MacRumors

Apple today released a new version of the 1.0.276 firmware designed for AirTags, which is a revision to the update that was made available in June.

The new AirTags 1.0.276 firmware has a build number of 1A287b, while the old firmware had a build number of 1A276d. The 1.0.276 firmware that came out in June added anti-stalking security enhancements, and this new version likely just refines these features.

Because the firmware version has not changed, it is not possible to tell the new firmware from the old firmware in the Find My app, nor will it be apparent when the firmware of the AirTags has been updated.

There is no way to force an AirTag update, because it's something that's done over-the-air through a connected iPhone. To make sure the update happens, you can put your ‌AirTag‌ in range of your ‌iPhone‌, but you have to wait for the firmware to roll out to your device.

You can check your current ‌AirTag‌ firmware version through the Find My app.

Apple Watch Series 7 could feature a smaller "S7" chip, potentially providing more space for a larger battery or other components.

According to a paywalled preview of a DigiTimes report accessed by MacRumors, next-generation Apple Watch models will adopt double-sided System in Package (SiP) packaging from Taiwanese supplier ASE Technology.

On its website, ASE Technology confirms that its double-sided technology allows for module miniaturization, paving the way for a smaller "S7" chip.

Apple Watch Series 7 models are expected to be released in September, in line with the past several generations of the device. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Debby Wu previously reported that Apple has tested thinner display bezels and a new lamination technique that brings the display closer to the front cover. The next Apple Watch could also feature a new flat-edged design and a new green color option, according to leaker Jon Prosser.

Advanced health features like body temperature sensing and blood glucose monitoring have also been rumored for a future Apple Watch, but these features are considered unlikely to be ready for Series 7 models this year.

Apple is planning to launch an updated version in the first half of 2022, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today in a note to investors.

As he has said previously, the design of the new iPhone SE will be "roughly the same" as the existing SE, which is modeled after the iPhone 8.

Kuo says that the new 2022 ‌iPhone SE‌ will support 5G, and it will include processor updates. The device will be positioned as the "cheapest 5G iPhone ever." The most affordable ‌iPhone‌ with 5G right now is the iPhone 12 mini, so presumably the ‌iPhone SE‌ will be a good deal more affordable than the $699 price point of that device.

There have been rumors of an "‌iPhone SE‌ Plus" with a larger display and a Touch ID power button, which Kuo has also mentioned in the past, but there's no word of this bigger ‌iPhone SE‌ in Kuo's note and we haven't heard new details about it for some time, so it is not clear if it's been scrapped or is something that's coming at a later date.

Kuo also previously said that Apple is developing a new version of the ‌iPhone‌ 11 with a 6-inch LCD, Face ID support, and 5G, and it's possible thst this future device, which is said to be launching in 2023, will also be in the SE family.

There is no specific word on when we can expect the next-generation ‌iPhone SE‌, but the first half of 2022 perhaps suggests a spring event.

Apple may include an under the screen Touch ID sensor for some models of the 2022 iPhones, according to credible Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In an investor note today obtained by MacRumors, Kuo says that Apple plans to have four models in the 2022 iPhone lineup. Kuo had previously stated that the iPhone 13, destined for this year, will be the last iPhone lineup to feature a 5.4-inch “mini” size. Kuo reaffirmed his belief today, stating that the 2022 iPhones will only feature a 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch size, with two models of each size.

The low-end 6.7-inch iPhone may cost less than $900 but could lack certain features such as an under the screen Touch ID sensor to compensate for costs. The current largest 6.7-inch iPhone, the iPhone 12 Pro Max, begins at $1,099.

Providing some details about the camera improvements coming to the 2022 iPhones, Kuo says the high-end 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch iPhones will feature an improved wide-angle camera with 48 megapixels.

In the same note, Kuo reiterated that in the first half of next year, Apple is still planning to launch an updated iPhone SE that will be the “cheapest 5G iPhone ever.” The update to the iPhone SE will feature a similar design as the current model, with improved performance.

