Robot vacuums are getting upgraded support for Apple Home

Several companies, including iRobot, person announced updates and enactment for Apple Home done Matter. | Image: iRobot

The merchandise of  Apple’s iOS 18.4 connected Monday includes bully quality for robot vacuum owners. The update includes enactment for controlling robot vacuums and adding them to automations and scenes successful the Apple Home app via the Matter protocol. With the authoritative rollout of iOS 18.4, companies similar Roborock, iRobot, and Ecovacs are introducing firmware updates truthful their robovacs volition beryllium afloat compatible with Apple Home.

Roborock’s firmware update “enhances the implementation of the Matter protocol crossed respective of its premium robot vacuum models,” according to a property merchandise from the company. Roborock models that volition beryllium getting this expanded Matter enactment see the S8 MaxV Ultra, Saros Z70, Saros 10, Saros 10R, Qrevo Curv, Qrevo Edge, and Qrevo Master.

Roborock says the supported models volition person the firmware update sometime betwixt April 1st and April 10th, allowing users to power their robovacs done the Home app connected devices including the iPhone, Apple Watch, HomePod, and iPad. The update volition besides amended connectivity and Matter enactment with astute location platforms based connected Google Home and Amazon Alexa. (That’s of people wherefore Matter was created successful the archetypal place – to assistance marque astute location devices platform-agnostic.)

Additional models, including the Roborock S8 Max Ultra and Qrevo Slim, volition beryllium getting Matter enactment successful updates scheduled to beryllium released “in the upcoming weeks and months.” 

iRobot announced that the Roomba Combo 10 Max robot and Auto Wash Dock, released past August, volition beryllium its archetypal robovac “compliant with Matter protocol and compatible with the Apple Home ecosystem.” Users volition beryllium capable to start, stop, and docket cleanings for circumstantial rooms utilizing the Home app oregon dependable commands done Siri. 

Several of Ecovacs’ robot vacuums, including the Deebot X2, X2 Combo, T50, T50 Max, and X8, volition besides beryllium getting Matter 1.4 firmware updates starting today. The updates volition commencement “rolling retired crossed these models successful phases,” Ecovacs’ Associate Brand Marketing Director, Michelle Jones, told The Verge successful an email.

Apple originally announced enactment for robot vacuums successful Apple Home done Matter during WWDC 2024 arsenic 1 of the galore changes coming with iOS 18, though the features volition beryllium constricted to powerfulness control, switching betwixt vacuuming and mopping modes, and specifying which rooms to clean. Matter doesn’t enactment much precocious cleaning features similar mapping and configuring zones for robovacs to avoid, truthful those functions mightiness lone beryllium disposable done each manufacturer’s ain app.