no longer have to include a hardware authentication chip. The update means authentication will go through software instead, with a firmware update allowing existing or future products to go through the same software-based authorization. Despite the change, Apple said the authentication process would use the same hardened encryption as it always has.
HomeKit has enjoyed reasonably wide support among smart gadget manufacturers, although users have sometimes had to wait for products to add the standard well after they have come to market. With a little luck, yesterday's announcement should minimize the time it takes for third parties to integrate HomeKit into their smart gadgets.
Apple told developers in session that they no longer need an MFi (Made for iPhone/iPod/iPad) license to test out HomeKit smart products before bringing them to market, and are even free to experiment with the platform using popular custom-fit boards like Arduino and Raspberry Pi.
The looser licensing should make it easier for developers to test out prototypes of smart home gadgets, although certification must still be obtained before the products are ready for commercial sale, Apple noted.
In addition to the licensing change, Apple has updated its HomeKit specification so that compatible smart products no longer have to include a hardware authentication chip. The update means authentication will go through software instead, with a firmware update allowing existing or future products to go through the same software-based authorization. Despite the change, Apple said the authentication process would use the same hardened encryption as it always has.
HomeKit has enjoyed reasonably wide support among smart gadget manufacturers, although users have sometimes had to wait for products to add the standard well after they have come to market. With a little luck, yesterday's announcement should minimize the time it takes for third parties to integrate HomeKit into their smart gadgets.
Tag: HomeKit Guide
42 comments
SlashLeaks posts an image that is alleged to be iPhone XI and XI Max molds for 3rd party case production.
These physical molds are presumably produced by case manufacturers based on leaked...
Apple has removed the 4K LG UltraFine Displays from its online Apple Store in the United States, continuing a trend of pulling the display from its online stores around the world. Before disappearing...
iOS apps and features including Shortcuts, Screen Time, and iMessage effects will be coming to macOS later this year, after they're first unveiled at Apple's Worldwide Developer's...
Apple supplier Foxconn today said that it remains committed to its contract to build a display plant and research facility in Wisconsin (via Reuters). The company's comment comes a few days after...
Will Smith, his wife Jada Smith, and his son Jaden Smith today visited Apple Park to discuss the environment and Jaden's Just Water company, according to a tweet Apple CEO Tim Cook shared on...
Back in March, Facebook announced that millions of Facebook passwords were stored on its servers in plain text with no encryption. At the time, Facebook also said that "tens of thousands" of...
Apple likely paid somewhere around $5 to $6 billion to settle its ongoing legal battle with Qualcomm, according to estimates shared today by UBS analyst Timothy Arcuri (via CNBC).
The...
All three 2019 iPhones will feature 12-megapixel single-lens front cameras, up from 7-megapixels on the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, according to the latest research note from well-known...
