Apple’s smart home push includes doorbell, lock, thermostat co-developed with LG

CUPERTINO, California – Apple’s upcoming push into smart home devices will include a doorbell, thermostat and other accessories developed through an unusual partnership with LG Electronics.

The products will be part of an ecosystem of devices that work with Apple’s new smart home hub, as well as an upgraded HomePod mini and fresh TV set-top box, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The new Apple devices are set to be introduced on Oct 13.

The products developed with South Korea’s LG will also include a smart deadbolt lock, indoor security camera, outdoor security camera and floodlight camera, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the undertaking is private.

Though the two companies worked together to develop the accessories, the products will carry the LG brand. The South Korean firm is handling manufacturing and product support.

Apple has used this strategy before: It has discreetly worked with companies like Foxconn Technology Group’s Belkin and Logitech International SA to develop products that sell under other brands. 

This arrangement with so-called second-party suppliers gives Apple a way to quickly expand its ecosystem without shouldering the full cost and complexity of producing and supporting a wide range of accessories.

Apple can also help shape the products’ design, tailor their features and oversee engineering while keeping the work largely under wraps.

Development of the LG accessories has lagged behind Apple’s own devices, and the products are not expected to reach consumers for at least a few more months.

Spokespeople for Apple and LG declined to comment.

In recent weeks, LG has sought regulatory approval for the devices, including with the US Federal Communications Commission and UL Solutions, a product certification company.

In many cases, the databases for both organisations include filings that reveal product names, specifications, features and drawings of the accessories.

That includes products labelled as the LG Video Doorbell Wired, LG Floodlight Cam, LG Outdoor Cam Plug-In, LG Indoor Cam Plug-In, LG Smart Deadbolt Lock, LG Smart Thermostat and LG Temperature Sensor.

LG requested that photos and more precise details on the products remain confidential until early 2027. The filings do not mention Apple’s involvement.

Many of the devices include support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth networks, as well as Thread and Matter, two smart home protocols embraced by Apple and its rivals in recent years.

The door lock also supports UWB, or ultra-wideband capability, a feature that allows for auto-unlocking when users approach their door.

For Apple, the new home ecosystem and devices will mark a formal reboot of HomeKit, a platform it launched in 2014 that has gained little traction compared with offerings from Amazon.com and Alphabet’s Google.

Apple aims to use its smart home devices and Siri AI assistant to breathe new life into the category.

The company is also planning its own additional offerings in the future, including a privacy-centric home-monitoring device, a version of its smart home hub that attaches the screen to a robotic arm, and an in-home security monitoring service, Bloomberg News has reported.

For LG, a company better known for TVs and washing machines, the devices will mark its own smart home expansion.

The line-up represents its first indoor camera in nearly a decade, as well as its first outdoor camera, thermostat, floodlight camera and doorbell in recent history. The company also is selling its first smart lock outside of South Korea.

This would put Apple and LG in closer competition with Amazon’s Ring and Google’s Nest, which are firmly entrenched in the smart home.

Each already offers similar devices that let customers keep tabs on every corner of their house and surrounding property.

Apple and LG have a long history. Once rivals in the smartphone space, Apple and some of LG Electronics’ sister companies are critical partners.

LG Display supplies displays for many Apple products, including screens for devices.

Apple has also worked with LG Electronics on integrating its services into LG TV sets.

Nearly a decade ago, when Apple temporarily exited the external computer monitor market, it co-developed monitors with LG to work with the iPhone maker’s laptops. BLOOMBERG