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When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and I shifted to distant studying, I started reworking my house into a wise house. As a university scholar on a restricted funds, I began with Amazon Alexa as my sensible house ecosystem.
Since then, I’ve moved over to Apple HomeKit and have been in that ecosystem for the previous 5 years. Nevertheless, regardless that it’s been a very long time since I used Alexa, there are nonetheless points I miss—sufficient that I generally surprise if I made the precise choice.
Why I Made the Change
My first dip into the HomeKit ecosystem was when I got my first HomePod mini. I used to be tempted to switch from my Echo Dot as a result of it supplied higher integration with my current Apple units.
Nevertheless, since I already had a bunch of Alexa-compatible smart devices—like plugs, switches, and lightbulbs—introducing a brand new sensible speaker into the combo was a bit bumpy. Siri Shortcuts helped me management many of the equipment, however solely once they really labored.
For instance, I created a number of shortcuts to activate my bed room lights from my workplace downstairs, the place my HomePod mini was positioned. One situation I bumped into was that I couldn’t identify shortcuts: “Flip On Bed room Lamps” or “Flip Off Residing Room Fan.”
Every time I used “on” or “off,” the HomePod assumed the accent already existed within the Dwelling app and instructed me it couldn’t discover it. To work round this, I used the phrase “set” adopted by the accent identify, which pressured the shortcut to vary the gadget’s standing as a substitute.
Brick by brick, I added more HomePod minis and HomeKit accessories in order that all the pieces would run easily with fewer points. Whereas Siri Shortcuts acted as a useful bridge between the HomePod and non-HomeKit units, it nonetheless gambled on the outcome of commands—generally they labored completely, and different instances they didn’t register.
Having HomeKit equipment gave me peace of thoughts. They labored seamlessly with Siri, had been neatly accessible within the Dwelling app, and didn’t require me to leap between a number of apps simply to tweak completely different settings. Every part is communicated instantly inside the ecosystem with out clunky bridges or awkward workarounds.
Moreover, having a HomePod mini over an Echo Dot allowed me to make use of the speaker in a different way. This included tapping into my contacts checklist and calling or texting somebody, getting an replace on my calendar, or including a reminder that I can simply examine within the Reminders app.
One other main cause I switched to HomeKit was Apple’s concentrate on privateness and safety. Virtually each time Apple launches new {hardware} or software program, the corporate makes it clear that consumer privateness is a core precedence, and that message resonated with me.
Considered one of HomeKit’s pillars is its robust hold on privacy and security. Apple ensures that its units use end-to-end encryption, so accent producers—and even Apple—can not see the info from your private home.
However, Amazon tracks you and collects data to personalize advertisements you might even see when utilizing its providers. That is one more reason Amazon’s platform is extra weak to safety threats than Apple’s.
Regardless that each corporations have safety measures in place—that means Amazon isn’t carelessly amassing your information—Apple affords stronger protections and higher peace of thoughts, decreasing the probability of safety threats.
Whereas compatibility, performance, and safety had been all causes to modify, one more reason was the Home app’s user interface over the Alexa app. For me, it is cleaner, with extra simple controls and fewer menus I’ve to leap round.
When utilizing the identical equipment in each apps, the Dwelling app shows every gadget in a dice that’s simple to navigate. Conversely, Amazon lists all of your equipment, making discovering what you’re in search of more durable and taking extra time.
Each ecosystems have so much to supply, and whereas I finally selected HomeKit as my main ecosystem, that doesn’t imply I don’t acknowledge areas the place Alexa has the higher hand.
Amazon Nonetheless Has the Higher Hand in Some Areas
Whereas I’m now within the HomeKit ecosystem, there are nonetheless areas by which I notice Alexa reigns higher—these vary from speech contextual consciousness to accent assist and compatibility.
Alexa Understands Higher
One large space the place Alexa shines over my present sensible house setup is its steady understanding of what I’m asking and the way to reply. There isn’t a doubt that Alexa is more intelligent than Siri; people have been saying that for years, and this actually exhibits when utilizing the 2 ecosystems.
I might phrase a query to Alexa in numerous methods, and it could nonetheless perceive, course of it, and provides me a solution virtually immediately. Siri can do that too—to a degree—however it appears like I have to speak more precisely or use the “proper” key phrases.
If I don’t, I’d be met with the dreaded: “I’m unable to assist with that.” And belief me, I’ve heard that response extra instances than I’d wish to admit.
Perhaps as soon as the upgraded Siri rolls out to HomePods—the place you possibly can stumble over your phrases and it nonetheless understands—I gained’t run into this situation as usually. Nevertheless, that model of Siri is part of Apple Intelligence, and my HomePod minis don’t have the {hardware} to assist it.
Alexa Can Management A number of Totally different Units
It was additionally useful to inform Alexa to perform multiple actions in one command. For instance, I might ask it to show off the lights, activate the fan, or play some music.
