Apple bringing Siri to third-party HomeKit accessories for the first time

Credit: Apple

Apple is bringing Siri to third-party devices and platforms for the first time, allowing HomeKit-supporting companies to integrate the assistant into their devices.

The Apple digital assistant will arrive on third-party devices later in 2021. With the support, HomeKit accessory makers will be able to integrate Siri into their own devices.

With third-party support, users will be able to access Siri and give voice commands to third-party products. Apple demoed this on stage by querying Siri on an Ecobee Smart Learning Thermostat.

Apple says Siri on third-party devices will support "Personal Requests, Intercom, timers, and alarms."

Hardware developers must be a part of Apple's MFi program for HomeKit accessories, and users will still need to have a HomePod or HomePod mini in their home. Unlike speakers from other manufacturers that fully bake in Amazon Alexa, these Siri-enabled devices will be merely relaying the query to a HomePod or HomePod mini in your home.

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4 Comments

bakerzdosen

said about 2 years ago

I can't see a reason to upgrade my Ecobee3's (and I've said I'd never own an Ecobee4 due to Alexa) but if there's a Ecobee5 with Siri, I might just be interested after all...

entropys

said about 2 years ago

So.. kinda sorta.
You can have a house embedded in the Apple ecosystem with a myriad of Apple devices, but if you don’t have one of these homepods you are out of luck?

Yeah. Nup.

ihatescreennames

said about 2 years ago

entropys said:

So.. kinda sorta.
You can have a house embedded in the Apple ecosystem with a myriad of Apple devices, but if you don’t have one of these homepods you are out of luck?

Yeah. Nup.

To me, the $99 for a HomePod mini is worth it to not be sharing any of my Siri requests with those third-party companies. Since the device is not sending the query out of the house and only to the HomePod my privacy is maintained.

On the other hand, I don't really have any interest in being able to speak to these other devices. I almost always have my Apple Watch or iPhone on me so I don't see what the big advantage is to having my thermostat be able to take requests.

Beats

said about 2 years ago

I don’t know how I feel about this. I feel like if Apple had 1st party home devices that took off they wouldn’t share Siri.

Apple saw this market before Amazon and Google. They could have made cheap acquisitions (ring, Nest, Ecobee) back then.

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