HomeKit in iOS 18 Includes Guest Access, Hands-Free Unlock, Electricity Usage Integration and More
HomeKit and the Home app weren't focused on much during Apple's WWDC keynote, but there are several new features that are coming in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia.
With Customize Access, you can manage how and when people can access your HomeKit devices like garage openers, alarm systems, and door locks. You can create guest schedules and specific accessories that your guests can use, limiting times that your home is accessible. A home hub is required for this feature.
You can enable Express Mode for unlocking door locks automatically as you approach with an iPhone or an Apple Watch, so you don't need to tap your device to the lock to get it to open. You'll need an iPhone or Apple Watch with an Ultra Wideband chip for this to work, along with an Ultra Wideband lock.
Later this year, Apple plans to add support for robot vacuum cleaners. The Home app will support the core functionality of robot vacuums, like power control, cleaning mode, vacuum, mop, and charge status. The vacuums can also be used in automations and scenes, and respond to Siri requests.
Apple is adding electricity usage integration into the Home app, but it's only available to select Pacific Gas and Electric Company customers in the United States to begin. With this feature, users can see their home electricity usage from the Home app, along with rate plan.
Electricity usage integration is coming later in 2024, and Apple also plans to add other providers in the future.
Popular Stories
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...
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why.
In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro.
The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup.
If you skipped the iPhone...
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta.
Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device.
The revised beta addresses an...
Apple today added Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips to its online certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and many European countries, for the first time since they were released in March.
As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's ...
Apple today added M4 MacBook Air models to its refurbished store in the United States, making the latest MacBook Air devices available at a discounted price for the first time since they launched earlier this year.
Both 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models are available, with Apple offering multiple capacities and configurations. The refurbished devices are discounted by approximately 15...
