Apple starting adding Thread radios to its devices in late 2023, but has said very little about it. iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max were the first to debut the new radio, but more iPhones, iPads, and Macs have followed suit. Now, a key Apple director has revealed why.
New interview details the iPhone’s Thread radio benefits
Today The Verge published a wide-ranging interview with three key players behind Matter, the smart home standard. Jennifer Pattison Tuohy interviewed leaders representing different groups that work together on Matter.
One such interviewee was Vividh Siddha, President of Thread Group but also a current Director at Apple.
Siddha was asked about the presence of Thread radios in the iPhone. Here’s what he had to say:
Both Apple and Google have made announcements of Thread radios in mobile devices. It’s to enable an early adopter. If you take a very early on smart home user — somebody who goes to Ikea, buys a bulb and a switch — what happens with those users is they discover they cannot do automations. So, Thread on mobile can enable that evolution [to a border router].
But the other important factor is the ability to use your accessories, and some important ones, like your front door lock when there’s a power outage. If you have no infrastructure — your Wi-Fi router is down, your Thread border router is down — and you still want the ability to get into your house or do other things that might be smart home related. Those are some use cases that it’s explicitly designed for, but it’s not limited to that.
Siddha is uniquely qualified to speak to this question, since he not only serves in a key role at Apple, but he’s also Thread Group’s President.
Essentially, while Thread radios have plenty of additional potential, his two reasons for the inclusion of these radios in the iPhone boils down to:
- Enabling smart home automations without extra hardware
- Ensuring smart devices can still work during power outages
Both of these seem especially important, even if they’re just the start of what the iPhone’s Thread radio will make possible.
Thread radios lay groundwork for Apple’s new smart home push
The current state of the smart home ecosystem is pretty messy, though Matter aims to fix that.
Another thing that may help? Apple’s fresh push into smart home products
In the next few months, Apple is expected to introduce a brand new ‘HomePad’ device, followed by a new Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini 2 later in the year. Then in 2026, smart doorbell and camera products are on the way.
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max getting Thread radios may not have come with immediate, noticeable benefits, but over time I expect we’ll see the move truly pay off.
What do you think of Apple’s statements about Thread radios? Let us know in the comments.
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