Apple x LG Smart Home Push: Smart Lock, Thermostat and Doorbell Reportedly Coming

TL;DR

• Apple is reportedly partnering with LG Electronics and LG Innotek to co-develop a smart lock, smart thermostat, and Face ID doorbell for launch starting in late 2026 to 2027.
• The three devices are expected to be built around Apple Home, Matter and Thread, with HomeKit Secure Video, automatic unlocking via iPhone and Apple Watch, and Apple Intelligence-powered Siri and automations.
• The move signals Apple's most aggressive push yet to take on Amazon Ring and Blink and Google Nest, shifting from a software-only HomeKit strategy to first-party hero devices.

Apple Finally Gets Serious About the Smart Home

For years, Apple has watched the smart home revolution from the sidelines. While Amazon stuffed homes with Ring doorbells and Echo speakers and Google covered walls with Nest thermostats and locks, Apple was content to provide HomeKit, the Home app, and Matter support and let third parties like Yale, Ecobee, and Logitech do the hardware work.

That strategy is reportedly about to change in a big way. According to new reports out of Korea this week, Apple is teaming up with LG to launch its own trio of smart home essentials: a smart lock, a smart thermostat, and a video doorbell.

If true, it would mark Apple's biggest expansion into the connected home since the original HomePod, and its first direct assault on the entry points Amazon and Google have owned for a decade: the front door and the hallway wall.

The LG Partnership: What We Know So Far

The core of the rumor comes from Korean supply chain reporting claiming Apple has tapped LG Electronics for product development and LG Innotek for key components like camera modules, 3D sensing, and communication modules.

This is not a random pairing. LG already makes ThinQ smart appliances, HVAC systems, and door cameras, and LG Innotek is a longtime iPhone camera supplier. The report suggests Apple will handle chip design, software, Apple Intelligence integration, and privacy architecture, while LG contributes manufacturing scale, thermostat HVAC expertise, and lock hardware know-how.

Apple has not confirmed the partnership, and LG has declined to comment, which is typical for Apple supply chain stories. The timeline floated is a staggered rollout starting in late 2026 alongside Apple's long-rumored smart home hub, with wider availability in 2027.

In other words: don't expect these on shelves tomorrow, but tooling and testing is reportedly already underway.

Smart Doorbell With Face ID and MagSafe Power

The most detailed device of the three is Apple's rumored doorbell. Bloomberg has reported for over a year that Apple is developing a doorbell camera with Face ID-style facial recognition that could automatically unlock your door for known people.

The LG-linked version lines up with that vision. Expected features include:

• A camera with HomeKit Secure Video with end-to-end encryption processed on-device and stored in iCloud, not on LG or third-party servers.
• Face ID-style identification to announce who is at the door on HomePod, Apple TV, and iPhone, and trigger personalized automations.
• MagSafe-style rechargeable battery pack or hardwired option, with ultra-wideband for precise presence detection.
• Deep integration with Apple TV and the rumored HomePad hub for live view picture-in-picture.

This would be a direct shot at Ring and Google Nest Doorbell, but with Apple's classic differentiator: privacy. No ad profiling, no police portal controversy, just on-device intelligence.

Smart Lock That Unlocks Like AirPods Connect

The second product, a smart deadbolt lock, may be the sleeper hit. Current HomeKey locks from Schlage and Aqara already let you tap an iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock, but setup can be finicky and Matter-over-Thread support is still spotty.

Apple and LG are reportedly aiming to make this disappear. Think proximity auto-unlock using UWB and Bluetooth LE, just like AirPods auto-connect or Apple Watch unlocking a Mac. Walk up with your iPhone in your pocket and the deadbolt retracts. Leave and it locks behind you.

Rumored details include full Matter and Thread border router support, HomeKey in Wallet for family members and temporary guest passes shared via Messages or AirDrop, and Face ID doorbell handoff so a recognized face can unlock without a phone at all. A Touch ID backup on the lock itself is also rumored for fingerprints.

Crucially, Apple is said to be insisting on full local operation. Even if Wi-Fi goes down, Thread and on-device keys would still get you inside.

Smart Thermostat With Apple Intelligence Inside

The third device is perhaps the most surprising: an Apple-designed smart thermostat built with LG's HVAC expertise.

Google's Nest Learning Thermostat defined this category in 2011, and Ecobee and Amazon have owned the HomeKit-compatible space since. Apple's version is reportedly focused less on a dial and more on brains.

Expectations include a premium glass and aluminum design with an ambient-sensing display similar to an Apple Watch in always-on mode. Apple Intelligence-driven scheduling that learns from your iPhone location, Apple Watch sleep patterns, Home occupancy sensors, and weather data instead of requiring rigid programming. Siri with the new LLM upgrade for natural commands like make the upstairs feel like last weekend without cooking the electric bill. Energy dashboarding in the Home app with grid-aware suggestions and Home automations like lower heat when the smart lock detects everyone left.

LG's role here makes perfect sense. It is one of the world's largest makers of air conditioners, heat pumps, and energy systems, giving Apple instant credibility with HVAC installers, something Nest had to learn the hard way.

Why Apple Needs LG to Beat Amazon and Google

On paper, Apple should already dominate the smart home. It has over 2 billion active devices, the best chips for on-device AI, and the most trusted privacy brand. In practice, it has less than 5% of smart speakers and video doorbells in the US.

The problem has been commitment. Amazon and Google sell doorbells for $99 to $179 and subsidize them with subscriptions like Ring Protect and Nest Aware. Apple has refused to play the low-margin, data-heavy game.

Partnering with LG solves three problems at once. First, scale: Apple doesn't have lock factories or thermostat installer networks. LG does. Second, neutrality: LG can sell versions through HVAC and homebuilder channels without it looking like pure Apple lock-in. Third, Matter credibility: Working with LG, a major Matter and Thread backer, helps Apple position these not as walled-garden gadgets but as best-in-class Matter controllers that just happen to work best with iPhone.

For Amazon and Google, this is a nightmare scenario. They compete on price and AI assistants. Apple would compete on privacy, chip-level integration, and the iPhone halo. If your doorbell already knows your face from Photos, your lock already has your house keys in Wallet, and your thermostat already knows your calendar, why buy a Nest?

What Happens Next

Take all of this with healthy skepticism. Apple prototypes dozens of home devices that never ship, and its smart home hub itself has reportedly been delayed multiple times to 2026 as Apple rebuilds Siri on generative AI.

But the pattern is hard to ignore. Apple TV with FaceTime camera, HomePod with screen, Face ID doorbell, LG-built lock and thermostat, and a new HomeOS — all pointing to a coordinated 2026-2027 smart home reboot.

If Apple gets this right, the front door could become what the wrist was for Apple Watch: the place where tight hardware, health-grade privacy, and Apple Intelligence finally make the connected home feel invisible.

Expect more leaks from the LG supply chain in the coming months, and potentially a teaser as early as WWDC 2027. The battle for the smart home is about to get interesting again.

AndroGuider Team

Articles written by the AndroGuider team. We try to make them thorough and informational while being easy to read.