Apple’s next big smart home push will reportedly arrive with LG’s name on the box. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple and LG have co-developed a line of LG-branded smart home accessories. They are built for Apple’s coming overhaul of its Home platform. The hardware has already surfaced in recent US FCC and UL Solutions filings. Those filings name the products but never mention Apple.
The LG smart home accessories in the filings
Seven products appear in the paperwork, covering most of the categories a buyer would shop for.
- LG Video Doorbell Wired — mains-powered video doorbell
- LG Floodlight Cam — outdoor camera with integrated light
- LG Outdoor Cam Plug-In — plug-powered outdoor camera
- LG Indoor Cam Plug-In — plug-powered indoor camera
- LG Smart Deadbolt Lock — smart lock with ultra-wideband for proximity auto-unlock
- LG Smart Thermostat — connected thermostat
- LG Temperature Sensor — standalone room sensor
Most of the devices are listed with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Thread and Matter radios. The deadbolt adds UWB, which is what allows a door to unlock as you walk up to it. LG asked regulators to keep photos and detailed documentation confidential until early next year. Gurman’s report says the products are not expected to reach buyers for at least a few more months.
Why Apple wants someone else to build this
The structure here matters more than the spec sheet. Bloomberg frames it as Apple leaning on second-party suppliers:
This arrangement with so-called second-party suppliers gives Apple a way to quickly expand its ecosystem without shouldering the full cost and complexity of producing and supporting a wide range of accessories. Apple can also help shape the products’ design, tailor their features and oversee engineering while keeping the work largely under wraps.
— Bloomberg, via 9to5Mac and MacRumors
For anyone shopping, that distinction is worth holding onto. These are LG products. LG manufactures them, sells them under its own brand, and provides the support behind them. Deep Apple Home integration is not the same thing as Apple building the lock on your front door. If a camera stops getting security updates in four years, that is LG’s call rather than Apple’s.
How it fits Apple’s wider home plans
LG is not a random partner. The two companies have worked together for years on LG Display panels. LG also built the 4K and 5K UltraFine monitors Apple sold when it had no display of its own. LG took a majority stake in the smart home platform Homey in 2024. That puts this lineup in direct competition with Samsung SmartThings, Amazon Ring and Google Nest.
The accessories are meant to land alongside Apple’s own hardware refresh. We have already covered the smart home hub Apple is expected to unveil on October 13. It has also been rumoured in four colours. Bloomberg adds that Apple is working on a privacy-focused home monitoring device of its own. Also in the pipeline: a screen-equipped hub on a robotic arm and an in-home security monitoring service.