American Airlines plans to roll out new iPhones and iPads to pilots, flight attendants, gate agents, and aircraft maintenance technicians over the next year, according to a company memo obtained by View from the Wing.

The airline started rolling out the iPhone 12 to its gate agents at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. earlier this month, allowing agents to offer service to customers wherever they are in a terminal, per the memo. If the test program is successful, the iPhone 12 will be rolled out to all of the airline's agents over the next year.

American Airlines maintenance technicians have started receiving the seventh-generation iPad, the memo added. Once that rollout is complete by the end of June, they will no longer need to carry two different tablets for different aircraft and activities.

American Airlines pilots will continue to use iPads. The airline recently added a real-time weather app and a new turbulence awareness app to the devices.

Starting in the first quarter of 2022, American Airlines flight attendants will receive an iPhone 12 for customer service and flight management purposes, according to the memo. The new iPhones will have a customized attachment that will accept multiple forms of payment for in-flight purchases, including contactless payments like Apple Pay.

(Thanks, MyHealthyApple!)

Apple earlier today published a detailed report outlining in blatant terms the negative impact that sideloading would have on the iPhone and iPad, specifically calling out the impacts it would have on user privacy and security. Now, the company is continuing its PR push, with an executive noting in an interview that users who wish to sideload apps already have that option thanks to other platforms.

Speaking to Fast Company, Apple's head of user privacy, Erik Neuenschwander, said that opening the doors to sideloading apps on ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌, which would enable users to download apps from the web and other app marketplaces besides Apple's App Store, could lead users to be "tricked or duped" into "some dark alley."

The executive, who made an appearance at the company's developer conference last year, ultimately said that iOS is not the platform for users who wish to sideload apps, suggesting that those users might want to consider other platforms.

"Sideloading in this case is actually eliminating choice," he says. "Users who want that direct access to applications without any kind of review have sideloading today on other platforms. The iOS platform is the one where users understand that they can't be tricked or duped into some dark alley or side road where they're going to end up with a sideloaded app, even if they didn't intend to."

Currently, apps must go through Apple's rigorous ‌App Store‌ review process, but if sideloading was allowed, apps would be able to bypass the review process. Neuenschwander also said that sideloading apps would leave the user vulnerable to viruses, malware, and more.

"Today, we have our technical defenses, we have our policy defenses, and then we still have the user's own smarts," Neuenschwander says, referring to Apple's App Store processes. Sideloading would negate those defenses, he contends.

"Even users who intend—they've consciously thought themselves that they are only going to download apps from the App Store—well, the attackers know this, so they're going to try to convince that user that they're downloading an app from the App Store even when that's not happening," Neuenschwander says. "Really, you have to think very creatively, very expansively as an attacker would trying to go after so many users with such rich data on their device. And so users will be attacked regardless of whether or not they intend to navigate app stores other than Apple's."

Unlike the tightly controlled nature of the ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌, users are able to download and run apps from places other than the ‌App Store‌ on macOS. Neuenschwander attempted to draw a clear distinction between iOS and macOS, pointing out that the ‌iPhone‌ is a device that users have all the time, carrying personal information such as their location. He noted that the data on ‌iPhone‌ is "more enticing" to a potential attacker compared to information on the Mac.

"It's the device you carry around with you," Neuenschwander notes. "So it knows your location. And therefore somebody who could attack that would get pattern-of-life details about you. It has a microphone, and therefore that's a microphone that could be around you much more than your Mac's microphone is likely to be. So the kind of sensitive data [on the iPhone] is more enticing to an attacker."

Neuenschwander went on to explain the difference in usage between the ‌iPhone‌ and Mac. According to Neuenschwander, users on Mac tend to only download a few applications needed for their job and not explore other applications. On the contrary, ‌iPhone‌ users are downloading apps continuously, making sideloading more dangerous, according to the executive.

