The new Meross Matter Smart Home Thermostat works with a variety of heating/cooling systems and smart-home platforms. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

Smart home company Meross today announced the launch of the Meross Matter Smart Home Thermostat, which can connect to a HomeKit setup using the Matter protocol. At $70 for a limited time, the device is an affordable ‌HomeKit‌ thermostat option. The Smart Thermostat features a minimalist design with a white glass panel that has LEDs that show the temperature and other settings. It requires a C wire for power, and Meross says that it should work with 95 percent of heating and cooling systems in North America, including single and multi-stage furnaces, boilers, air conditioners, heat pumps, and fan coil units. Because the thermostat integrates with ‌HomeKit‌, temperature can be controlled through Siri voice commands, in the Apple Home app,…

Get the latest on the upcoming HomePod with a display, a new smart home device with a focus on home automation. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

Learn about Apple's plans to integrate robot vacuum cleaners with the Home app, and find out when this feature will be available. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

Apple has quietly tweaked its Home app webpage to indicate that its upcoming robot vacuum control feature will now arrive in early 2025 rather than later this year, as previously advertised. When support is added, Apple device users will be able to start a robot vacuum via HomeKit automations and scenes, or ask Siri to clean a specific room. Apple says the Home app will support the "core functionality" of robot vacuum cleaners, such as vacuuming, mopping, power control, cleaning mode, and charge status. Apple said at WWDC in June that the iOS 18 feature would arrive later in 2024 – presumably with iOS 18.2, due this month – but that's apparently no longer the case. Apple tweaked a footnote…

Aqara today announced two new smart home safety products – a Smoke Detector for European markets and a Valve Controller T1 for global release. Both devices expand the company's home safety lineup with Matter compatibility and Apple HomeKit integration. The Valve Controller T1 is designed to prevent water damage by retrofitting onto existing household water valves. It can automatically shut off water flow when linked to leak sensors and supports common pipe sizes from 1/2" to 1". The controller runs on four AA batteries with an estimated two-year battery life. The new Smoke Detector, available exclusively in Europe, features an 85-decibel siren and smartphone notifications for smoke detection. When paired with Aqara cameras, homeowners can visually verify alarms remotely. The…