On the latest episode of the HomeKit Insider Podcast, one week with the iPhone 17, the latest in the world of smart home, a preview of the Amazon event and more!

Joining as guest co-host this week once more is Dan Turk, Vice President of Tech & Innovation at Max Borges agency. This marks Dan's fifth appearance on the podcast.

Kicking things off in the news, Ultraloq has announced that it has developed a way to deliver the Apple Home Key experience to Android, or at least a version of it. By setting the Ultraloq app as the default NFC handler, it can effortlessly unlock doors with a tap.

It's not quite as seamless as it is on iOS, but it's the closest Android has gotten ahead of the launch of Aliro. To unlock the door, you don't need to open the app, enter a passcode, or authenticate — just tap — and it's compatible with the Ultraloq Bolt NFC.

Kohler has announced a new integration for its Anthem+ shower system with Control4. The Control4 integration is more verbose than the Apple Home support that exists now, with more granular control of all the different components within the smart shower.

Aqara has launched version 6.0 of its app. While we typically don't use many third-party home apps, Aqara has consistently launched unique features that are unavailable natively in Apple Home.

For example, the last major update brought Matter support to Apple Home to many new accessory types that Apple currently doesn't support by acting as a bridge. This new update bring new automation triggers, such as the ability to run an automation when an action does not occur.

Finally, we wrap up the episode talking about the upcoming Amazon event where many new smart home devices are expected to be announced, likely with a focus on AI. Google is hosting a similar event as well the day after.

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