Apple is in early days of developing a smart home doorbell and lock system with Face ID, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman. Gurman believes Apple’s doorbell is unlikely to launch until 2026 at the earliest.
Gurman’s comments came in his most recent Power On newsletter.
There’s also another home device in the works that hasn’t been reported before: a smart doorbell with advanced facial recognition that wirelessly connects to a deadbolt lock. The idea is that the doorbell could automatically unlock the door for a home’s residents by scanning their face — just like Face ID lets them into their iPhone.
It’s likely that the doorbell system will work with the many third-party locks already on the market that support Apple’s HomeKit protocol. It’s also possible that the company teams up with a specific lock maker to offer a complete system on day one.
A doorbell with the above features would make for quite the competition for Amazon’s line of Ring doorbells, as well as Google Nest-compatible doorbells. Gurman did not specify if the doorbell would also offer video capture.
If such a product is ever released, Gurman expects that it will be equipped with Apple’s rumored in-house developed Wi-Fi chip, which is said to have a Secure Enclave to protect user data. As for a possible video capture feature, Apple already offers a HomeKit Secure Video service with end-to-end encryption for storing footage in iCloud.