Apple is rolling out a smart home app with iOS 9

As with everything Apple does, the company is being pretty tight-lipped regarding its smart home expansion, but as the first batch of the company’s HomeKit-compatible devices are getting ready to ship, Apple is finding it increasingly difficult to prevent information from leaking out. One such leak, which comes from 9to5Mac, claims that the company is working on a Home-dedicated app that’s expected to rollout with iOS 9, despite previous rumors to the contrary. 

As the first batch of Apple’s HomeKit-compatible products get ready to ship, we’re starting to learn a little bit more about how the company’s smart home platform will eventually work. Despite early rumblings that Apple wouldn’t be rolling out a Home-dedicated app, it looks like we could get just that. According to a 9to5Mac report, Apple may be working on a Home app that will work with HomeKit-compatible gadgets, such as electrical outlets, garage openers and smart thermostats. The app, which could potentially launch alongside iOS 9 at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, would allow users to remotely control parts of the home. The Home app will reportedly include virtual rooms that users can access to set up, organize and connect HomeKit-based gadgets. Even though the app was spotted in iOS 9 builds for Apple staffers, the report notes it may not be ready to be shown at the conference and could be held. It could also have been designed for “internal use” only.