Apple's Smart Home Ambitions: Face ID Doorbell and AI-Powered Security Devices on the Horizon

Apple is working on a way to unlock your front door with Face ID

Summary Apple plans to release an Amazon Ring-like smart doorbell with Face ID for enhanced security. Apple will focus on AI, robotics, and smart home technology in 2025 to compete with Amazon. Apple aims to leverage its commitment to privacy to gain consumer trust and sell iCloud subscriptions. If you bought a smart doorbell that could unlock your front door with a face scan, would you trust it? If not, would your opinion change if Apple made the device? This is exactly what the Cupertino giant is gambling on, as it reportedly wants to enhance its smart home catalog in 2025 and use its privacy-focused mindset to help convince people to make the jump. Related The first question I asked Apple Intelligence was how to disable it I wanted to love Apple Intelligence, but it's far from intelligent in its current state Posts Apple is looking into making an Amazon Ring-esque doorbell with Face ID compatibility Source: Blink As reported by Bloomberg, Apple is plotting out what it wants to focus on during 2025. It decided that it has three areas of expertise it can really capitalize on: artificial intelligence, robotics, and the smart home. Apple has already gotten off to a good start with AI, with the release of Apple Intelligence earlier this year. And the robotics field, while interesting, likely won't bear much fruit in 2025 alone. As such, the company's primary focus during the new year will be getting its foot in the door of smart home tech. Apple already has the TV set-top box and HomePod mini smart speaker in its arsenal, so it will spend some time bringing out new, more powerful versions. However, it also plans to release an "AI-infused smart home hub" that comes with a screen. After the excitement around this smart home hub has settled, Apple will then announce two new smart devices: a security camera and an Amazon Ring-esque doorbell that uses Face ID to identify who's at the front door. So, what can offer people that well-established smart home giants like Amazon can't? Simple: trust. Apple believes it has an edge in this area because of its long-stated commitment to privacy. The thinking is that consumers will trust it more than rivals with in-home security footage. The service also could help Apple sell subscriptions to iCloud, where customers would store the video. The doorbell is still in the teething stages, so we shouldn't expect to see them on people's houses "before the end of next year at the soonest." However, we may see some hints of what Apple wants to do in 2025, including how it will convince people to use its products over Amazon's or Google's.

Apple's rumored Ring video doorbell rival could have a clever Face ID trick

Its smart doorbell could boast Face ID, and use iCloud for video storage We've recently heard rumors that Apple wants to launch a smart home hub with a screen - what's been described as an Apple HomePod with a display - but the company's smart home visions reportedly don't stop there. We could also see it release gadgets like an Apple video doorbell, smart lock, and security camera; so while the Apple Car concept might be dead (another rumored excursion into a previously unexplored product territory), the Apple Home might be about to take off. This comes via Bloomberg's Mark Gurman (behind a paywall) in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, who says Apple is focusing its efforts on robotics, AI, and smart home tech - with smart home being the one most likely to bear fruit somewhat soon in the form of security devices like video doorbells that can deadbolt your front door or in-home security cameras. The doorbell may be particularly interesting as it would supposedly offer a form of Face ID for your home by automatically detecting if it's you. While this smart home pivot may seem a little odd considering how the HomePod has been treated. It seems forever in the background of presentations and announcements, never getting its own chance in the spotlight. Gurman notes, however, that Apple's smart home shift comes from the company's belief it has one edge over the competition: trust in its privacy. Many people don't want Amazon-made cameras in their homes, or cameras from most major tech companies for that matter, due to concerns over how their private data might be used even if there's no evidence it's being mishandled. But Apple has spent years cultivating a persona of being the best there is when it comes to privacy (it's even a major component of its Apple Intelligence marketing, and wasn't for other AI until Apple hit the scene), and so Gurman reports the company believes this perception will help it find success with home security tech. He adds that it could also help Apple juice its iCloud subscription numbers as people would want to store their recordings in the cloud. If you head to the Apple Store website you'll see Apple already boasts a respectable smart home accessory lineup complete with smart locks, smart lights, motion detectors, smart doorbells, and more - but none are made by Apple. Instead, it relies on third-party accessories which have varying quality according to some reviewers - with this $330 Level smart lock from a few years ago being labeled ineffective as it could be lockpicked with the simplest method known to pickers - but hopefully, Apple has learned from the better options amongst its third-part stock. As with all leaks, we should take these latest ones with a pinch of salt, and even if Apple's smart home tech is indeed on the way it could be some time before we see it in action. Mark Gurman says he's been told not to expect to see anything until at least the end of 2025. There's also a non-zero chance Apple may abandon home security before it sees the light of day. One reason for it not continuing with the Apple Car was reportedly execs fearing the company would be associated with car accidents. The same fears - but this time for home security flaws - could be enough to put Apple off expanding into this area in the end. We'll have to wait and see what 2025 holds for us, but with reports Apple is developing a ring, and developing AR glasses in the background too, it might not be long before we see Apple's next big hardware launch.