I can do that with the HomePods, however it’s not as seamless as with Alexa. To do it with my HomePod, you must create a scene in the Home app or a Siri Shortcut.
Constructing these takes time, and so they’re not versatile sufficient for each state of affairs. As soon as I lock units and instructions right into a scene or shortcut, they keep that manner except I manually edit them within the app—I can’t modify them verbally on the fly.
Now, I can verbally flip off comparable units in a single command with Siri, just like the desk lamp and the overhead mild, however mixing different accent varieties inside it gained’t work. It will hopefully change when Apple releases the fabled Siri revamp, someday in 2026.
Alexa Presents Wider Compatibility With Companies
I additionally miss Alexa’s compatibility with providers that work with the sensible speaker. Now, a handful of providers work with my HomePod mini, however there’s little question that Alexa has extra, which comes in the form of skills.
This turns into particularly clear once you examine Alexa’s compatibility with HomePod by way of music streaming. Each assist providers corresponding to Apple Music, Pandora, and iHeartRadio, however Alexa goes additional by together with main platforms Apple nonetheless doesn’t provide on HomePod, corresponding to Spotify and SiriusXM.
I’ve added a HomePod mini to almost each room in my house—from the kitchen to the bedrooms—however the one place I haven’t is my mom’s workplace. The only cause is that it doesn’t assist SiriusXM. Positive, there are workarounds—like streaming via AirPlay—however that’s not as seamless as merely asking the sensible speaker to play a station and having it reply immediately.
Now, Alexa expertise are usually not all sunshine and daisies, however they provide wider compatibility than HomePods, and music streaming providers are simply certainly one of them.
Alexa’s Equipment are Cheaper and Extra Suitable
I consider Amazon’s most vital benefit is its assist of extra equipment at a cheaper price. I positively observed the upper value affect when switching to HomeKit.
For instance, a pack of four Alexa-compatible smart bulbs costs $27, whereas a pack of four HomeKit-compatible bulbs costs $50—a $23 distinction in value.
Even in the case of sensible audio system, Alexa has the higher hand. At $50 a speaker, an Echo Dot prices half of what a HomePod mini goes for, and even an Echo Pop is lower at $40.
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- Connectivity
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Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
- Voice Assistant
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Siri
- Buttons
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Play/Pause, Contact, Quantity
- Wi-fi capabilities
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Sure
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0.76
The Apple HomePod Mini is a Siri-enabled sensible speaker for these invested within the HomeKit ecosystem. Compact and discreet, the HomePod Mini is on the market in 5 completely different colours, too.
It must be famous that Matter-support has helped with this situation by lowering the value of equipment that work with HomeKit. For instance, now you can find a pack of four bulbs for $27 and even a pack of six for $43, which is a swing in the precise route for customers.
Nevertheless, this wasn’t the case in 2020, after I began changing my sensible house to HomeKit, since Matter support didn’t arrive until 2022. Moreover, simply because a tool says it’s suitable with Matter doesn’t mean it will work with all ecosystems. Alexa is an effective step forward of HomeKit in the version of Matter it supports.
Even with the introduction of Matter, Alexa nonetheless has a broader assortment of suitable units that work with it, whether or not they’re Matter-supported or not. In fact, Alexa is suitable with the fundamentals—like locks, plugs, and lights, simply to call just a few—however the checklist turns into even wider.
Need an Alexa-controlled towel warmer you could activate and off and modify the temperature? There are suitable equipment for that. Desire a assortment of kitchen home equipment—from microwaves to air fryers—you could management together with your voice? There are equipment for that, too.
With the combination of expertise within the Alexa app and the varied sensible equipment you possibly can join, the checklist of suitable units is longer than HomeKit can assist—even with Siri Shortcuts. Nevertheless, that is partly as a result of Apple has an extended checklist of safety necessities that producers should observe.
Do I Remorse Switching?
Do I remorse switching from Amazon Alexa to Apple HomeKit? Briefly, no, however there may be an asterisk on the finish of that reply.
I miss Alexa’s wider accent assist and the convenience of controlling a number of units in a single command. Nonetheless, HomeKit has additionally launched enhancements over time that assist fill some gaps I as soon as observed after switching.
As an illustration, Matter assist has launched extra inexpensive equipment to HomeKit, so I not really feel I’ve to promote an arm and a leg to increase my setup. And with a rumored new HomePod mini probably supporting Apple Intelligence and the smarter model of Siri, there’s hope it might slim a few of the remaining hole between the 2 sensible assistants.
Moreover, since we’re deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem—with iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, Macs, and Apple TVs—HomeKit naturally suits extra seamlessly into our day by day setup than Alexa.
That mentioned, we nonetheless preserve an Echo Dot in my mom’s workplace, so if I ever need a quick taste of Alexa’s features, I nonetheless have entry to it. However for now, HomeKit stays our main sensible house ecosystem—and I don’t see that altering anytime quickly.
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