Roger Fingas / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Apple is reportedly working on a Face ID-enabled doorbell.
- The device would be able to unlock connected smart locks by scanning a user’s face.
- It could be over a year before we hear anything official from Apple about the new smart doorbell.
Apple is reportedly eyeing several new products in the smart home space. We’ve previously heard about the company’s plans to launch a smart home hub and a home security camera, in addition to upgrades for Apple TV and the HomePod mini smart speaker. Now, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple is working on another new smart home device — a doorbell with Face ID that can wirelessly unlock a deadbolt lock.
In his weekly Power On newsletter, Gurman notes that the upcoming Apple doorbell could connect to existing smart locks that support Apple’s HomeKit protocol. However, it is also possible that Apple will partner with a vendor to offer a complete solution from day one.
The idea is that residents will be able to automatically unlock their doors by scanning their faces using the doorbell. Gurman expects the device to make good use of Apple’s upcoming “Proxima” chip, a homegrown Bluetooth and Wi-Fi solution slated to go into products starting in 2025.
If Apple launches a Face ID-enabled doorbell, it would raise the stakes for Google and Amazon, which have dominated the smart home space for a while now. Sure, Apple has its work cut out for it, but it looks like the iPhone maker is all in on the idea of offering customers a complete smart home ecosystem with all the products that are reportedly in its pipeline.
Gurman says work on the Apple doorbell is still in the early stages, and the earliest launch timeline is still over a year away.
