Everything new for HomeKit and the Home app in iOS 14

Adaptive lighting, face detection, camera improvements, HomePod, Apple TV, and more.

Apple's HomeKit and Home app didn't get a whole lot of time at this years rapid fire dub-dub, but there were indeed some significant announcements. For this year's iOS release, Apple is adding improvements to face detection for its HomeKit Secure Video feature, deeper HomePod and Apple TV integration, and color shifting for lights. Of course, there were also some smaller visual tweaks and features announced, so let's dive into everything that is coming in iOS 14.

Accessory setup

In iOS/iPadOS 14 setting up a HomeKit accessory will look a little different, yet familiar. Just like with the AirPods and the HomePod, users will now see an overlay appear when there is a HomeKit accessory available to pair.

Once an accessory is paired, users will be presented with handy suggestions for the device, such as adding it to a light scene or to location based automations.

Control center

HomeKit controls have also gotten some love in iOS 14 in the form of a new control center layout. The latest update brings support for individual scenes and favorite accessories right in line with other controls, so you no longer have to tap into a Home icon to gain access to them.

HomeKit accessories are shown in the same icon sizing as other controls buttons, like screen recording. Scenes have larger icons, that mimic their appearance in the Home app. It isn't currently clear if acecssories are limited to favorites as of yet, but we certainly would like to see this being the case.

Home app overview

In the Home app, Apple has redesigned the status overview area to include circular icons for accessories that are in use. This new view replaces the text descriptions that are used to relay the number of lights that are on in the home, or if a door is unlocked.

In iOS 14, the text area has been replaced with a set of circular icons to represent home status at a glance. Users can tap directly on these icons to quickly change accessory states like closing the garage door if it is listed as open.

Adaptive Lighting

First introduced alongside iOS 9.3 back in 2016, Night Shift, Apple's color shifting feature designed to promote rest and improve sleep, has made its way into the world of smart home accessories. iMore contributor and co-founder of Anxiety-videos.com Georgia Dow, summed up the feature in an excellent break down back when it was first introduced:

During the day we soak in light from the sun. Unlike Superman or Supergirl, to whom it grants unbelievable power, in us the light suppresses melatonin. As it gets darker we produce more melatonin. It usually starts a few hours before bedtime and increases greatly towards the middle of the night. That helps keep us asleep and ensure we get a good night's rest.

Shorter wavelength blue light, by contrast, does the opposite: It suppresses melatonin and builds up histamine that helps wake us up. Unfortunately, electronic displays like those on phones and tablets have a higher concentration of blue light than the sun. So, when you're lying in bed at night playing Candy Crush, watching YouTube, or reading iMore, you're soaking in the blue light and wreaking havoc with our circadian rhythm. In other words, it resets that feeling of tiredness and hurts our sleep cycle.

For the home, Apple is able to leverage the plethora of available color temperature adjustable smart light bulbs, lamps, and panels, to create an automatic schedule that changes throughout the course of the day. Once enabled, HomeKit will adjust colors in the day time to cooler shades of white and during the evening, HomeKit will shift the color to warmer, yellow, tones.

The best part of the feature is that it doesn't require anything other than a few taps in the Home app. There are also no special bulbs or brands to buy to use the feature, any adjustable bulb will work, but actual results may vary.

Face detection

Apple's HomeKit Secure Video while still somewhat in its infancy, already works in the background to provide smart notifications based on the action within a supported camera's view. In combination with a HomeKit hub, such as an Apple TV, HomePod, or an iPad, image analysis is performed locally to determine whether a motion event includes a human, animal, or vehicle.

Video cameras and doorbells can now identify people you've tagged in the Photos app.4 Easily tag people, and choose to be notified based on the person.

In iOS 14, Apple is taking this analyzation process even further, through face detection. Just like its name suggests, the latest feature can distinguish between people in a camera or doorbell view, and can provide notifications that include a person's name. An example of this would be a notification that states "Jon has arrived home", or "Jon is ringing the doorbell" which is perfect for keeping tabs on the happenings of the home throughout the day.

Faces are trained through tagging in the Photos app, so there isn't a new process to learn, making it easy for everyone to get up and running.

Doorbell announcements

The latest face detection features for HomeKit also integrates with Apple's smart speaker, the HomePod. When someone presses the button on a HomeKit-enabled doorbell, the HomePod can announce who is actually at the door.

Activity zones for cameras

HomeKit cameras, while great, have been hampered by the lack of custom activity zones, creating a mess when it comes to notifications. This is changing in iOS 14, with Apple finally providing this capability, which is set directly in the Home app.

The feature allows users to define which areas in a camera's view will be used for detection, by drawing and positioning custom shapes. In addition to drawing shapes for specific areas, users can also use an invert option that can make covering larger areas quicker.

When combined with A.I. image analysis features already offered through HomeKit Secure Video, users can exclude animals or vehicles, and now busy parts of a camera's view, like a sidewalk.

Apple TV control center

Over on the Apple TV, Home app controls can now be found in the control center, accessible by a long-press of the Home button. While it doesn't appear that every HomeKit accessory will be available, cameras and favorite scenes were shown.

Tapping on a camera in this view will open up a full screen live view, complete with audio. Previously, cameras on the Apple TV were only accessible through third-party apps, and did not include audio, which was an odd limitation.

More updates coming soon

We're updating the details on new features coming to HomeKit and the Home app as we peak into iOS 14. Check back later for more details!