ADT's Gilles Drieu joins HomeKit Insider to talk latest in the smart home

By Andrew O'Hara

On this episode of the HomeKit Insider Podcast, a special guest from ADT joins to talk about the smart home as a whole, as well as cover all the news from the week.

HomeKit Insider Podcast

Chief Technology Office for ADT, Gilles Drieu, stopped by the podcast this week to offer his insight into the industry, as well as what the security company is doing themselves that's relevant to Apple users.

Drieu has spent more than 25 years in Silicon Valley, working at Apple, Adobe, and Google before making the move to ADT. In his current role as Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Product Engineering he's working on next-gen devices for the smart home.

Before ADT, his primary role at at Google on the Nest, Home, and Chromecast teams. He also has contributed heavily to the Matter spec.

Speaking of which, that kicks off our news as it does appear that Apple is supporting more of the Matter 1.2 update in iOS 18.

Apple has only confirmed support for robotic vacuum cleaners, but it looks like others are supported too, such as air purifiers. Matter 1.2 supports fridges, laundry machines, dishwashers, and a litany of air quality sensors.

More details of Apple's smart home accessory have leaked, which will apparently have an A18 chip and support Apple Intelligence.

Early version have a square-like display, a camera for video calls and can identify people and gestures from across the room.

Google's new TV Streamer launched last week, providing a more premium alternative to the Apple TV 4K. It's priced at $99 and has several unique features we explore.

The second-gen Ome smart knob has launched with a new, smaller form factor. It allows you remotely monitor your stove knobs and get alerts if you leave them on.

Sonos has issued another update to its mobile app, continuing its push to restore lost features. This time, we saw the return of alarms.

Finally, Bosch has launched a new Thread-connected radiator controller that works via Matter.

Links from the HomeKit Insider podcast

Those interested in sponsoring the show can reach out to us at advertising@appleinsider.com

Keep up with everything Apple in the weekly AppleInsider Podcast. Just say, "Hey, Siri," to your HomePod mini and ask it, and our latest HomeKit Insider episode too. If you want an ad-free main AppleInsider Podcast experience, you can support the AppleInsider podcast by subscribing for $5 per month through Apple's Podcasts app, or via Patreon if you prefer any other podcast player.