Home App vs. Home App

[rdlink]

So, this has been bugging me since the Keynote on Monday, and I have been doing some searching on the interwebs, but haven't found any information about it.

Apple announced the new Home app for HomeKit. It's supposed to integrate the functionalities of all of your different HomeKit compatible hardware into one, consolidated app that allows you to easily combine their functionality into things like recipes (called Scenes in HomeKit jargon) and do other cool stuff.

There's only one problem. There is already an app on the App Store called Home that does this, and I have been using it for about 9 months. In fact, the icon for the app is very, very similar to the app that Apple announced.

So I am left wondering what's going on here. Did Apple buy Home from the original developer, and rebrand it as their own? Or are they just going to walk all over this guy who developed a damn good app, and take away his living? Has anyone seen any reference to this?

 

[Arran]

I have the "Home" app too and was wondering the same thing.

Personally, I haven't been using Home much lately. All I'm doing is controlling hue bulbs and the latest hue app is fine for that.

The 'Home' UI always seemed a bit complex to me. It's a great app, but it just seems a bit involved for simple, everyday tasks. It would certainly need an Apple makeover to become the 'official' Apple app. More likely, Apple would just buy the naming rights.

 

[oftheheavens]

doesn't relate exactly to what you are asking but I removed apples home app because I don't have overly expensive light bulbs but more so because I couldn't connect nest to it. Maybe as I add more homekit items to my house I will reload it and give it a try again.

 

[rdlink]

I have the "Home" app too and was wondering the same thing.

Personally, I haven't been using Home much lately. All I'm doing is controlling hue bulbs and the latest hue app is fine for that.

The 'Home' UI always seemed a bit complex to me. It's a great app, but it just seems a bit involved for simple, everyday tasks. It would certainly need an Apple makeover to become the 'official' Apple app. More likely, Apple would just buy the naming rights.

Yeah, Hue is actually only a portion of my HomeKit setup, as I also own a bunch of Lutron Caseta switches, an Ecobee 3 thermostat, a Schlage Sense lock, and I've got Hunter ceiling fans on order. So I use the Home app for scenes that call to combinations of these devices. I also use the triggers for geofencing commands, such as turning off combinations of lights when I leave the house, and turn things back on when I return.

I'd be curious to see what happens to this App/developer. I found it to be a great app when I bought it last year, and I'd hate to see this guy's work get nullified because Apple decided to do something they should have done before.

 

[oftheheavens]

Yeah, Hue is actually only a portion of my HomeKit setup, as I also own a bunch of Lutron Caseta switches, an Ecobee 3 thermostat, a Schlage Sense lock, and I've got Hunter ceiling fans on order. So I use the Home app for scenes that call to combinations of these devices. I also use the triggers for geofencing commands, such as turning off combinations of lights when I leave the house, and turn things back on when I return.

I'd be curious to see what happens to this App/developer. Like I said, I found it to be a great app when I bought it last year, and I'd hate to see this guy's work get nullified because Apple decided to do something they should have done before.

how is the schlage sense lock and if you don't mind what was the cost? I need a new deadbolt and would love to get a "smart" one so I don't need to take out my keys and always be able to ensure that I secured my home even when not home to check it.

 

[rdlink]

how is the schlage sense lock and if you don't mind what was the cost? I need a new deadbolt and would love to get a "smart" one so I don't need to take out my keys and always be able to ensure that I secured my home even when not home to check it.

I've only had it for about a month, but I love it. It's been rock solid on the technology side since I installed it. As I am walking up to my front door I just tell my watch to unlock the front door, and voila! It unlocks and I just walk in. If I want to use my code to unlock I can do that instead. And when I walk out of the front door locking is as simple as pushing a simple button. Also, there is the fact that Schlage locks are more secure than Kwikset.

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting on my front balcony having a cup of coffee on Sunday morning when the postal carrier walked up with an Amazon package. I asked her if she would just set it inside the front door, and I told Siri to unlock the door. It was a beautiful thing.

The normal retail for it at the Apple Store and Home Depot is $229. But I bought mine on Amazon. I paid $202 for it at the time. Looks like the price is $214 right now on Amazon.

Do know that having remote access to any HomeKit device that doesn't have it's own wifi radio requires an Apple TV 3 or above be at your home. The Schlage uses bluetooth, so would need the ATV to be remote accessible. To make the distinction, the Ecobee thermostat connects to my wifi, so I could control it with the Ecobee app while away from home even if I didn't have HomeKit, or an Apple TV set up.

 

[oftheheavens]

I've only had it for about a month, but I love it. It's been rock solid on the technology side since I installed it. As I am walking up to my front door I just tell my watch to unlock the front door, and voila! It unlocks and I just walk in. If I want to use my code to unlock I can do that instead. And when I walk out of the front door locking is as simple as pushing a simple button. Also, there is the fact that Schlage locks are more secure than Kwikset.

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting on my front balcony having a cup of coffee on Sunday morning when the postal carrier walked up with an Amazon package. I asked her if she would just set it inside the front door, and I told Siri to unlock the door. It was a beautiful thing.

The normal retail for it at the Apple Store and Home Depot is $229. But I bought mine on Amazon. I paid $202 for it at the time. Looks like the price is $214 right now on Amazon.

Do know that having remote access to any HomeKit device that doesn't have it's own wifi radio requires an Apple TV 3 or above be at your home. The Schlage uses bluetooth, so would need the ATV to be remote accessible. To make the distinction, the Ecobee thermostat connects to my wifi, so I could control it with the Ecobee app while away from home even if I didn't have HomeKit, or an Apple TV set up.

awesome thanks for the reply, if I land this job next week I will buy one on your recommendation alone. I do have several apple tv's including the newest one (and love them all). I am excited for the day when a lot of these home smart products lower in price.

 

[jclardy]

It is called getting "sherlocked" in the Apple developer community. Basically where Apple builds their own version of a specific niche app and basically takes away their potential market, it pretty much happens to someone every year at WWDC.

In this case though, "Home" is a pretty unspecific name, and an icon of a house...is not very iconic. Unless the UI looks identical inside the app they probably just build a homekit app that controls your home - hence "Home" and an icon of a house.

 

[mikecwest]

It is called getting "sherlocked" in the Apple developer community. Basically where Apple builds their own version of a specific niche app and basically takes away their potential market, it pretty much happens to someone every year at WWDC.

In this case though, "Home" is a pretty unspecific name, and an icon of a house...is not very iconic. Unless the UI looks identical inside the app they probably just build a homekit app that controls your home - hence "Home" and an icon of a house.

I remember Sherlock, I liked it. I wonder how many get the reference, as I think Sherlock ended a long time ago with the introduction of Spotlight.

I still miss my Apple Desktop Accessories as well.

 

[GreyOS]

I have LIFX bulbs which are not HomeKit compatible but since Home was introduced to iOS 10 I thought I'd try the homebridge server which allows me to control LIFX as if they were HomeKit bulbs.

I have a question: is it a fault of Home and other free HomeKit apps I've tried that there is no easy way to set your bulb to White with a desired temperature? Or is it a basic limitation of the underlying HomeKit? I can only seem to select colours- and yes I can try setting white from the colour wheel and then picking a temperature, but it seems very difficult. The LIFX native picker for whites is much simpler.



Any info/advice appreciated, thanks