Apple HomeKit is a smart home automation platform that launched in 2014 for iPhone and iPad, then later expanded to other Apple devices. But there’s every chance you’ve never used the platform, or the Home app that controls it.
Smart home control hasn’t been a central pillar of Apple’s business. In fact, it’s paled into insignificance when compared to music streaming and the App Store. Even other wireless features, like AirDrop and AirPlay, get more time in the spotlight than HomeKit. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore it. Like Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings, Apple HomeKit is a powerful platform for creating a smart home.
Along with the Home app and Siri, HomeKit can be used to control smart lighting and home climate systems. It can integrate with security cameras, video doorbells, speakers, TVs, garden irrigation, door locks, sensors, plug sockets and more. Since the Home app appears on iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple TV and the Apple Watch, all of these devices can be used to control your smart home system – and plenty of them can be automated, too.
Does Apple HomeKit need a hub?
Instead of requiring a dedicated hub that connects to your smart home devices, HomeKit devices can be controlled directly from the Home app on your Apple products, such as an iPhone, iPad or Mac.
However, remote access requires either an Apple TV 4K or HomePod smart speaker (including the larger HomePod and all variants of the smaller HomePod mini). Remote HomeKit control used to work with iPads, too, but this is no longer the case.
Whichever device you use as the hub, make sure it’s connected to the same wifi network as all of your smart home devices, and every Apple device you want to use with HomeKit is logged into the same Apple account. A visitor can’t see or control your HomeKit devices from their own iPhone.
Apple HomePod mini
Dimensions: 84.3mm x 97.9mm
Weight: 345g
Connections: Wifi
Battery life: N/A
Features: Apple AirPlay 2, multi-room capability, and backlit notification touch surface
NFC: Yes
Why we love it
- Compact size
- Range of colour options
- Smart Apple ecosystem integration
Take note
- Small size limits audio abilities
- Relatively expensive
- Works best when two are linked as a stereo pair
The Apple HomePod mini might continue Apple’s slightly annoying product capitalisation format, but that’s something that we can live with when such a neat little speaker pops up. The advantages of using the HomePod range with your Apple products are manifold: native Apple Music integration, easy setup, and general symbiosis of products – including Siri – being a few examples.
While the original HomePod is decent enough –and will continue to do a good job for users –the mini produces an impressive sound, looks great and fits better into any room than its bigger predecessor. For loyal Apple fans, it’s a safe bet.
Buy now £89, Johnlewis.com
How does the Home app work?
You control HomeKit-compatible devices with the pre-installed Home app on your Apple device, so it’s probably already on your iPhone or Mac, ready to go.
Compatible smart home products – including lighting, thermostats, door locks and security cameras – can be added to your Home app and controlled in there instead of on the product’s own app. This brings products from different systems and manufacturers (such as a door lock from Nuki, a video doorbell from Aqara and lighting from Philips Hue) into one place.
These devices can be assigned to rooms in the Home app, neatly separating your lounge lighting from your office heater, for example. This is also where automations can be created, meaning devices work without needing to be directly controlled. For example, an automation can stop music playing from a HomePod when there’s no one at home, or turn a certain light on when you return (since HomeKit knows the location of your iPhone).
The Home app is also where you create scenes; these are essentially shortcuts that help you switch several devices to a pre-configured setting with one tap. You could create a shortcut called TV Time, where your living room lighting dims to your preferred colour, brightness and temperature.
Apple HomeKit security cameras
You might be wondering why you’d want a smart home control app on your TV. One answer is how Apple HomeKit works with security cameras and video doorbells, which can stream live video directly to your Apple TV 4K.
Install a HomeKit-compatible doorbell, such as the Aqara G410, and when a visitor presses the button, you’ll be alerted by a chime played on every HomePod speaker. You can even see a notification and live video stream on your Apple TV 4K. And if an unexpected visitor presses the button during movie night? See who’s there right from your sofa instead of going to the door or even reaching for your phone.
Aqara G410
DIY installation: Yes
Resolution: 2K (limited to 1600 x 1200 with Apple HomeKit)
Field-of-view: 175 degrees
HDR: No
Night vision: Yes, greyscale infrared
Two-way audio: Yes
Removable battery: Yes, but AAs not rechargeable
Local storage: MicroSD card optional (not included)
Power source: Batteries or existing doorbell wiring
Why we love it
- Apple HomeKit compatible
- Includes Matter hub
- Hub doubles as chime and local storage
Take note
- Uses AA batteries
- Feels cheap
- So-so picture quality
The Aqara G410 is one of a handful of video doorbells that work with Apple’s HomeKit platform – and it’s the only one that’s battery powered. This makes installation easier for those who either don’t want to interfere with wiring or who don’t have any existing doorbell wiring in the first place.
