Originally expected in April, iOS 18.4 and tvOS 18.4 are available right now. This update brings various enhancements, including improved Matter support for robot vacuum cleaners.
Why are robot cleaners ignored in Matter?
The collection of robot vacuum cleaners that support Matter is currently small, but it is growing. You might think that support for robovacs in the world of the interoperable, future proofed smart home platform is limited, and you would be right.
Many robot cleaners rely on Wi-Fi or Zigbee, with a lot of proprietary hardware and protocols. Increasingly, Matter is being included, with Roborock and SwitchBot robovacs in particular embracing the standard.
But even with those big hitters involved, the level of control for robot vacuum cleaners has been pretty disappointing.
Getting iOS 18.4 and tvOS 18.4
To enjoy this admittedly basic enhancement to your robot cleaner, you need to ensure your device is updated to the 18.4 version of iOS or tvOS.
To commence this on iPhone, go to Settings > General > Software Update > Update Now.
On Apple TV, go to Settings > System > Software Updates > Update Software.
Finally, updating the HomePod or HomePod mini can be done from an updated phone or tablet. In the app, go to […] then Home Settings > Software Update > Update.
What iOS 18.4 and tvOS 18.4 bring to robovacs
As revealed during the beta release of iOS 18.4, the new release adds support as per the Matter 1.2 specification. This means basic control over robot cleaners only, such as start and stop.
Robot vacuums typically have a dedicated mobile app, where specific room-based instructions can be set. Unfortunately, at this point in time, only basic support is available. Thanks to this update, however, Siri voice commands (on phone or TV) can be used as well as the Apple Home app to control your robovac.
Will this change with an upcoming revision of Matter? Let’s hope so. In the meantime, iOS 18.4 has plenty more on offer, including support for Matter water leak sensors and smoke detectors.
