Apple Releases Open Source HomeKit ADK as It Partners with Amazon, Google, Zigbee on Home Automation
Prototype HomeKit-compatible accessories with Apple's new Apache-licensed toolkit — but commercialization won't be an option.
Apple has released its HomeKit Accessory Development Kit (ADK) under the permissive Apache Licence 2.0, as part of a broader industry effort between the company, Amazon, Google, and the Zigbee Alliance to develop a cooperative royalty-free connectivity standard for home automation.
Announced in a joint statement to press this week by Amazon, Apple, Google, and the Zigbee Alliance, the Connected Home over IP project aims to "simplify development for manufacturers and increase compatibility for consumers" and is built around the central premise that "smart home devices should be secure, reliable, and seamless to use." The project is formed of a working group which, the companies involved claim, will be taking an open source approach tot he development of a new unified and cross-vendor connectivity protocol.
To show it's not all talk, Apple has released its HomeKit Accessory Development Kit (ADK) under a permissive open source licence — though there's one small catch: the company is limiting its use to developers looking to "prototype non-commercial smart home accessories." Should said developer then look to commercialize their creation, it is mandated that they join Apple's MFi Programme and switch to the commercial HomeKit ADK.
The open source HomeKit ADK implementation is available now on Apple's GitHub repository under the Apache Licence 2.0, with support for macOS, Linux, and the Raspberry Pi. Those interested in the Connected Home over IP project, meanwhile, can find more information on the official website.