But that's not all. "The pattern of use of the Mac—just the style, how people use that platform—tends to be that they get a few applications that they use to do their job or their hobby, and then it kind of reaches a steady state," Neuenschwander explains. "But what we've all seen is that mobile platforms, including iPhone, are ones where users are downloading apps on a continuing basis. And that gives an attacker more opportunities to get in and get at that user. So the threat on the iOS side is much higher than the threat on the Mac side."

Craig Federighi, Apple's software chief overseeing the development of iOS and macOS, said during his testimony for the Epic Games trail that the level of malware on the Mac is at an unacceptable level, possibly warning that similar levels of malware could make its way to the ‌iPhone‌ if sideloading was enabled.

New alleged dummy models of the upcoming iPhone 13, shared by leaker Sonny Dickson on Twitter, depict a modified camera layout on the standard ‌iPhone 13‌ and ‌iPhone 13‌ mini, with two lenses in a diagonal arrangement rather than the vertical arrangement seen on the iPhone 12 models.

The dummy models generally line up with ‌iPhone 13‌ schematics previously seen by MacRumors, which showed that the upcoming iPhones will feature a thicker overall design and a larger camera bump on the ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro to more closely match its larger sibling.

The larger and thicker camera bumps could be a result of the rumored inclusion of sensor-shift stabilization for the entire lineup. The highest-end Pro and Pro Max are also rumored to feature upgraded Ultra Wide cameras.

Beyond camera improvements, the upcoming ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro and Pro Max are expected to come with a 120Hz display and potentially always-on capabilities. Recently leaked battery capacities suggest that the entire lineup will feature larger batteries, possibly due in part to the higher power consumption needed for the higher variable refresh rate on the Pro models.

Unlike last year, Apple is expected to launch the new iPhones in September, in line with years prior to the global health crisis. Apple recently filed upcoming models of the iPhone into the EEC database, and Apple's suppliers are beginning to ramp up efforts to improve device production.

OneDrive users can now edit pictures after they've uploaded them to the cloud storage service, thanks to the addition of basic photo editing features announced this week by Microsoft.

Similar to tools found in Google Photos, the new features include standard cropping options with built-in presets for images to be used on social media, as well as flip and 90-degree and incremental rotate options for uploaded pictures.

There are some useful new light and color adjustments, too. Users can adjust brightness, exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, and color saturation, with a before/after comparison option to check your edits.

When you make edits to photos on OneDrive, you'll get the option to save the changes as a new image or overwrite the original image. And if you accidentally overwrite your original, you can use version history to recover it. Photo editing in OneDrive is currently limited to JPEG and PNG formats.

The new image editing features are now rolling out to OneDrive for Web and OneDrive for Android, with Microsoft bringing them to OneDrive for iOS later this year.

Twitter on iOS now enables users to easily share tweets directly to Instagram through a Story, rather than having to screenshot and post tweets onto the platform.

A new "Instagram Stories" option will appear for iOS users within the Twitter share sheet for a specific tweet. By pressing it, users are redirected to Instagram Stories with an unclickable sticker of that specific tweet. While the new method is useful for users, its limitation of not linking to the specific tweet makes the true cross-platform sharing experience a continued annoyance for users.

Twitter began testing the new option with a select number of iOS users in December and it's now available to all iOS users. Twitter has not yet commented on when the new feature will be available for Android users.

Amid the ongoing controversy over its tight control of app distribution on iOS, Apple today laid out its case arguing that allowing apps to be sideloaded on an iPhone would expose users to serious privacy and security risks. Sideloading refers to installing apps from a source outside of the official App Store, such as a website or third-party app store.

In a new document shared on its privacy website, Apple said the App Store plays an important role in keeping users safe, as the company reviews all apps and app updates submitted to ensure they are free of inappropriate content, privacy invasions, known malware, or other violations of the App Store Review Guidelines.

