Apple has just discreetly changed its plans regarding the integration of robot vacuum cleaners into its HomeKit home automation ecosystem. Initially planned for the end of 2024, this highly anticipated functionality will not finally be available until the beginning of 2025.
Full integration postponed
The announcement was made last June during WWDC: Apple users would be able to control their robot vacuum cleaners directly from the Home application or via Siri. This integration, based on the Matter 1.2 standard, was to enable numerous functionalities: launching cleaning, controlling the cleaning mode (vacuuming or washing), checking the battery level and creating automations.
When the feature becomes available, users will be able to ask Siri to clean a specific room or integrate the robot vacuum into HomeKit scenes. However, Apple specifies that voice control will initially only be available in American English. Roborock has already announced that its S8 MaxV Ultra model will be compatible with HomeKit, and other manufacturers are expected to follow.
This postponement is part of a broader trend at Apple, which has already pushed back several features of iOS 18 to 2025, including certain artificial intelligence features and promised improvements for Siri. In the meantime, users can still take advantage of the latest HomeKit features such as support for Ultra Wideband locks and temporary sharing of access to connected accessories.
