iOS18.4 is Out – Robovacs Now a Thing in Apple Home!
In many ways, robot vacuums in Apple Home has been viewed as somewhat akin to discovering the ‘Arc of the Covenant’, and in this case, unlike the ‘Arc’, robot vacuums in Apple Home via iOS from 18.4 is now a thing!
However, before you run out and buy any old cheap robovac, you should take a bit more time, as the whole reason this is possible in the first place is via Matter, and an associated update from the various manufacturers. If the seemingly bargain priced robot vac you’re perusing on Amazon doesn’t mention Matter, even as a promised future feature, then keep looking.
That said, there are a few brands that have already been certified to work with Matter, and are waiting on the update to be issued, or already have the relevant update in the bag, waiting for today’s iOS update.
Roborock, for example already has updates waiting for some of their models, like the S8 MaxV Ultra (review HERE, video below), along with some of the Qrevo and Saros models, whilst the Deebot X8 Pro Omni has already had the update waiting in the wings, and should work in HomeKit once you’ve updated. We have one here we’ll be testing with HomeKit, so look out for that video/review.
Even robotic stalwart iRobot will finally be getting in on the act, with a future update Roomba Combo 10 Max to make it compliant with Matter.
Bearing in mind that robot vacuums have been a thing in Matter for a while, goes to show that many of the Matter compatible ecosystems are in a constant state of ‘catchup’, expect there to be bugs here and there. It’s still great to finally be getting the holy grail of devices into your smart home automations though, right?