The document cites Nokia's 2020 Threat Intelligence Report that found Android devices to be infected with significantly more malware than iPhones, in part due to Android allowing apps to be sideloaded outside of the Google Play store:

A study found that devices that run on Android had 15 times more infections from malicious software than iPhone, with a key reason being that Android apps "can be downloaded from just about anywhere," while everyday iPhone users can only download apps from one source: the App Store.

Apple said allowing sideloading on the iPhone would "spur a flood of new investment into attacks" on the iOS platform:

Because of the large size of the iPhone user base and the sensitive data stored on their phones – photos, location data, health and financial information – allowing sideloading would spur a flood of new investment into attacks on the platform. Malicious actors would take advantage of the opportunity by devoting more resources to develop sophisticated attacks targeting iOS users, thereby expanding the set of weaponized exploits and attacks – often referred to as a "threat model" – that all users need to be safeguarded against. This increased risk of malware attacks puts all users at greater risk, even those who only download apps from the App Store.

Apple added that allowing sideloading would potentially force users to accept privacy and security risks, because some apps necessary for work, school, or other tasks may no longer be available on the App Store, and scammers could also trick users into thinking they are safely downloading apps from the App Store when that is not the case.

In the end, Apple said users would have to constantly be on the lookout for scams, never knowing who or what to trust, and as a result many users would download fewer apps from fewer developers. On the other hand, Apple described the App Store as a "trusted place," noting that its many layers of security provide users with an "unparalleled level of protection from malicious software," giving users peace of mind.

Apple's document comes just weeks after its high-profile trial with Fortnite creator Epic Games, which argued that third-party app stores should be allowed on iOS. During the trial, when asked why sideloading is allowed on the Mac, but not the iPhone, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi admitted that the Mac has imperfect security and said that the risks would be far greater on the iPhone due to its much larger customer base.

The full document can be read on Apple's website.

U.S. video streaming services including Apple TV+, Netflix, and Disney+ are likely to face tighter regulation in the U.K. as part of proposals being considered by the British government.

Ministers at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport today announced that they will consult on plans to bring streaming video platforms under British broadcasting laws in order to level the regulatory playing field with traditional broadcasters like the BBC, ITV, Sky and others.

Traditional broadcasters like the BBC and ITV must comply with regulator Ofcom's code, which covers issues including harm, offense, accuracy, and impartiality. If the rules of the code are broken, Ofcom can dole out fines and suspend licenses.

Currently the only streaming platform that must also adhere to the code is the BBC iPlayer, while the likes of Netflix and Amazon do not fall under its remit, because their headquarters are not located in the United Kingdom.

Some services use their own voluntary measures, such as Netflix's adoption of British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) age ratings on content. However, in a press release announcing the review, ministers say the time has come for the current status quo to change:

The current landscape makes for an inconsistent, ad-hoc and potentially harmful gap in regulation between video-on-demand services alongside a potential competitive disadvantage between UK broadcasters and their internationally-funded online counterparts.

It is also almost twenty years since the UK broadcast sector's regulatory framework was introduced in the Communications Act 2003, which was designed before the arrival of online companies such as Apple+, Amazon Prime and Netflix in their current form.

The government will also take forward existing commitments to legislate to strengthen public service broadcasters "prominence" online so that their video-on-demand content can easily be found and accessed on smart TVs and other platforms and devices.

According to the press release, the review will look at whether rules need strengthening to ensure that all streamers have appropriate content age ratings in place and whether they should be subject to standards on impartiality and accuracy for documentaries and news programming.

"Technology has transformed broadcasting but the rules protecting viewers and helping our traditional channels compete are from an analogue age," said Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, announcing the review. "The time has come to look at how we can unleash the potential of our public service broadcasters while also making sure viewers and listeners consuming content on new formats are served by a fair and well-functioning system."

