Apple, Amazon, Google, and Zigbee Alliance to Develop Open Standard for Smart Home Devices [Updated]

Apple, Amazon, Google, and the Zigbee Alliance today announced a new working group that plans to develop and promote the adoption of a new IP-based connectivity standard for smart home products, with a focus on increased compatibility, security, and simplified development for manufacturers.

homekit devices
Zigbee Alliance board member companies such as IKEA, Legrand, NXP Semiconductors, Resideo, SmartThings, Schneider Electric, Signify, Silicon Labs, Somfy, and Wulian will also contribute to the project.

The so-called "Project Connected Home over IP" aims to make it easier for device manufacturers to build devices that are compatible with smart home and voice services such as Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, and others by defining a specific set of IP-based networking technologies for device certification.

The new standard will incorporate existing smart home technologies, such as Apple's HomeKit and Google's Weave and Thread:

We're contributing two of our market-tested and open-source smart home technologies, Weave and Thread. Both are built on IP and have been integrated into millions of homes around the world. Weave, an application protocol, works over many networks like Thread, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy, and even cellular. Even when devices are on different networks, Weave allows them all to securely work with each other.

The new connectivity standard will be open source and royalty free, with code to be maintained on GitHub. The working group has a goal to release a draft specification and a preliminary reference implementation in late 2020.

For consumers, this should ultimately lead to more smart home accessories that support multiple platforms like HomeKit and Alexa.

Update: Resideo, maker of Honeywell-branded smart home products, has announced that it has joined the Zigbee Alliance. Alongside other members, Resideo will play a role in the Connected Home over IP project.

Popular Stories

apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses: These 17 U.S. States Offer Them or Will Later

Thursday June 19, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states and Puerto...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Wednesday June 18, 2025 10:24 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a few days after Apple provided the betas to developers. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. When the...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Apple Says iOS 26 Won't Be Available on These iPhone Models

Tuesday June 10, 2025 6:58 am PDT by
Apple this week revealed that iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. That means that iOS 18 is the end of the road for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, which were all released in 2018. However, those devices will continue to receive security updates for at least a few more years. iOS 26 is compatible with the following iPhone models: iPhone 16e iPhone...
new iphone lockscreen ios 26

iOS 26: Five Changes Coming to Your iPhone Lock Screen

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:46 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has made some additions to the iPhone Lock Screen that aim to make it more customizable than ever. Of course, things can always change before the software makes its way to the general iPhone-owning public, but here are five new things iOS 26 can do on the Lock Screen as of the current developer beta. Widgets Top or Bottom In iOS 18, the row of widgets on your Lock...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
Craig Federighi No

John Gruber Reacts to Apple Declining His Interview After His Criticism

Wednesday June 18, 2025 8:10 pm PDT by
Every year between 2015 and 2024, at least one Apple executive agreed to be interviewed by Daring Fireball's John Gruber for a special WWDC episode of his podcast, The Talk Show. Last year, for example, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi, marketing chief Greg Joswiak, and top AI researcher John Giannandrea joined Gruber on stage at the California Theatre in San Jose to discuss...
ios 26 call holding

iOS 26 Beta is Hiding a New Ringtone — Here's What It Sounds Like

Thursday June 19, 2025 7:25 pm PDT by
Apple is hiding a new ringtone within iOS 26. The new ringtone is an alternative version of the existing Reflection ringtone, which has been the default ringtone since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It was discovered within the code for the first developer beta of iOS 26, but it remains hidden, so you will not find it in the list of ringtones available in the Settings app for now. It...

Top Rated Comments

TriBruin Avatar
72 months ago


Attachment Image
Score: 67 Votes (Like | Disagree)
1144557 Avatar
72 months ago
About damn time. So many cheaper smart devices (bulbs, plugs etc) are Google/Alexa only. The Homekit versions cost double which just isnt worth it usually.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djcerla Avatar
72 months ago
Wow... didn’t see this coming. Great news.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lounge vibes 05 Avatar
72 months ago
I was just saying that we need a home standard, because it’s getting confusing for the average customer
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JWD Avatar
72 months ago
Not sure if this is the best move for Apple. I’ll take security over product availability or price any day. Apple seems to be the only one with security at the forefront.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H3LL5P4WN Avatar
72 months ago

Not sure if this is the best move for Apple. I’ll take security over product availability or price any day. Apple seems to be the only one with security at the forefront.
Hopefully Apple's in the driver's seat on this new group. The last thing I want is Amazon dictating what can and can't be done with my data.


Most homekit stuff is ridiculously expensive. I get security issues for things like cameras, but do I care if Google/Amazon/etc knows my smartplug lamp is on or off? Or how much electricity its using? No so much.

Not when its $10 vs $40 (homkit version) for the device. $40 per outlet REALLY adds up. Same with bulbs, do people care if its "secure" really? What possible personal info is out there from a bulb being on or off?
So extrapolate from your statement, you'd be totally fine if I got on your WiFi network, right? Cause there can't possibly be any personal info floating around in the air in your home, right?

---

It's entirely possible for someone to use an IoT device as a pivot point on a network... or manipulate those devices. Smart devices aren't limited to just light bulbs. Someone could manipulate your furnace and roast you or turn your lights on at 3am.

EDIT: OR TERRORIZE YOUR DAUGHTER
https://www.androidauthority.com/amazon-ring-hack-1067500/

Or unlock your door when you're not home.

But yeah, totally no personal info from an insecure bulb.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)