What you need to know
- Home Widget has a new update that adds support for bidirectional audio on compatible cameras.
- You can now talk to people from your Home screen.
Home Widget, an app that allows you to control your HomeKit accessories via Home screen widgets, has a new update out. Alongside the usual array of bug fixes, this one adds support for a new feature that will be popular among many — now, you can take advantage of cameras' bidirectional audio from a widget.
While Home Widget already allowed you to add things like lights and whatnot to your Home screen — I've covered the app before — this new addition is a big one for people who have HomeKit cameras that support bidirectional audio. Now, you can speak to people from your iPhone and iPad widgets.
There's more, too!
- adds Bidirectional audio for HK Cameras/Doorbell that support it.
- adds an Accessory Counter action that let you display number of ON/Open/Unreachable devices.
- adds new action type for cameras to start streaming in audio muted, unmuted or bidirectional (ideal for doorbells).
- adds some icons and change default devices icons (gate, garage door, window, window blings).
- adds a "Reset background" button on "Backgrounds" page.
- adds an option for "Home Assistant" users to disable HomeKit database updates that could cause some unexpected behavior on some devices.
Throw in a number of bug fixes and the addition of support for Spanish, Italian, German, Dutch and Polish, and this is a pretty big update to a popular app. Those who already have Home Widget installed will find the update waiting for them in the App Store while everyone else can grab it for free right now. Some functionality does require the Home Widget Premium in-app purchase, however.