The streaming service regulation review will be used to prepare a white paper, which could see traditional broadcasting laws transformed to account for the rise of streaming and on-demand services.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Apple CEO Tim Cook personally called U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of Congress to ask for a delay in considering new antitrust legislation proposals that seek to undo tech giants' market dominance, according to The New York Times.

The antitrust bills were rushed, he said. They would crimp innovation. And they would hurt consumers by disrupting the services that power Apple’s lucrative iPhone, Mr. Cook cautioned at various points, according to five people with knowledge of the conversations.

U.S. House lawmakers this month debuted sweeping bipartisan antitrust legislation in the form of six different bills aimed at major tech companies like Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google. The legislation targets the companies' market power in the areas of online commerce, advertising, media, and entertainment. One piece of legislation in particular, the non-discrimination bill, would prevent Apple from blocking users from deleting pre-installed apps.

Pelosi reportedly pushed back against Cook's concerns about the proposed legislation, and challenged the Apple chief to "identify specific policy objections to the measures".

Cook is also said to have spoken with other unnamed members of Congress to "deliver a warning" on the repercussions of the proposed antitrust legislation, should it pass into law.

The report says Apple and other tech companies are paying lobbying groups to communicate to lawmakers their vehement opposition to the bills, arguing there will be dire consequences for the industry and the country if the proposals become law.

Morgan Reed, the president of the App Association, a trade organization sponsored by Apple and other tech and telecom companies, said in a letter to lawmakers on Tuesday that breaking up platforms and "limiting the services they can provide for our member companies would harm your constituents."

The bills would apply to businesses that have a market capitalization of $600 billion and at least 50 million monthly active users in the United States.

If passed, they would overhaul competition laws that have not been revisited for decades and would lead to significant changes in the tech industry. The House Judiciary Committee is expected review the five bills at a hearing on Wednesday.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Apple this week announced that, to date, Apple TV+ films and series have received 389 awards nominations and have won 112 awards since the streaming service launched in November 2019. The company said Apple TV+ has "received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut."

Recent award wins for Apple TV+ include hit comedy series "Ted Lasso" receiving a Peabody Award for excellence in storytelling, while Apple also earned two Critics Choice Real TV Awards for Oprah Winfrey's talk series "The Oprah Conversation" and the musician docuseries "1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything."

Rival streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ do not appear to have readily available awards statistics for comparison, but Netflix secured a record-breaking 160 Emmy Awards nominations in 2020 alone, compared to 18 for Apple TV+. Netflix has been streaming original content since 2013, however, giving it a six year lead on Apple TV+.

Apple TV+ has more original content coming over the next several months:

• "Central Park" animated musical comedy series: season two premieres June 25
• "Ted Lasso" comedy series: season two premieres July 23
• "Truth Be Told" anthology drama series: season two premieres August 20
• "See" sci-fi drama series: season two premieres August 27
• "The Morning Show" drama series: season two premieres September 17
• "Invasion" sci-fi thriller series: premieres October 22
• "The Shrink Next Door" dark comedy series: premieres November 12

Apple TV+ costs $4.99 per month, with a seven-day free trial available to all users. Apple TV+ is also included free for one year when you purchase and activate a qualifying Apple device through June 30, 2021 — it's dropping to three months after this date.

Apple's AirPods Pro are the flagship earbuds in the company's lineup, but there are plenty of other third-party truly wireless earbuds out there on the market. Sony is one of the main contenders in the space, so MacRumors videographer Dan took a look at the brand-new WF-1000XM4 earbuds to see how they stack up.

The awkwardly named WF-1000XM4 buds are priced at $279, just a bit higher than the ‌AirPods Pro‌ at $249, although we've been regularly seeing discounted pricing on ‌AirPods Pro‌ in the $200 range (including $189.99 for Prime Day), so that's one factor in favor of the ‌AirPods Pro‌, at least for now.