Being HomeKit-compatible means the G410 can show a live video stream on any Apple device that runs the company’s Home app (like an iPhone, iPad, Mac or even Apple TV). HomeKit support helps keep all your smart home device controls in one place – the Home app – instead of using each manufacturer’s own companion app.
However, there are some trade-offs to be aware of. The G410’s 2K video resolution drops to 1080p when viewed through the Apple Home app, and if you need to adjust most settings, you’ll have to use Aqara’s own app. I’d also prefer to see the G410 use a rechargeable battery instead of six AAs, since that feels somewhat wasteful, but connecting to your home’s existing wiring removes this concern.
Among the positives are the wide 175-degree lens and the included hub doubles as a chime and provides local video storage, so you don’t need to pay an ongoing subscription – although you’ll need to provide your own microSD card, up to 512GB. Alternatively, if you already pay for iCloud storage from Apple, video recordings can be saved there at no extra cost.
Another benefit for smart home builders is that the G410 acts as a Matter hub, meaning it’ll connect all of your Matter-compatible devices. It’s also compatible with Thread, where it acts as a signal repeater to improve the coverage of your smart home system.
I’d recommend this doorbell to anyone who already has a HomeKit system, or to those who are keen to have as much cross-compatibility as possible.
Buy now £100, Amazon
Apple also operates a service called HomeKit secure video, which uses your iCloud storage plan to save recordings from compatible security cameras. Footage can then be viewed on and downloaded to your Apple products within the Home app, instead of using the camera maker’s own app or cloud storage service.
On the topic of security, every HomeKit-compatible device is compliant with Apple’s own security and privacy terms. This includes using end-to-end encryption, non-reusable encryption keys, and two-way authentication, where your Apple devices and HomeKit devices verify each other.
What else works with Apple HomeKit?
As of 2026, there are somewhere between 800 and 1,000 HomeKit-compatible products. Other compatible devices include Nuki door locks, Eve thermostats and radiator valves, smart lighting systems like Philips Hue and Nanoleaf, and smart plugs from a wide range of producers.
The Home app can also be used to control compatible air conditioning units and purifiers, garage doors, power sockets, sensors, speakers, powered window blinds and garden sprinklers. It’s easy to tell if a smart home device works with Apple HomeKit – just check the box for the yellow logo.
Philips hue starter kit smart lightbulbs
Category: Tech
Next-day delivery available: No
Why we love it
- Near-limitless colours
- Huge ecosystem
- Works with broad range of smart home platforms
Take note
- Expensive
- Multi-colour bulbs can feel like overkill
- Hue Bridge hub required for full functionality
If someone in your household can often be found checking the smart meter, and ranting about it looking like Blackpool illuminations, this product is going to help them cope with their energy-bill woes. While it won’t pay the bills for you, these smart lightbulbs are otherwise pretty brilliant. They come with a “bridge”, which connects the bulbs to your wifi, so you can control them using an app on your phone or a voice assistant, such as Alexa. You can set them to modes including “relax” and “concentrate”, which provide the perfect brightness, whatever your mode.
More entertainingly, you can choose different colours for them and even set them to mirror the music you’re listening to or what you’re watching on TV (if you have the gizmo that allows for this, which is sold separately).
As well as this, you can set schedules, and control the lights remotely – so if you don’t trust the kids to switch the lights off while you’re away, you can do it for them. This set comes with three bulbs, a bridge and a dimmer switch. From here, you can add as many bulbs to your home as you like.
Read more on the best smart lights in our round-up
Buy now £99.99, Philips-hue.com
What is Matter, and does it matter?
Matter is a connectivity standard for smart home devices. It is designed to help bridge the gap between products made by various manufacturers, meaning that (in theory, at least) smart home devices from Apple, Amazon, Philips Hue, Google and everyone else can all work together in one system. The key word here is interoperability, and ultimately, it should lead to smart home installations where your app or voice assistant of choice (like Siri for Apple users) can be used to control Matter devices made by anyone and everyone.
For example, so long as they are all Matter-enabled, a smart plug from Eve, a Philips Hue light bulb, and a smart door lock from Yale should all work with Apple Home (or other systems, like Amazon Alexa and Google Home, too). You could turn the Hue light on with your iPhone, then change the brightness or colour by speaking to Alexa, if that’s what you want to do.
The Matter dream isn’t quite a reality just yet. But by supporting it with HomeKit, Apple has ensured its customers can use the Home app and Siri to control all manner of future products from other companies.
