Engadget: iOS 27 HomeKit update adds AI summaries and 4K camera footage

The update integrates Apple Intelligence more deeply into the Home app for the first time. iOS 27 can summarize important notifications, such as someone appearing at a door or smoke being detected, which Engadget says should prevent the lock screen from being flooded with alerts for people who use multiple cameras and smart doorbells.

HomeKit cameras will also use artificial intelligence to detect faces or animals. Footage from multiple cameras can be combined into a sequence that follows a person moving through a house, with clips from each equipped room. Videos receive a short AI-generated description, allowing users to understand what happened without watching footage at length. Search will become available for camera events, and recordings will be captured in 4K.

The Home app is also set to update software on all Apple TVs at once, and reliability has been improved overall, according to Engadget.

As for home accessories, Engadget says several new products are likely but have not been officially announced. These include a new generation of the HomePod mini and a device called the HomePad, which would combine the HomePod and the iPad into something similar to Amazon's Echo Show. The outlet says internal code leaked by Apple indicates the HomePad may include a gallery for faces, much like the Apple Watch. Apple has also been working on a tabletop robot, but that product is probably not ready for a while.

All of the features described above are part of iOS 27. Engadget notes that users who want to try them early can sign up for the Apple Beta Program, but recommends installing beta versions only on a spare device because they can be unstable.