iOS Today 787: The Latest in Smart Tech

Hosts: Rosemary Orchard & Stephen Robles
Date: January 29, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the latest innovations in smart technology, with a particular focus on the most exciting releases and trends from CES 2026. Host Rosemary Orchard is joined by Stephen Robles, and together they explore the newest developments in HomeKit, Matter, smart home automation, Apple accessories, and more. The conversation blends hands-on insights, practical tips, and a dash of good humor—making the episode a lively tour through what’s next for iOS-powered living.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. CES 2026 Highlights & Smart Home Ecosystems

[00:49]–[09:57]

• CES Experience:

  • Stephen's first time at CES; marveled at the scale and “whirlwind” (140,000+ attendees).
  • Noted Apple’s absence, but praised the abundance of accessory makers and smart home brands.

• HomeKit Announcements:

  • Many products targeting HomeKit fans, but increasing trend toward the Matter standard.
  • HomeKit News is cited as a useful resource for updates and roundups.

• Notable Companies and Devices:

  • SwitchBot, Aqara, Govee, Roborock: Roborock unveiled a vacuum that can climb stairs—prompting Rosemary’s interest for her upcoming move to a multi-level home.
  • Aqara U400 Smart Lock:
    • Ultra-wideband unlocking via iPhone or Apple Watch.
    • Granular controls: can specify unlock based on approach direction.
    • “If you’re being chased, you can run towards your door and it will actually unlock while you’re farther away.” — Stephen [03:32]
    • Demo involved participants running at the door for fun; led to laughter about adding ninjas for comic relief [04:42].
  • Lock Reliability & Competition:
    • Ultra-wideband solves reliability issues seen with prior Bluetooth-based smart locks.
    • Home Assistant and HomeKit interplay—Rosemary fakes garage doors in HomeKit for more control via CarPlay, creating some fun “hacks” as workarounds [07:10].

• Fragmentation & Ecosystem Wars:

  • Brands like Govee and Aqara trying to build their own vertically-integrated ecosystems, adding proprietary features (e.g., Akara’s ability to display video doorbell stills on their thermostat and unlock locks from there) [10:39–13:15].
  • Slow adoption as Apple sometimes lags integrating new Matter features into iOS and HomeKit.

2. The Rise of Matter and Its Implications

[09:57]–[13:47]

• Matter Standardization:
  • Increasing number of devices are “Matter-compatible” by default, rather than specifically HomeKit-compatible.
  • Key quote:
    • “It doesn't really matter what they're…Aqara in particular released their first Matter certified camera. And a lot of things are just going ‘yeah, we’re Matter compatible.’ Which then…translates to also HomeKit compatible. And I think that this is really nice that we've got this centralized standard.” — Rosemary [09:08]
• Challenges:
  • Fragmentation persists as brands introduce unique in-ecosystem features not covered by Matter.
  • Apple’s “wait for the Master spec” approach means some device categories (e.g. cameras, robot vacuums) only now gaining Matter support [13:15].

3. New Smart Devices & Home Automation

[13:47]–[24:52]

• Aqara’s Expansion:

  • New sensors (e.g., FP400 occupancy, light, temp, humidity sensors) and devices in pipeline.
  • Occupancy sensors are highlighted as a game-changer for automations (lights stay on while you’re present even if still).
    • “If you’ve ever tried to set up an automation where the lights turn off when it stops detecting motion, you immediately realize the failure...An occupancy sensor…will stay on because it detects your occupancy.” — Stephen [13:47]

• Home Assistant vs HomeKit:

  • Rosemary describes advanced automations only possible with Home Assistant (e.g., pausing/resuming Apple TV when leaving/returning to room) and improved debugging [15:24–16:49].
    • “You can see the last five runs of an automation…where did it branch? Because branching is a thing.” — Rosemary [15:28]
  • Stephen expresses temptation to experiment with Home Assistant, but still values the “just works” simplicity when possible.

• Other Devices:

  • Lutron Wood Blinds: Automated tilt based on sun position, but require proprietary hub and lack Matter.
  • Lutron Smart Humidity Switch: Self-contained (not connected to HomeKit or Matter) but will auto-activate fans upon detecting humidity—a “love/hate” solution: “It becomes a dumb switch. So I don’t have access to it in the Home app, but it operates itself via humidity detection.” — Stephen [18:11]
  • Hue Bridge Issue:
    • Rosemary reports a temporary HomeKit compatibility glitch for Hue’s Pro Bridge [19:06].

