Latest Smart Home Updates from IFA: Thread, Bluetooth, and More

On this episode of the HomeKit Insider Podcast, we go in-depth on all the smart home news from IFA and manage to also fit in a listener question on ultra wideband smart locks. Last week we saw a few IFA-related announcements but this week the rest came in a wave. We saw announcements from tons of companies.

AppleInsider already did a roundup of these smart home releases, but we saw smart locks, robotic vacuums, humidifiers, purifiers, and plenty of Find My-enabled devices. IFA also brought us spec updates to two important protocols: Bluetooth 6 and Thread 1.4. We break down these updates, when you can expect them, and what changes they have.

We also answered a listener question from Rachel who asked how smart locks that automatically unlock as you approach know which side of the door you’re on. Specifically, Rachel asked about ultra wideband locks with Aliro that are newly supported in iOS 18. Your hosts go into how we believe they’re working and don’t auto-unlock when you’re in your house.