iOS 18 will bring a host of new features when it’s released this fall, including for pre-installed system apps. One of those features was never officially announced: The Home app will enable Adaptive Lighting for Matter lights.
Adaptive Lighting is a Home feature that was first available in iOS 14, but was previously limited to HomeKit devices.
Now, a new Adaptive Lighting switch for Matter Smart Lights has been introduced in a recent beta version of iOS 18.
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy reports for The edge:
Nanoleaf CEO Gimmy Chu confirmed to The Verge that his company is currently testing the feature on its Essentials Matter line of lights. “We are one of the partners involved in bringing Adaptive Lighting to Matter products,” he said in an interview. “Over the last few months, we’ve been doing extensive testing to make sure customers have a great experience.”
These tests have resulted in Adaptive Lighting for Nanoleaf’s Matter products appearing in the betas of iOS 18, as The Verge first reported.
According to Apple, Adaptive Lighting allows compatible bulbs to “adjust their color temperature from cool blue to warm yellow. You can set supported bulbs to automatically adjust color temperature throughout the day. Wake up with warm colors, stay alert and focused midday with cooler colors, and relax in the evening by blocking out blue light.”
Matter has been touted as a platform-agnostic smart home option that would theoretically offer the best of HomeKit while also working well with other services like Alexa and Google Home, so the lack of Adaptive Lighting has been a disappointment for Matter light owners so far.
Although Nanoleaf is the only company that has officially confirmed Adaptive Lighting support for its Matter lights, Apple is undoubtedly working with other leading companies like Philips to integrate the feature into their lights in iOS 18 as well.
Here is a selection of Matter Smart Lights available on Amazon:
FTC: We use income generating auto affiliate links. More.