4. Control Surfaces & User Experience

[21:40]–[24:52]

• MUI Wooden Control Board:
  • A “piece of wood” with embedded lights—used for tactile, ambient smart home control, including musical triggers (“I played like a D minor chord and the curtains opened, which is hilarious...you can feel like Batman.” — Stephen [21:49]).
• Control Preferences:
  • Rosemary prefers mostly automation (“most of the time… it just works”), using Home Assistant for customization.
  • Stephen values simple tactile controls for household convenience, especially for family (“I have three kids and a wife, and they’re not going to remember all the incantations...I would love a screen...has the ability to like configure, control some of the lights…that’s why I usually go with smart light switches versus smart bulbs because then anybody can just go up and just click off or click on and then you’re good to go.” — Stephen [24:29])

5. Accessories: Find My vs. AirTag 2, MOFT Wallet

[25:11]–[28:52]

• MOFT Find My MagSafe Wallet:
  • MOFT’s new wallet with built-in Find My (no AirTag required, wirelessly rechargeable, very thin, holds two cards).
  • Trade-offs discussed: Standalone Find My lacks the ultra-precise directional finding of an actual AirTag; Rosemary still uses AirTag in physical items like keys.
• AirTag 2 Release:
  • Improved range, 50% louder speaker, minor weight increase.
  • Works with newer Apple watches (direct Precision Find My).
  • Tips: Elevation Lab 10-year AirTag case lets an AirTag run on 2 AA batteries [30:08].

6. Apple News & Arcade

[33:39]–[35:38]

• Apple Arcade: Civilization 7 & More:
  • Civilization coming to Apple Arcade (special “Arcade Edition”), playable on iPhone, iPad, Mac.
  • “Retrocade” (classic arcade games) to debut for Apple Vision Pro—curiosity over how controls will function in mixed reality.

7. Shortcuts Corner: Automating CME Credit Calls

[36:02]–[45:32]

• Automation Challenge (from Rob):
  • Build a shortcut to automate calling in CME (Continuing Medical Education) credits by:
    • Calculating day of year + department code for the confirmation code.
    • Auto-dialing with an extension using pauses and code entry.
• Solution Discussion:
  • Use of “, ” (pause via comma in phone number field) to send department code after the automated system.
  • Format date as single capital "D" for day-of-year [40:59]:
    • “If you use a capital D in the custom date format…that should…it says 27…so yeah…off to a good start here.” — Rosemary [40:58]
  • Menus allow quick department lookup; code handles concatenation and dialing steps with some user interaction required for confirmation.
  • Live, practical building: “That’s great, though. Kudos. Building this live. That’s awesome.” — Stephen [45:32]
  • This shortcut will be linked in the show notes.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Ultra Wideband Locks at CES:

  • “If you’re being chased, you can run towards your door and it will actually unlock while you’re farther away and try to unlock faster… People at the CES demo were like running at the lock to test how quickly it would unlock.” — Stephen [03:32]

• On Apple’s HomeKit/Matter Adoption:

  • “...Apple has to build the matter support into iOS and so there’s kind of like a two-step, you have to wait for it, which is creating some of that fragmentation.” — Stephen [13:47]

• Home Automation and Occupancy Sensing:

  • “If you’ve ever tried to set up an automation where the lights turn off when it stops detecting motion, you immediately realize the failure of that kind of automation because if you’re just sitting there still, the lights are going to turn off on you. Whereas an occupancy sensor…will stay on because it detects your occupancy.” — Stephen [13:47]

• On Smart Home Automations & Family Acceptance:

  • “...I have three kids and a wife, and they’re not going to remember all the incantations or, you know, automations can sometimes be off-putting if, like, things are just happening and you don’t know why. Like lights turning on or turning off without you doing something specific.” — Stephen [24:29]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• CES Smart Home Roundup & HomeKit Ecosystem:

  • [00:49]–[09:57]

• Matter & Fragmentation:

  • [09:57]–[13:47]

• Occupancy Sensing, Automations, and Sensors:

  • [13:47]–[24:52]

• Control Surfaces & User Preference:

  • [21:40]–[24:52]

• Find My, MOFT Wallet, AirTag 2:

  • [25:11]–[28:52]

• Apple Arcade & Apple News:

  • [33:39]–[35:38]

• Shortcuts Corner (CME Credit Shortcut):

  • [36:02]–[45:32]

Conclusion

This episode offers an in-depth, practical look at the evolving world of smart tech, particularly through the lens of Apple and its ecosystem. From CES revelations and Matter's influence to day-to-day automation hacks and the latest Apple accessories, Rosemary and Stephen serve up an engaging mix of news, hands-on advice, and real-world insight—a must-listen for any iOS or smart home enthusiast.