The Apple Home app is finally getting this extremely useful feature

As usual, we received a monsoon of information from Apple during WWDC this year. Consequently, it’s not unusual to find extra gems of information that the company didn’t focus as much time on as it did with the Vision Pro — like the fact that you can finally share an AirTag with others or that AI was all over the event.

One update you may have missed is that iOS 17 adds a new Activity History feature to the Apple Home app. This will let HomeKit users access history for activity from garage doors, smart locks, contact sensors, and more, as long as they’re compatible with Matter or HomeKit.

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This feature is often found in third-party apps, like the individual devices you use for your smart home. For example, the Aqara app on my iPhone shows me a history of who unlocked the door and how (Maria, fingerprint). The Eufy Security app shows me which motion sensor detects motion when my security system is armed. But I always have to go to each app to see this information — I can’t access it all in one place. 

Users will be able to turn the Activity History feature on or off and, if enabled, can access up to 30 days’ worth of history for activity in their smart home. 

Also: Everything you need to start building a smart home

I won’t be able to add my Eufy Security system to HomeKit natively for a while. Still, I’m looking forward to seeing how this feature plays out in the coming months, especially once the public beta is released.