Aqara G350, HomeKit Secure Video Outage, and Philips AmbiScape

This week is all about cameras: Aqara launches the G350, the world's first Matter v1.5 camera. HomeKit Secure Video went down for over 24 hours. Apple's head of home hardware Brian Lynch leaves the company. And Philips introduces AmbiScape, the cross-brand successor to Ambilight+Hue.

Apple's Smart Home Hardware Chief Departs

Brian Lynch, Senior Director on the Home Hardware Engineering team, is leaving Apple after more than 20 years. He joins smart ring maker Oura as SVP of Hardware Engineering. Lynch oversaw the hardware development of Apple's upcoming smart home devices, including a smart display with Siri integration. Originally expected in 2025, the device is now delayed to September 2026 at the earliest due to the sluggish Siri overhaul built on Apple Intelligence. Matt Costello, previously responsible for audio engineering and Beats, takes over.

Aqara Camera Hub G350: The World's First Matter Camera

Aqara launches the Camera Hub G350, the world's first Matter v1.5 certified camera. Its dual-lens system combines a 4K wide-angle lens with a 2.5K telephoto lens, offering 9x hybrid zoom and a motorized 360-degree pan. The G350 also doubles as a Zigbee hub for up to 80 devices, a Thread Border Router, and a Matter controller.

In Apple Home, however, the camera runs via the traditional HomeKit Secure Video path. Capped at 1080p with no zoom or pan control. Apple has yet to adopt the Matter camera standard.

Aqara Doorbell Camera G400: 2K Video Doorbell with PoE

Also new from Aqara: the Doorbell Camera G400. The video doorbell delivers 2K resolution with a 165-degree field of view and is powered via Power over Ethernet.

Worth Watching: Aqara Doorbell Camera G400 Review

Eric Welander provides a thorough review of the new Aqara Doorbell Camera G400. He also tackles the question: is the G400 still worth buying if Apple is reportedly working on its own doorbell?

In Brief

HomeKit Secure Video Goes Down for Over 24 Hours

Apple confirmed a disruption to HomeKit Secure Video mid-week. Motion alerts and video recordings failed for some users for over 24 hours, while live streams continued to work in some cases. Apple's system status page now lists the issue as resolved. No cause was given.

Philips AmbiScape: Ambilight for All Smart Home Lamps

The successor to Ambilight+Hue syncs up to four external E27 smart bulbs with your TV's on-screen colors. Via Matter over WiFi, AmbiScape works across brands: Hue, IKEA, Nanoleaf, WiZ, and Osram are all supported. The feature ships built-in on 2026 Philips TVs from the 8000 series up.

Tip of the Week: Matter Cameras in Apple Home

The Aqara Camera Hub G350 is the world's first camera with Matter v1.5 certification. In Apple Home, you won't notice. Apple hasn't implemented the camera standard from Matter 1.5 yet. The G350 falls back to the familiar HomeKit Secure Video path instead. Limited to 1080p with no pan or zoom control. When Apple will natively support Matter cameras remains unknown.