Apple and LG’s joint HomeKit lineup could come with iPhone-exclusive perks
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Apple and LG’s rumored smart home accessories could get special iPhone features that make controlling and setting up devices easier. According to a post on X from pdfu, the upcoming lineup will support Proximity Control, which brings accessory controls to your iPhone when you tap or bring it close. A separate feature could let you begin pairing accessories before they are powered on.
How will Proximity Control work once a device is setup
Proximity Control works a lot like tapping your iPhone near a HomePod. It makes smart home devices easier to access without opening the Home app and searching through menus. So, when you hold your iPhone close to a compatible accessory, a prompt would appear in the Dynamic Island.
For devices like a thermostat, you’ll get an “Open Controls” button, while cameras and doorbells would show a live camera viewer instead. iPhones without the Dynamic Island and iPads would reportedly receive a notification that stays visible for 30 seconds.
According to pdfu, the feature uses an NFC tag to help identify the accessory, alongside a Bluetooth Low Energy signal so your iPhone recognizes it instantly. This feature has existed in code since iOS 27.0 and has gone through several design changes, currently landing on an “Ask to Launch” setting by default, though you can turn it off entirely afterward in the Home app.
Setting up a device before it even has power
The second feature could make installing compatible smart home devices much easier. According to pdfu, tapping your iPhone against an accessory would transfer both pairing information and your network credentials over NFC, even before the device gets power. That data gets stored in a secure element inside the accessory itself.
Once the device is powered on, it connects automatically to Wi-Fi or Thread, letting your home hub finish the Matter setup process automatically. This particular method reportedly uses Apple’s own HomeKit implementation rather than standard Matter NFC pairing, though regular Matter pairing remains available as a fallback once the accessory has power.
However, both features remain unconfirmed by Apple for now, and the final implementation could look different by the time these devices launch.
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