Apple Home was expected to support robot vacuums as soon as iOS 18 was released on iPhone a few months ago. This feature allows you to control a connected device hands-free through Siri, so all you have to do is shout “Siri!” to get the bot to start working. However, several months after the update debuted, this feature is still missing.
According to MacRumors, Apple quietly changed the Home webpage when no one was going to let users know that the robot vacuum cleaner control feature was being delayed until early 2025. The change is contained in a tiny, tiny footnote at the bottom of that page, which also mentions that the feature will only be available to Siri in English in the U.S. at launch.
The site originally stated that HomeKit would receive a major update by the end of 2024. We are currently leaning toward the end of this year. Apple fans have been hoping that robot vacuum cleaner control features would be included in iOS 18.2, which was released last month.
The lack of access to controlling the robot vacuum cleaner has been a concern for Apple Home users for some time. A simple search reveals posts on Reddit and complaints on community forums about the lack of control over robotic vacuum cleaners in the ecosystem. Apple users have had to come up with third-party solutions and carefully study the list of compatible hardware to facilitate any automation. This includes simple functions like turning the vacuum cleaner on and off, and switching between floor and vacuuming modes when available.
Support for automation with robot vacuums was added just a year ago as part of the Matter 1.2 update. If you have a robot vacuum cleaner in your household with Apple technology, you’ll have to use the device’s standard app to set it up. Since it can’t control automation with other devices, you’ll have to use a different service, making it even more difficult to set up your smart home.
This isn’t the only feature Apple has delayed after its exciting announcements earlier this year at its annual developer conference. The infusion of Siri’s intelligence into Apple Intelligence won’t arrive until January 2025.
I’ll admit it, I’ve let my robot vacuum cleaner dry out in the corner of the family room. I only recognize it when I remember that I still haven’t set it up to do the work for me. At least the die-hard Apple fans who have built their smart homes based on HomeKit don’t have it any easier than I do. Although, unlike me, not by choice.
