Apple plans an intelligent home where consumers may use their iPhone to unlock the front door.

Apple takes a different approach from its key platforms with its smart home plan, including iOS and macOS, where it produces hardware and controls software.

This year's WWDC event demonstrated that the smart home strategy of Apple relies primarily on getting product manufacturers from third parties to use Apple's HomeKit framework.

A new feature and a recently added feature allow iPhone users to unlock their front door utilizing a digital key in the Wallet app, which syncs with Siri and enables third-party devices to integrate with Siri.

At its annual WWDC conference, Apple revealed numerous new capabilities for its smart home program, including a way to unlock your door through a digital key in the Wallet App with your iPhone.

But Apple's Smart Home Strategy is distinct from its core platforms, iOS, and macOS, where the firm produces the hardware and controls the software.

Instead, the Smart Home Strategy of Apple focuses significantly on pushing third-party hardware producers to use Apple's HomeKit, which is designed to simplify the process of seamless cooperation amongst gadgets from diverse organizations.

For instance, Apple did not produce a smart lock with their branding, but they did contribute to developing a smart lock that is compatible with the iPhone's Home and Wallet applications. Others HomeKits are equipped with air conditioners, video cameras, movement sensors, doorbells, and light systems.

Apple's plan for iPhone and Apple Watch is to make them household controllers, giving them more value to consumers who are still using them and deterring them from upgrading to a different Android device when it's time to upgrade. The smart home approach of Apple might also improve sales of Apple TV or Home Pod, as they might be used as an intelligent home center.

Hey, Siri is returning home.

Perhaps WWDC's most smart home announcement for iOS 15, expected this fall, is that Apple announced it plans to later this year open its voice assistant, Siri, to operate with smart home gadgets third-party such as Ecobee's Smart Thermostat. Soon, users can say "Hey Siri" to non-Apple gadgets – a feature currently capable of Google's Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

"Siri is not seen to be one of the reasons why people buy Apple products, but we believe Siri's extension onto external devices could contribute to driving Siri into the smart home market and aid supporting Apple," Deutsche Bank analyst Sidney Ho wrote in a report this week.

Users can call Siri and send messages, add reminders and even use iPhones, Apple Watches, and HomePods as their intercom using an approved third-party device such as Smart Thermostat.

However, there is one restriction – a HomePod or HomePod mini-feature is required. This is because the third-party gadget Siri essentially transmits messages for processing to HomePod.

Additionally, users will open their front door or garage by logging into their iCloud account with their iPhone. Even though it did not make any products this week, Apple included a slide that mentioned that Schlage and Aqara would support the new feature among other prominent lock suppliers.