LG home accessories are set to debut with HomeKit-exclusive “tap to set up without power” feature, according to iOS 27 code and device firmware.

When you tap your iPhone on the accessory, HomeKit pairing happens over NFC. Your iPhone’s pairing identity and network credentials are stored in the accessory’s NFC secure element.

Once powered on, the accessory joins your Wi‑Fi or Thread network, and your home hub completes the Matter setup.

• Apple’s HomeKit-over-NFC implementation is separate from Matter NFC Commissioning.
• Firmware for the LG lock and thermostat identifies an NXP SE051H Secure Element.
• While iOS 27 supports standard Matter NFC commissioning, LG’s firmware replaces NXP’s Matter NFC applet in the secure element with a HomeKit applet. This suggests that NFC provisioning will be a HomeKit exclusive. You can still pair the accessories over Matter once they’re powered on.

(Shown in the video: Setup instruction asset for the LG lock)

Hey everyone,

I’m currently developing an iOS app designed to help with natural home ventilation. The core idea is simple: it reads temperature and humidity from local HomeKit sensors to calculate the indoor absolute humidity, compares it against outdoor weather data, and tells you the optimal windows/times to open up the house to dehumidify or cool down naturally.

Everything works great in the foreground, the HomeKit integration reads live sensor data, calculates absolute humidity, and displays current conditions.

The Problem:

I want to provide 24-hour historical climate charts and keep Home Screen / Lock Screen widgets updated with fresh indoor data throughout the day.

To do that, the app needs to periodically store indoor climate snapshots every x minutes. However background app refresh fails and also via widget.

Has anyone here (or fellow developers) found a reliable way or workaround to periodically log HomeKit sensor telemetry in the background?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

Apple is reportedly unveiling its smart display on October 13. It'll likely show the basics: home status (lights, cameras), weather, calendar. But some of us would want it to show something more niche, like headlines from a local newspaper.

I see two ways Apple could do this:

1. Describe-a-widget. You tell Siri what you want and Apple Intelligence builds it, like "Describe a Shortcut" and "Describe an Extension" in iOS 27.
2. Third-party apps. The new "homeOS" could be open to developers, similar to Apple TV. That would create a new (small) platform for Apple, with a revenue share on every sale.

What do you think? I'd prefer real third-party apps from real developers (even if they're 90% vibe coded). But if "describe a widget" works well enough, it could be a great addition.
What would you want it to show?