Apple has just added Thread to its latest releases, including iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and foldable iPhone Duo, with all three using its N1 wireless chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread.
The additions unveiled at the Apple Event 2026 bring the Thread-enabled iPhone list to 13 models, while Thread is also appearing across newer iPads and Macs. Apple TV and HomePod remain the devices Apple officially uses as Thread border routers. Here is a long list with every Apple device that equips with Thread hardware.
iPhone
The iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone Duo are the latest models, all using N1 for Thread connectivity.
Apple now lists Thread on:
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 16
- iPhone 16 Plus
- iPhone 16 Pro
- iPhone 16 Pro Max
- iPhone 17 (N1)
- iPhone Air (N1)
- iPhone 17 Pro, (N1)
- iPhone 17 Pro Max, (N1)
- iPhone 18 Pro, (N1)
- iPhone 18 Pro Max, (N1)
- iPhone Duo, (N1)
The first six models use earlier wireless hardware, while the iPhone 17 generation and the new iPhone 18 Pro models move Thread onto Apple’s own N1 chip. The iPhone 16e and iPhone 17e remain exceptions, with Thread absent from their spec sheet.
With iOS 18 or later, supported iPhones can pair and locally control compatible Thread accessories without a separate Thread border router when the accessory firmware supports it. That includes compatible Matter-over-Thread devices.
An iPhone still does not replace an Apple Home hub. Automations, notifications and away-from-home control continue to depend on the appropriate home infrastructure.
iPad
Here are iPads with Thread hardware, and they should work in a way similar to iPhones above.
- iPad Pro 11-inch, M5 (N1)
- iPad Pro 13-inch, M5 (N1)
- iPad Air 11-inch, M4 (N1)
- iPad Air 13-inch, M4 (N1)
- iPad Pro 11-inch, M4
- iPad Pro 13-inch, M4
- iPad Air 11-inch, M3
- iPad Air 13-inch, M3
- iPad Air 11-inch, M2
- iPad Air 13-inch, M2
Mac
Thread on Mac is more complicated. Apple now explicitly advertises the radio on newer N1-equipped models, while regulatory filings and firmware research show Thread-capable hardware existed in Macs much earlier.
Apple currently lists N1 and Thread on:
- MacBook Air 13-inch, M5
- MacBook Air 15-inch, M5
- MacBook Pro 14-inch, M5 Pro
- MacBook Pro 14-inch, M5 Max
- MacBook Pro 16-inch, M5 Pro
- MacBook Pro 16-inch, M5 Max
- Mac mini, M6
- Mac mini, M5 Pro
- Mac Studio, M5 Max
- Mac Studio, M5 Ultra
The base 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 is an important exception. Apple does not list N1 or Thread in its specifications, but its FCC filings document Thread radio testing.
Additional Macs with Thread radio evidence in FCC filings include:
- Mac Studio, M2 Max and M2 Ultra
- iMac 24-inch, M3
- MacBook Pro 14-inch, M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max
- MacBook Pro 16-inch, M3 Pro and M3 Max
- MacBook Air 13-inch and 15-inch, M3
- iMac 24-inch, M4
- Mac mini, M4 and M4 Pro
- MacBook Pro 14-inch, M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max
- MacBook Pro 16-inch, M4 Pro and M4 Max
- MacBook Air 13-inch and 15-inch, M4
- Mac Studio, M4 Max and M3 Ultra
- MacBook Pro 14-inch, M5
There is evidence that macOS can use its built-in Thread hardware. JJTech observed a compatible Mac communicating with Matter-over-Thread accessories when no Thread border router was available. When an existing border router became reachable again, macOS fell back to that route and stopped using its own Thread interface. His experimental work has also directly accessed the Broadcom Thread hardware on a MacBook Pro.
What remains unclear is how Apple intends this capability to be used. Apple does not document any Mac as a supported Apple Home hub or Thread border router, and the observed behavior does not show that a Mac can provide the same persistent border-routing role as a HomePod or Apple TV.
MacBook Neo also remains outside the confirmed list. Its device tree contains a related capability flag, but Apple does not advertise Thread for the model, and the available evidence does not yet confirm that it includes an active Thread radio.
Apple TV and HomePod
Apple HomePod (2nd Gen)
The HomePod (2nd Gen) is a powerful hub from Apple that delivers immersive, high-fidelity audio and intelligent assistance, while seamlessly integrating with your Apple devices and smart home accessories; it's also a key component for Matter compatibility, ensuring broad connectivity with a range of smart home devices.
Apple TV 4K (3rd gen, 128 GB)
A powerful 4K media player with expanded storage, advanced video and audio support, and smart home hub functionality.
Apple TV and HomePod remain the Apple devices with the clearest role in a Thread smart home because supported models operate as Thread border routers and Apple Home hubs.
Supported models include:
- HomePod mini
- HomePod, second generation
- Apple TV 4K, second generation
- Apple TV 4K, third generation, 128GB Wi-Fi + Ethernet
Be careful when you shop Apple TVs as the third-generation 64GB Wi-Fi-only Apple TV 4K does not include Thread.
N1 makes Thread more common in Apple devices
Apple is putting the N1 chip into more of its lineup, and that means Thread is rapidly becoming a universal standard.
Older Broadcom-equipped Macs and other devices already contained 802.15.4 radios, and if it has a Thread chip, it has Thread. No matter if Apple decides to use it, it is there, ready to use. But the N1 accelerates this rollout by giving Apple a unified wireless platform that bundles Thread directly alongside Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. As N1 expands across the iPhone, iPad, and Mac lineup, we may soon see all Apple devices equipped with Thread, making it as popular and fundamentally expected as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
(Source: Apple, FCC, JJTech; Image: Apple)
