Apple is preparing an even more connected smart home with iOS 17.6!
Apple is about to expand your smart home possibilities with the upcoming iOS 17.6 update. According to a public code repository discovered this week, the bitten apple company is working on the support for new accessories and features this will take home automation to a new level.
Matter, the smart home standard supported by Apple, will be the protagonist of these improvements. Recently, changes were discovered in Matter’s source code that point to new features arriving in iOS 17.6, macOS 14.6, watchOS 10.6, and tvOS 17.6, all planned for mid-2024.
What does iOS 17.6 bring to the home?
Among the functions that the code has highlighted we can cite:
- More comprehensive air monitoring: iOS 17.6 will allow you to monitor the levels of CO, CO2, formaldehyde, PM10, PM2.5, PM1 and radon in your home.
- Intelligent energy management: Optimize the power consumption of your connected devices with more precision.
- Checking the water valve: Control the water flow in your home remotely and automatically.
- Integration of robot vacuum cleaners: Manage your robot vacuum more easily from the Home app.
These are just some of the expected developments. iOS 17.6 could bring even more surprises to the smart home.
Who is behind these new features?
References to Apple software updates in the GitHub repository, which we shared in the first few lines, are attributed to Boris Zbarsky, a former Mozilla software engineer who has worked at Apple for four years.
When will new features be available?
Apple always has not officially confirmed the release date of iOS 17.6. However, the first betas are expected to be released before WWDC 2024, which will take place on June 10. Some of these features might be carried over for iOS 18.
Apple has other projects in the field of home automation
Apple’s interest in home automation also received interest in early 2024. The first beta of tvOS 17.4 included a reference to homeOS, a platform that could play a fundamental role in the future of home automation devices from Apple.
Of In November 2021, the Cupertino company published a few job offers looking for software engineers to develop homeOS. Further proof that Apple plans to soon launch new home automation products and their platforms on the market.
For now, the smart home control center is getting a lot of attention from Apple. iOS 17.6 is expected to bring significant improvements to the app, including a more intuitive interface, better device compatibility, and new automation features.
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