Yet another iOS 14 leak emerges, this time revealing several HomeKit improvements

• Apple at this point still seems on track to release the first beta of its iOS 14 software update in June, never mind the possibility that WWDC 2020 in all likelihood may be canceled as a result of the continued spread of the novel coronavirus.
• Accordingly, leaks have started to pile up offering major reveals of new features found by analyzing an early internal build of iOS 14. The 9to5Mac blog has published several reports spotlighting some of what we can expect with this next-generation software from the iPhone maker, and those reports have revealed everything from a new Apple Pencil app to the possibility of adding a blood-oxygen monitor to the Apple Watch, a new Fitness app, tons of new Messages features like possibly retractable messages, and more.
• In this post, we’ll take a look at several HomeKit improvements reportedly coming with iOS 14 this fall.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

Whether or not Apple ends up being forced to cancel WWDC 2020 because of the continued spread of the coronavirus, the release of the first iOS 14 beta this summer still appears to be on track in advance of a wide release in the fall. The fate of Apple’s annual developer conference notwithstanding, the anticipation surrounding this next update of Apple’s mobile software comes during what’s already shaping up to be a massive year for the iPhone maker, with new products on the way including an affordably-priced iPhone 9, new iPad Pro models, a new Apple TV, and much more. 

The release of next-generation mobile software is as equally noteworthy as all of the hardware products Apple has teed up for release in the coming months, and you can check out our earlier report here that details some key new features revealed in the latest iOS 14 leaks. Meantime, still more new features have been disclosed about Apple’s smart home framework HomeKit, based on an early look at the new OS thanks to reporting from 9to5Mac.

At least three new HomeKit features have been discovered, and they include a new automatic adjustment of the light temperature over the course of a day. Warmer colors, for example, would be more prevalent at night while a cooler light temperature during the day complements natural light from outside. Sort of like the automatic setting I have turned on for my Mac and iPhone, adjusting the intensity of the light once it hits 10 p.m. and I want a kind of “cooler” illumination of the displays. Per 9to5, however, as part of the new HomeKit lighting feature it’s expected that users will have the ability to have a gradual change of the light instead of a jarring, more instantaneous one.

Meantime, iOS 14 is giving HomeKit new camera features that include serving up notifications when the camera detects the presence of a family member. This builds on the HomeKit Secure Video support introduced with iOS 13 that added several categories of object recognition.

A final update worth mentioning, though this one is coming via tvOS 14, involves Apple TV audio. It seems there will be an option included that allows you to permanently select a paired HomePod stereo as your output instead of having to manually do so each time. As 9to5 notes, this would be a great feature to include especially since Apple TVs right now still sometimes drop their connection to HomePods when those speakers are also being used for other purposes.