Aqara Begins Rolling Out Siri, AirPlay Integration For Panel Hub S1 Plus

27th November 2025 The Editor 0 Comments airplay, aqara, Siri 3 min read

In a move not often seen, Siri voice control and AirPlay integration are being enabled on Aqara’s Panel Hub S1 Plus, much as they were on Ecobee’s own Thermostat Premium. This feature was first announced at IFA earlier this year, and news of its apparent arrival surfaced via Reddit user u/Hyder2020r, who received the update on their panel hub.

The rollout appears to have begun for EU users, although earlier today Aqara told us the firmware was still officially pending, with a wider push ~~expected sometime next month~~ now beginning to propagate. The user in question is using the SEA/ME (South East Asia/Middle East) model.

The new firmware version is 4.5.1, while the EU model we were using was on 4.3.1, which has now been updated to 4.5.1 as well.

Here’s how Siri works in this context; When you say “Hey Siri” near the panel hub, its built-in microphones hears you. But rather than processing the request itself, the panel hub forwards the voice to a HomePod or HomePod mini, which does the heavy lifting (speech recognition, executing commands, etc.). The response is then played back via the panel hub’s built-in speaker.

The full set of features include the following, available to activate or deactivate via Apple Home;

Siri voice control
AirPlay streaming (in Beta)
Intercom
Doorbell Chime

The AirPlay feature simply allows you to stream audio to it as you would from your phone or computer, to a HomePod, Apple TV, or any third party AirPlay enabled Streamer like the WiiM Mini (review HERE, video HERE) or the Arylic LP10 (review HERE, video HERE). Given the speakers on the panel hub are pretty small and basic, this isn’t something you’re likely to use for a serious music session, but it could have its uses.

As for the intercom feature, this allows you to both send and receive intercom audio via the mics and speakers in the panel hub. This feature is accessed from within Apple Home, and directly via Home Hubs that allows you to send a voice message to any AirPlay enabled speakers.

Like HomePods, you also get access to Timers and alarms, all accessible via the initial screen after tapping the sole tile.

The doorbell chime is useful in that currently whilst the panel hub can already be used as a chime for Aqara’s video doorbells like the recently released G410 (review HERE, video HERE), this update should allow third-party video doorbells to work with the panel now.

One final thing to note is that prior to this update the S1 Plus was displayed in Apple Home as a pair of switches and the alarm system under one tile, and another tile for the six programmable buttons exposed to HomeKit. This changes with the new update; you now get just the one tile, displaying the hub/bridge icon not normally seen in a tile these days. When you tap on the tile, you then first access the alarm panel and the two wired switches. Scrolling further down gives you access to the alarms and timers section. Tapping on the cog icon then takes you into the settings page proper, where you can access all the new features as well as the six programmable buttons.

All in all this is an impressive update, and one we hope will be pushed to everyone over the next few days. You can check out our video review of the Panel Hub S1 Plus below or read the written review HERE;