New hardware could put Apple back in the race, but software will determine whether it wins.

Following the news that LG may be making devices for Apple’s smart home platform, leaker itspdfu spotted evidence that Schneider Electric is developing a smart thermostat and temperature sensor. Schneider has played a major role in developing the Matter standard and recently bought smart home device manufacturer Shelly — a move that suddenly makes more sense. The leak suggests more 2nd-party products are coming, and they’ll differentiate from Matter-compatible products by adding extra features t

Amazon’s AI-powered Alexa is more reliable and useful, but it falls short as an all-purpose assistant.

The new parental controls require everyone in a family to update all their devices to iOS 27

Founder Paulus Schoutsen explains why the smart home platform is dropping “cloud” from its name and how a new hub and AI agents could take it mainstream.

See the evolution of Laurel Hill, which sits nestled on 75 acres overlooking Bulls Bay

The company says this will allow users to interact with lighting from their AI chatbot of choice using natural language, such as “make my room feel like sunset.” It also lets developers and advanced users link Nanoleaf lights with live weather APIs, custom webhooks, and third-party web services to respond to things like changes in the weather and calendar appointments. Setup guides are available now at nanoleaf.me, with pre-built integrations coming in October. [Image: https://platform.theverge.

To test the new AI-powered features on Ring, Google Nest, and Apple Home connected video doorbells, I put on the iconic Scream mask to see if any of them would warn me. Only Google told me someone was wearing a mask; Ring somehow still knew it was me, and Apple just said “someone” was at the door. Read the full review. [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y5BpmB8R8I]

Project July replaces June’s cloud server with one that runs on the oven and connects to your phone over your local Wi-Fi network. It brings app control of the oven and live camera streaming to the device, features that went away when Weber shut down the cloud last week. Two June customers are developing it, and while it’s great to see users once again stepping up to save a product — it’s infuriating anyone should have to go to such lengths to keep features they paid for. [Link: The shutdown of

The shutdown of June Oven is just another reminder that the cloud was never ours to keep.

I tried the newest AI-powered smart home features from Nest, Ring, and HomeKit. Here’s how they compare and where this technology is headed next.

Today, Weber shut down June Oven’s cloud servers, leaving ovens that cost up to $1,500 unable to do anything beyond basic functions. Owners were notified in July that September 22 would be the end, cutting off remote control via the app, live camera viewing, AI food recognition, and software updates. The ovens still work through their built-in touchscreens, including local food recognition, but support for repairs and parts is also done. Weber bought June in 2021 and quickly discontinued the ove

According to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, the long-rumored Apple home hub with a screen is now being positioned as an AI hub for the home, working in tandem with your personal AI hub, the iPhone. He writes: > “It will bring together all of your connected-device controls, video calls, intercom capabilities and media, while giving you access to Apple services and apps. It also will feature a new operating system built around Siri AI.” I shared my ideas for what I want to see Apple do with a truly “in

You’ll have to pay at least $9.99 a month for Apple Home’s new AI-powered features, including video summaries, for just one camera. If you want access on up to five cameras, it’s $59.99 (included in the 12TB iCloud Plus plan). Is this a sign of more subscription fees on the horizon for Apple’s smart home? [Image: Apple Intelligence can provide written summaries of activity captured by your HomeKit Secure Video-compatible cameras. But it will cost you. https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/upl

Google Home just announced MCP integration. Read about how this could help your smart home — assuming we’re not all living in a post-apocalyptic battery farm — in my explainer. [Link: Google Home is unlocking the agentic smart home — which is great, right? | https://www.theverge.com/tech/996310/google-home-mcp-integration-agentic-ai-smart-home-price-release-date | The Verge]

Google’s new Model Context Protocol integration lets AI agents like Claude and OpenClaw control your Google Home devices and data.

I saw the upcoming S30 Mini at IFA last week, and my bathroom floors are excited. SwitchBot’s line of mini robot vacuums is great for smaller spaces like apartments, home offices, or bedrooms, but none have full mopping capabilities — until now. The S30 Mini adds a roller mop to the 11-inch-wide vacuum, and it looks like a good solution for small bathrooms. There’s no price or release date yet. [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/LR6B5853.jpeg?quality=90&stri

SimpliSafe brings its Active Guard live monitoring to its new video doorbell.

The company’s Saros 20 Flow goes on sale today for $1,499.99 (down from $1,699.99). At 3.53 inches tall, it’s one of the slimmest roller mop models, and with 36,000 Pa suction, camera-based obstacle recognition, and the ability to climb multi-layer thresholds, this robot should be able to get the job done. I got a first look at IFA last week and plan to test it soon. [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9226.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platf

Apple Intelligence upgrades to HomeKit Secure Video come with a steep cost.