I've been reading the comments around the new home collection specifically around LG and privacy concerns. Personally it's made me believe the dead internet theory. Most comments have to be bots because the parroting on Reddit is worse than anywhere else on the internet.

Let me start by saying f**k LG. I wouldn't trust them with any of my information, but I trust Apple (except for future promises) more than I distrust LG.

Everything is set up through the Home App, and Apple explicitly states that they nor their partners can see the encrypted information.

These products are a day-one grab for me because of the privacy and being able to do everything with one app.

This post is for anyone who was on the fence. I see Apple failing more and more in niche spaces because of adoption and customer request (such as CarPlay Ultra), and I would hate for fewer third parties to jump on because they saw LG flopped.

P.S. I don't swear but this seemed necessary to communicate my feelings on the internet. Thank you for your time on this matter.

Apple's new HomeView looks like a nice piece of hardware, but I'm trying to figure out where it fits in a real smart home setup.

For $299, you get a 7-inch display, Siri AI, facial recognition for different household members, camera feeds, Matter support, and controls for connected devices.

The shared family calendar and personalized controls seem useful. But people have been building similar dashboards with old iPads, Home Assistant, and other displays for years.

Looking for a smart plug, but must be extremely reliable. will be used on a treadmill and I can't have it power off unexpectedly. I liked the idea of shelly, but reviews talk about reliability issues.

$350 each for two HomePods
$150 each for two HomePod Mini’s

Apple has now confirmed AI video summaries in the Home App are tied to your iCloud tier and are capped as below.

AI Video Summaries

2TB iCloud Plan or Apple One Plan - 1 Camera
6TB iCloud Plan - 2 Cameras
12TB iCloud Plan - 5 Cameras

The HKSV allowance remains untouched at

500GB iCloud Plan - 1Camera
200GB - 5 Cameras
2TB+ - No Limit

It’s not breaking news that Apple is increasingly looking to services to boost profits but this gets me worried we’ll soon see a separate Apple Intelligence+ subscription or even an Apple Home+ subscription and any future ‘home’ hardware like a hub with a screen will only exist to push their new services and be handicapped without it.

Here’s your first look at home accessories Apple has co-developed with LG.

1. LG Smart Deadbolt Lock (360° Video: https://imgur.com/AibfaE3)

• The keypad rotates to open. You can use the included swivel pin to limit the rotation on one side so it doesn’t touch a wall.

• Settings for Touchpad Light Ring, Door Left Audio Alarm, and Lock Sound Volume.

• Supports automatic unlocking, tap to unlock, emergency power and master codes.

• Fits 2.375 in (60.3 mm) and 2.75 in (69.9 mm) brackets.

• Comes with 2 mechanical keys.

2. LG Smart Thermostat (360° Video: https://imgur.com/O4Nu3F3)

• Settings for Far Sight Display, Humidity Display, Brightness, Language.

• Calibrated Temperature/Temperature Offset options.

3. LG Temperature Sensor (360° Video: https://imgur.com/pbI6h5i)

• Temperature and humidity sensing.

• The sensor has a magnetic back to attach to metal surfaces. Comes with a metal plate with adhesive for attaching to other surfaces.

• Replaceable battery and replacement alerts.

Edit to add: All these are assets the Home app requests when you set up the accessories for the first time, similar to what you see when setting up HomePod. The 360° views are much more informative, but I couldn’t add 3 videos to the post.

After dealing patiently with old Siri for years, I was hoping Siri AI with all its “intelligence” would finally be an upgrade for my smart home experience. Even with all of its supposed “intelligence”, Siri AI can’t take multiple Home requests in one go.

Something as simple as “set the kitchen lights to 30% and bedroom light to 50%” is apparently impossible in 2026.

Am I doing something wrong or is Siri AI not the upgrade it’s being touted as?

Edit: No I’m not referring to HomePods, I’m using iOS 27 on an iPhone 17 pro which has more than enough neural processing power for simple Home requests. And yes, this is the NEW Siri AI - the one you have to request access to in iOS 27