- Apple is developing smart home locks with facial recognition technology.
- The move aligns with Apple’s growing interest in the home device market.
- Apple’s device would compete with Google’s Nest and Amazon’s Ring when it comes to home security.
Apple is reportedly working to integrate its facial recognition technology into home security.
The tech giant is developing a smart lock and doorbell that would allow residents to automatically open their home doors by scanning their faces, Bloomberg reported Sunday.
The report states that Apple’s doorbell system could work with existing third-party locks or that the company could partner with a lock supplier to sell one. complete product. The technology is still in its early stages and could launch no earlier than late 2025, the report said.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment sent outside of normal business hours.
The smart lock is added to that of Apple growing interest in home appliances walk. Last month, Bloomberg reported that Apple was working on a wall-mounted tablet powered by artificial intelligence. The iPad-like device could be voice-activated, act as an intercom and control household appliances. Earlier this year, Bloomberg also reported that the company was working on build domestic robots.
All these developments may not come to fruition. This year, Apple scrapped its car project and stopped its efforts to develop a subscription model for the iPhone.
The door device could giving the company an opportunity to cross-sell more with its other home products and existing device lineup, like the iPhone and Apple Watch.
This could also allow the iPhone maker to compete with Google’s nest And The Amazon Ring. These devices are equipped with doorbells with a motion sensor that activates the camera and records a video of the surroundings.
Such a product could draw the company into new debates about balancing users’ privacy rights and working with law enforcement. Thanks to emergency requests, police services received videos from Ring without receiving the consent of the owner.
Apple and its CEO, Tim Cook, are known for prioritizing user privacy. In 2016, Cook refused to cooperate with the U.S. government to unlock an iPhone used by a shooter in a mass shooting and attempted bombing in San Bernardino, California.