This week, Ming-Chi Kuo indicated that an Apple smart home camera could debut in 2026. The company appears to be optimistic about its potential, anticipating sales in the tens of millions annually.
Considering Apple’s tendency to limit its product range, if the report holds true, the company must have a compelling reason to enter such a competitive market. I believe an Apple camera will set itself apart in two primary areas: privacy and Apple Intelligence.
HomeKit Secure Video
Up until now, Apple’s significant contribution to the smart home camera arena has been the introduction of HomeKit Secure Video (HSV).
Previously, users had to choose between local footage storage—usually on an SD card within the camera—or the cloud service offered by the manufacturer. The downside to the latter is the inherent trust required in the camera company’s ability to safeguard your footage, and there have been enough security breaches that I wouldn’t personally rely on any of them.
HSV stands out because it employs end-to-end encryption, meaning that even Apple cannot access your footage. In the event of a data breach, the footage would remain private.
Although an iCloud subscription is necessary, and unlimited camera support requires the 2TB plan, video footage does not count against your storage limit.
For these reasons, I have consistently maintained that HSV support is essential when selecting a smart home security camera.
Privacy Assurance with an Apple Smart Home Camera
While it’s uncertain what additional security features an Apple smart home camera may provide beyond those available from any HSV-compatible camera, a notable aspect comes to mind.
As we noted in our latest review of HSV cameras, you must ensure that your camera isn’t simultaneously uploading to the manufacturer’s cloud service. With an Apple camera, that concern is eliminated: HSV will be the sole cloud storage option available.
Essentially, other HSV-compatible cameras offer the option for total privacy, but users must take active steps to enable this. An Apple camera will provide a complete privacy guarantee right out of the box.
(Of course, Apple could also decide not to support HSV on future competing cameras, but I hope it wouldn’t go that far.)
Built-In Apple Intelligence
We’ve seen a gradual rise in AI functionalities within smart security cameras over time.
Prior to AI advancements, cameras only offered basic motion detection for recording triggers. An indoor camera might activate when a pet enters, while an outdoor camera could be triggered by tree movement or passing cars.
The first significant AI feature introduced was person-detection, where the system identified human shapes within the camera’s view to initiate recording only when people were detected.
More sophisticated models have incorporated person-recognition, allowing them to distinguish household members, avoiding recordings of them and only saving clips of unfamiliar faces.
It seems likely that an Apple smart home camera will enhance these capabilities with advanced Apple Intelligence features, opening up various potential benefits for smarter home monitoring.
For instance, consider what Visual Intelligence could achieve. An Apple camera will possess much greater situational awareness compared to existing models.
Maybe it would recognize a water leak from underneath the washing machine or identify that a pet has knocked over some glassware, alerting you to the shattered pieces?
It might even note your gym plans on your schedule but detect you leaving home without your gym bag, triggering an alert.
Additionally, it will likely access your home calendars. For instance, it could see that your cleaner or gardener is scheduled for a Friday but observes an unexpected entry into your home on a Tuesday, initiating recording.
Strong HomeKit integration is almost certain. For example, the camera could recognize you moving from your bedroom to the kitchen at night and automatically activate pathway lighting for safety.
As with all things Apple, the intelligence capabilities will improve over time, meaning the features you receive upon purchase are just the beginning. While this isn’t exclusive to Apple—many security cameras receive new functionalities via firmware updates—what will likely set Apple apart is its deep integration with the HomeKit ecosystem and a sustained commitment to software enhancements.