When it comes to performance, the XM4s offer solid audio quality that can be tweaked to find the perfect balance using Sony's Headphones Connect app for iOS and Android, something Apple doesn't offer. The XM4s also offer excellent active noise cancellation (ANC), but ‌AirPods Pro‌ also perform well in that regard.

While fit is a very personal aspect, Dan found that both sets of earbuds fit well for him, with the XM4s offering a very snug fit that seals well in the ear while the ‌AirPods Pro‌ might be a bit more comfortable over the long term.

Both sets of earbuds are strong performers overall, but where the ‌AirPods Pro‌ really set themselves apart for Apple users is the H1 chip and the capabilities it brings. Instant pairing and automatic switching across devices are very convenient, and the ‌AirPods Pro‌ deliver several other Apple-specific features like Find My integration and audio sharing for connecting multiple sets of earphones to one device simultaneously.

Check out Dan's video for his full thoughts on these aspects and more when it comes to comparing the ‌AirPods Pro‌ and the new Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds.

Aqara makes a range of HomeKit-compatible smart home devices for multiple regions around the world. This review takes a look at four of Aqara's latest products, including its Temperature and Humidity Sensor and the newly-released Hub M2, as well as the Wireless Remote Switch H1 and Smart Wall Switch H1, which launch today.

With these new accessories, I was able to add to the HomeKit setup I created with some of Aqara's devices earlier this year, and put the company's new additions to the smart home to the test.

• Review: Aqara Camera Hub G2H and Sensors Offer Easy Setup and Fast Response Times in Compact Designs

While Aqara does have its own app for controlling and setting up the accessories, it is possible to control, automate, and manage them entirely through Apple's Home app.

M2 Hub

The Aqara Hub ‌M2‌ serves as a smart home control center for a wide range of Aqara sensors, controllers, and other child devices using the Zigbee 3.0 protocol, which can connect up to 128 devices.

In terms of design, the Hub ‌M2‌ features glossy black plastic on the sides and matte black plastic on the top. The overall look is slim and pretty much as good as it gets for a smart home hub, although the matte top surface seemed to have attracted some smears out of the box. The bottom of the device features a thick rubberized base to help keep it still on surfaces and a convenient ‌HomeKit‌ pairing code sticker.

The rear of the Hub ‌M2‌ offers an Ethernet RJ45 port, a micro-USB port for power, and a standard USB port. While it does come with a micro-USB cable that is around a meter long, it would be easy to connect a longer cable if needed. I was disappointed that the ‌M2‌ did not come with a power adapter, meaning that I had to find another USB power adapter to use. Aqara also says that it is possible to power the Hub ‌M2‌ from a 5V power bank.

The Hub ‌M2‌ allows users to choose whether they would like to use the Ethernet RJ45 port, which Aqara says provides extra stability and faster response times, or a Wi-Fi connection if the Hub is not situated near an available Ethernet port.

The Hub ‌M2‌ seamlessly integrates with the Home app, initiated by a simple scan of the ‌HomeKit‌ code on the base. The initial pairing process was fast and any subsequent devices paired with the Hub ‌M2‌ automatically appear in Apple's Home app for minimum hassle.

The Hub ‌M2‌ also supports all four native ‌HomeKit‌ alarm modes and features a surprisingly loud built-in speaker. The speaker is not particularly clear, but its quality is adequate for brief alerts and can easily project across a large room. Like other Aqara hubs, the Hub ‌M2‌ uses its speaker to talk you through the setup process and pairing other accessories, but it can also be used to deliver alerts through automations.

In addition, there are a number of features that are not directly usable through the Home app since Apple does not yet support them, such as the Hub ‌M2‌'s built-in IR transmitter, which can control existing IR home appliances such as TVs. However, it is possible to use the Hub ‌M2‌'s IR transmitter through Apple Shortcuts, which trigger an action in the Aqara app.

H1 Double Rocker Switches

Aqara today launches two new smart home double rocker switches for the European market, the Smart Wall Switch H1 and the Wireless Remote Switch H1. The switches support round European wall boxes and 86mm square wall boxes.

