Apple's long-rumored smart home push now includes a suite of accessories built with LG Electronics: a video doorbell, a smart deadbolt lock, a smart thermostat, indoor and outdoor security cameras, a floodlight camera and a temperature sensor. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the devices were co-developed in an unusual partnership but will carry the LG brand, with LG handling manufacturing and product support. The lineup is designed to work with Apple's new smart home hub, an upgraded HomePod mini and a fresh Apple TV set-top box, all expected at an October 13 event. Apple and LG both declined to comment.

Many of the devices support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth alongside Thread and Matter, the cross-platform smart home protocols Apple and its rivals have embraced, making setup and maintenance easier across ecosystems. Cult of Mac reports the deadbolt also supports ultra-wideband, or UWB, which could let it unlock automatically when a user with a compatible device approaches the door — meaningful because Apple already builds UWB chips into recent iPhones, Apple Watches, HomePods and AirTags. Matter support also means the LG gear could, in principle, work beyond Apple's ecosystem, alongside platforms like Samsung SmartThings, rather than being locked to Cupertino alone.

HomeKit, launched in 2014 with iOS 8, never caught fire: Apple initially required a proprietary MFi chip, relaxed it in 2018, and Amazon's and Google's platforms gained devotees while Apple Home devices stayed less common, Cult of Mac recounts. Apple has sold HomePods and Apple TV boxes that act as home hubs, but never its own locks, cameras or thermostats, leaving users dependent on third-party accessories of varying quality. Bloomberg frames the new lineup as a formal HomeKit reboot, betting that a dedicated device set paired with Siri AI can revive the category and challenge Amazon's Ring and Google's Nest, which already sell similar gear. PCMag suggests the partnership could later expand to smart lighting, plugs or robot vacuums.

Apple is expected to unveil the smart home hub, a new HomePod mini and an Apple TV on October 13, but the LG accessories will not arrive with them. Bloomberg warns development of the LG accessories has lagged behind Apple's own devices, and the products aren't expected to reach consumers for at least a few more months; LG has asked regulators to keep photos and more precise details confidential until early 2027. There is more reportedly in the pipeline, including a privacy-focused home monitoring device, a hub with a screen on a robotic arm, and an in-home security monitoring service. Macworld notes the only obvious gap in the mooted range is a smart bulb.