Apple is working on a new smart doorbell camera that uses Face ID to unlock the door, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-12-22/apple-explores-amazon-ring-doorbell-competitor-with-face-id-airpods-heart-rate?srnd=undefined”>today On fact sheet. The camera could launch in late 2025 “at the earliest,” Gurman writes.
The lock would work just like your iPhone, automatically unlocking the door when you or another resident looks at it. Like biometric login information on other Apple devices, the camera would be equipped with the company's Secure Enclave chip that stores and processes Face ID information separately from the rest of the system's hardware.
Gurman writes that this device will “likely” work with existing third-party HomeKit smart locks and that the company could also partner with a smart lock company “to offer a complete system from day one.” Expect the camera to make use of Apple's internal “Proxima” Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo chip that's rumored for the new HomePod Mini and Apple TV devices next year.
This doorbell camera joins a broader collection of rumors about a renewed Apple push into the smart home centered around Apple Intelligence. These include another new smart home camera, a possible Apple-branded TV, and new smart home displays: one is a simple iPad-like device that attaches magnetically to wall mounts or speaker docks, while another display located on the end of an attached robotic arm. to a larger base.
