Apple working on smart doorbell to rival Ring camera

Apple is pushing into a smart home market with a new doorbell system designed to let users unlock their doors the same way they unlock their iPhones.

The new system would use Face ID to unlock the door, but will not be released before the end of 2025 “at the soonest,” according to Bloomberg’s Power On newsletter by Mark Gurman.

The camera would work much the same way like other Apple devices with a biometric login to automatically unlock the door for a home’s residents by scanning their face.

The device is part of several products that the company is developing in relation to its AI-powered smart home hub. These include an in-home security camera that is “deep in development,” Gurman reported citing his sources.

The camera is expected to take use of Apple’s new wireless chip, Proxima, which has been in development for several years and is expected to debut next year with upgrades to the company’s home devices, including its TV set-top boxes and HomePod mini smarts speakers.

It is “likely” that the doorbell system will work with third-party locks that support Apple’s HomeHit protocol and are already on the market. The company could also team up with a specific lock maker, according to Bloomberg.

Apple is banking on its privacy reputation to compete with similar systems, such as Google Nest or Amazon Ring, while the service could also help sell the company more iCloud subscriptions.