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Apple HomeKit security features come to routers and cameras

The app that controls HomeKit devices is changing, as announced at WWDC Monday.

Molly Price Former Editor
2 min read
Apple WWDC 2019
James Martin/CNET

Apple's annual developer convention, WWDC, kicked off Monday at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California. The conference keynote often prompts the debut of new hardware and software from the tech giant. 

WWDC is where Apple details its newest software and services that will arrive on devices later in the year. The company may be best known for its hardware, but the seamless integration of its hardware with its software is what sets Apple apart from rivals. 

Monday, Apple announced iOS 13 and with it, long-awaited changes to Apple's Home app, the app that controls HomeKit smart home devices. Here's what was announced on stage.

Watch this: HomeKit gets secure video and router support

HomeKit Secure Video

Apple pointed out that most smart home security cameras send video to the cloud to analyze it and tell the difference between objects and people, risking your privacy. Apple's new way of approaching this is called HomeKit Secure Video. 

With HomeKit Secure Video, the video captured by your camera is analyzed locally on your resident iPad , HomePod or AppleTV. Then, it's encrypted and sent to iCloud where no one (not even Apple) can see it. 

You'll be alerted if your camera sees activity and 10 days of video storage are included without counting against your storage. The first cameras to include this feature will be Netatmo, Logitech and Eufy.

HomeKit-enabled routers

Apple also announced HomeKit-enabled routers that will automatically firewall off each of your smart home accessories to protect them even if your network is compromised. The first routers to be HomeKit-enabled will come from Linksys , Eero and Spectrum. 

The updates are a needed update to the Home app, which hasn't seen significant changes in quite a while. 

WWDC 2019: A quick visual recap of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote

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CNET's Shara Tibken contributed to this story.