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August Smart Locks now work alongside Apple HomePod for easier door locking

Your smart lock now works with your smart speaker — your Apple smart speaker, that is. August announced that its third-generation Buy Now and second-generation Buy Now are now compatible with the Apple HomePod, which means that your extremely expensive audio device is now also something of a smart home controller. Upon its launch, HomePod users were quick to laud the sound quality of the speaker itself, but just as quick to lament the lack of real functionality beyond playing music. August’s new integration may begin to change that.

“HomePod offers another great way to control your lock with your voice,” August noted in a release. Of course, the connected lock company has long offered compatibility with other smart home hubs on the market — you’ve been able to control August locks via Alexa since 2016, and earlier in March, August unveiled deeper integrations with Google Assistant as well.

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That said, thanks to HomePod’s advanced six-microphone array and advanced echo cancellation system, Siri may be better equipped to hear your commands than Alexa or Assistant, which makes controlling your door from afar that much easier.

Using this new integration seems to be quite straightforward. August lock owners can use Siri on their iPhone or Apple Watch to tell the HomePod, “Siri, lock my front door.” Alternatively, folks can include the Smart Lock as part of a good night scene, which means that with a single command, they will be able to prepare their homes for the evening. We should point out that while the HomePod can now lock your door and provide you with the lock’s status (who hasn’t forgotten whether or not they actually secured their entryway?), you can’t ask Siri on the HomePod to actually unlock your Smart Lock Pro or Smart Lock. Sure, that is likely much less important, but it’s still a functionality that we will need to look out for in the months to come.

Previously, controlling your devices from afar meant you had to have either an Apple TV or an iPad. But now, the HomePod serves as a ready conduit between your HomeKit-compatible devices and your iPhone or Apple Watch.

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Google’s Gemini AI can now control your smart home devices
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After spending a bit of time in Public Preview, Google is rolling out its Google Home extension for the Gemini app to everyone. This will allow you to control smart home devices using Gemini, including tasks like turning on smart lights, checking your smart thermostat, or adjusting the volume on your speakers.

The Google Home Extension will be rolling out over the next few weeks, and once you've made the update, any compatible devices synced to your Google account will be accessible via Gemini. If you try using commands in the Gemini app that aren’t supported, your smartphone will automatically launch the Google Home app to complete the command (such as accessing camera actions and smart lock features).

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The Bolt Mission uses technology similar to digital car keys, and Ultraloq says it can track the keyholder’s phone location with “centimeter-level” accuracy. As your phone gets closer to the front door, the Bolt Mission can be programmed to automatically unlock, giving you a hands-free way to get inside. Better yet, because the smart lock can detect both your distance and direction from the front door, it should prevent you from accidentally unlocking the smart lock while inside your home.

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The HomePod mini first launched in 2020 to mediocre praise. While Apple fans celebrated the bite-sized speaker, other critics pointed out that it lacked the intelligence of its competitors. The main selling point of the HomePod mini is its sound quality; now that so many other smart speakers have rid themselves of the tinny audio that first plagued their launch, Apple will need to step it up if it introduces the rumored HomePod mini 2 next year.

Unfortunately, it seems the planned upgrades aren't that noteworthy, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The new smart home speaker is said to come equipped with Apple's in-house Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip. This would allow the HomePod mini 2 to connect more easily and with greater bandwidth than the current model of HomePod.

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