Apple’s New Smart Home Platform Has One Big Flaw

Alert: A window just opened in your home. Maybe you’re sitting at your desk at work, and your kids have just gotten in from school. Perhaps you’re riding the subway, miles away from the studio apartment you rent alone. Or you could even be in bed, about to go to sleep for the night. It doesn’t matter where you are. All that matters is that a window just opened in your home — and I’ve just let you know.

This is what life is like in a smart home. Something happens, and you’re alerted to it. It could be your web security camera spotting some motion, your connected smoke alarm detecting some CO2, or in this case, your window sensor tripping. All these devices could should be able to send a notification to your smartphone letting you know what’s up. But with the beta version of Apple’s upcoming Home app, launching with iOS 10, the company has disabled alerts for many smart home devices. The result is a smart home solution that’s less smart, and potentially less safe.