Apple and LG Team Up to Build Smart Home Devices

Apple is getting ready to make a big move into smart home devices, and it has a surprising partner helping it do so. The company has been quietly working with LG Electronics, a South Korean tech company, to build a line of gadgets for the home. The new products include a video doorbell, a smart thermostat, a deadbolt lock, and several security cameras. Apple plans to announce its new smart home lineup on October 13.

Even though Apple and LG worked together to design these products, the devices will be sold under the LG brand name. LG will handle building the products and helping customers if something goes wrong. Apple will stay in the background, helping to shape the design and features without putting its name on the box.

This is not the first time Apple has used this kind of teamwork. Apple has done the same thing before with companies like Belkin and Logitech, helping them make products that fit neatly into Apple's world. This strategy lets Apple grow its lineup of products faster and without spending as much money as it would if it built everything itself.

The new LG devices are not quite ready for store shelves yet. They are expected to take at least a few more months before customers can buy them. In the meantime, LG has already applied for approval from the US government and a product safety group called UL Solutions.

Public records from those approvals give us a peek at what's coming. The filings list products with names like the LG Video Doorbell Wired, LG Floodlight Cam, LG Indoor Cam Plug-In, LG Outdoor Cam Plug-In, LG Smart Deadbolt Lock, LG Smart Thermostat, and LG Temperature Sensor. LG asked that photos and extra details stay private until early 2027, and the filings do not mention Apple at all.

The devices are packed with useful technology. Most of them support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, which are common wireless systems people already use at home. They also support two newer smart home standards called Thread and Matter, which help different brands of smart home gadgets work together. The smart lock even uses something called ultra-wideband, or UWB, which can automatically unlock the door when you walk up to it.

These products will be part of a bigger Apple smart home system. That system will also include a new version of the HomePod mini speaker and a new TV streaming box. Apple's voice assistant, Siri, will help tie everything together and make the devices easier to control.

For Apple, this is a fresh start for its smart home platform, called HomeKit. Apple launched HomeKit back in 2014, but it never became as popular as Amazon's and Google's smart home products. Apple hopes these new devices will help it catch up with those rivals.

Apple also has bigger plans for the future. The company is reportedly working on a home monitoring device that focuses on privacy, a smart home hub with a screen attached to a robotic arm, and a home security service. Those products have not been announced yet, but they show how serious Apple is about making your home smarter.

For LG, this is also a big deal. The company is mostly known for making TVs and washing machines, so these new smart home gadgets are a major step in a new direction. The indoor camera will be LG's first in almost ten years, and the outdoor camera, thermostat, floodlight camera, and doorbell are all firsts for the company. LG is also selling its first smart lock outside of South Korea.

Apple and LG actually have a long history of working together, even though they were once rivals in the smartphone business. LG Display, a sister company of LG Electronics, makes screens for many Apple products. Apple and LG Electronics have also teamed up before to bring Apple services to LG smart TVs, and years ago they worked together to make computer monitors. This new partnership continues a relationship that has quietly grown stronger over time.