HomeKit Support Cancelled for TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug

Back in January at CES 2019, TP-Link announced that HomeKit functionality would be coming to their Kasa branded Smart Plug Mini, also known as the TP-Link Smart Plug HS105 – the HomeKit variant of which would have been the HS105 KIT. This was announced in addition to a new wave of products that included a video doorbell, a wire-free outdoor camera, as well as a new indoor camera, although, of these, only the smart plug was slated to get a HomeKit update. As first spotted by Redditor u/TravelingMeow on the HomeKit Subreddit, the bad news for anyone that bought one of these plugs in anticipation of a HomeKit update is that TP-link has now put out a statement to the contrary, stating that they will “Not offer support for Apple HomeKit”. The full, but brief statement is below;

Due to changes in our roadmap, the Kasa Smart Plug Mini (HS105) smart plug will not offer support for Apple HomeKit. Despite the change in direction for this specific SKU, our team is committed to the development of innovative smart home solutions that will continue to delight our customers around the globe.

Whilst this may come as a surprise to some, HomeKit enthusiasts have learnt to prepare themselves with promised support being pulled from a company’s agenda months later. Despite this, whilst the Kasa Smart Plug isn’t by any means the cheapest smart plug on the market – and a crowded smart plug market at that – it did give hope to some that the company may well use this as a test for further product HomeKit integration down the line. Needless to say, there are still plenty of choices available to HomeKit users, so ultimately this is not a big deal, although for companies to go back on their word in this way still doesn’t instil confidence in a lot of potential customers.