The Smart Wall Switch H1 is installed in place of a standard wall switch and can be used to make light switches, ceiling fans, and more, part of your smart home setup. It has a sturdy metal backplate and comes with screws for installation. The Smart Wall Switch H1 also features overheat protection, overload protection, and power monitoring.

I thought that the installation instructions for the Smart Wall Switch H1 could have been better, but most users will benefit from the assistance of a qualified electrician anyway.

The Wireless Remote Switch H1 shares the design of the Smart Wall Switch H1, but does not need to be wired into a wall socket to work. Instead of wired terminals, the back of the switch is flat and has two rubberized bars to help grip to a surface, and there is an adhesive pad included in the box for sticking the switch to a wall. Aqara also suggests that it is possible to drill through the back of the switch's plastic housing to screw it directly into a wall if desired.

Prying the back of the unit off to replace the battery was very difficult, even with a flathead screwdriver, but users will not need to do this very often at all since the Wireless Remote Switch H1 purportedly has a five-year battery life.

The switches feature a satin plastic finish, and are very clicky and tactile. There is a small blue LED toward the bottom of each rocker that flashes to confirm a click. The overall design is slim and discreet, which is ideal for a switch.

Both H1 switches connect using the latest Zigbee 3.0 protocol, and pair simply by holding down one of the rockers until it is detected by the Aqara hub.

You can configure the actions or scenes initiated by the H1's rocker switches in the Home app, or use the Aqara app if you wish to map complex actions such as long or double presses. A Smart Wall Switch H1 and a Wireless Remote Switch H1 can also be used in tandem to upgrade an existing two-way setup.

I personally preferred the versatility of the Wireless Remote Switch H1, but if you are looking for a permanent smart replacement for a wall light switch, the Smart Wall Switch H1 is an ideal solution.

Temperature and Humidity Sensor

Aqara's Temperature and Humidity Sensor is incredibly compact and light, featuring the same minimalist design as many of Aqara's other accessories, making it easy to tuck away inconspicuously.

With a press of the small button on the top of the sensor, the blue LED flashes, and it almost instantly pairs with the Aqara hub and appears in the Home app.

The Home app is able to display temperature and humidity from the sensor, and it seemed to update without delay throughout the day. The sensor can also detect air quality, but the Home app does not yet support this data. The use of multiple sensors will show an average temperature in the Home app.

The Bottom Line

As with other Aqara accessories, the company continues to set high standards of design, easy pairing, and reliability. Aqara's support for ‌HomeKit‌ and focus on seamless integration in the Home app continues to surpass many other smart home brands, but the company clearly still recognizes the importance of fast pairing and good responsiveness on the network.

It is a shame that Apple's Home app does not yet support some Aqara features such as air quality or IR control, but it is good to know that the accessories themselves are future-proof in case support is added in the future.

The Hub ‌M2‌ is the most fully-featured smart home hub I have used, and seems to be a must-have for any user with multiple Aqara accessories, even if it is slightly pricey relative to competitors at $57.99. The multifunction H1 rockers are ideal for upgrading manual wall switches to a smart setup, and the $19.99 Temperature and Humidity Sensor is affordable and reliable.

How to Buy

Aqara's full range of ‌HomeKit‌ accessories is available in the U.S. via Amazon.

• Hub M2 - $57.99 (currently out of stock but expected to return soon)
• Temperature and Humidity Sensor - $19.99 (currently out of stock but expected to return soon)

The Smart Wall Switch H1 and Wireless Remote Switch H1 is unavailable in the United States as it is designed for the UK and EU market. For customers in these regions, Aqara's devices are available through third-party distributors.

Note: Aqara provided MacRumors with a Wireless Remote Switch H1, Smart Wall Switch H1, Temperature and Humidity Sensor, and ‌M2‌ Hub for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.