Apple HomeKit devices are popping up! So wait, what’s HomeKit again?

By Joshua Smith Published August 27, 2015

We’ve dreamed of smart homes that predict our needs and adapt to them for decades — just think of The Jetsons. But only recently has true, consumer-friendly home automation become reality, with platforms like Apple’s HomeKit. Apple announced HomeKit more than a year ago, and throughout 2015, manufacturers have embraced it and started selling the building blocks of a HomeKit home.

While other platforms like Zigbee and Z-Wave have a considerable head start, new HomeKit-compatible devices are being announced on a regular basis. With the increasing number of compatible devices and Apple’s loyal following, it’s only a matter of time before HomeKit claims its place in the home-automation landscape.

Recommended Videos

In this video, find out what exactly Apple’s HomeKit is, the many uses for it, and how it can control your lights, thermostat, garage door, and more, with your iPhone or iPad as its central controller.

Joshua Smith

Former Video Contributor

Just another not so ordinary kid living this thing we like to call life.

Topics

Wearables

Apple Watch could soon enable a new blood pressure sensing feature

Apple's new blood pressor notification feature under FDA review

Apple Watch Series 11 brings new insights like sleep score and signs of hypertension.

Apple Watches already have hypertension notifications, but the Cupertino giant may be working on another blood pressure-related feature that goes further than the alert system available today.

According to Digitimes, Apple has a new high blood pressure notification feature under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. That wording is a little tricky because Apple already released hypertension notifications in September 2025 with watchOS 26. The feature works on Apple Watch Series 9 and later, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Watch Ultra 3, in supported regions.

Computing

Meta’s Ray-Ban Display now types messages from your finger movements

Neural Handwriting is a really cool feature, but Meta opening the Ray-Ban Display to developers is the quiet announcement that turns a clever wearable into a platform with immense possibilities.

Six months into its life, the Meta Ray-Ban Display is starting to look less like an experiment, thanks to what is arguably the most significant update Meta has ever pushed for the device.

The headline feature is Neural Handwriting, which is now available to every Ray-Ban Display owner, having spent its early months in limited access for Messenger and WhatsApp users.

Wearables

Forget smart glasses, these earbuds can see, hear, and remember everything for you

Smart glasses have always felt a little awkward to me. Sure, they can play music, take calls, snap photos, and even throw notifications in front of your eyes, but at the end of the day, they’re still just tiny screens sitting on your face. Now imagine removing the screen entirely.

That’s exactly what this new pair of AI-powered earbuds is trying to do. Instead of showing you information, these earbuds are designed to quietly hear, see, remember, and respond to the world around you. And honestly, this might be one of the more interesting directions wearable AI has taken so far.