According to several clues, Apple may be planning to announce a new partnership with home security company ADT, along with the introduction of its newest smart home hub. Apple invited the media to a “Welcome Home” experience in New York on Tuesday, October 13, so the partnership could be made official that day.
Since around July, ADT has been posting “Low Voltage Technician” job ads in various cities across the United States, but those who have been hired for the position have so far been provided very few details about their specific responsibilities. In recent months, some of these people said they primarily followed other ADT technicians while waiting for more information. Additionally, some employees and their managers said they signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) related to the role. This high level of secrecy is very common for Apple.
Another potential clue is that ADT provided these new hires with iPhones to work on, while its other technicians received Android devices.
A third clue is that some of the new hires said ADT plans to finally share more details about the role later this month, so the company may be waiting for Apple to announce its smart home hub on Tuesday. Apple is also expected to unveil a third-party smart home accessories ecosystem developed in collaboration with brands like LG.
One of the new hires said ADT initially planned to provide details about the role in September, but later delayed this timeframe until October. This would be consistent with reports that Apple had postponed the announcement of its home hub several times, as Siri’s artificial intelligence was not ready. The revamped version of Siri finally launched last month.
In addition to Siri AI, the home hub will reportedly offer intelligent management of home accessories, home security monitoring, faces and photo galleries, an overview of calendar appointments, music playback, FaceTime video calls, and more. The hub will reportedly be available in a desktop version with a speaker base and a wall-mounted version.
Some of the new hires who asked their managers about the secret role were told that it will apparently involve home automation and home installation services, so perhaps Apple will announce an option for customers to have LG’s wall-mounted home hub or related accessories professionally installed by an ADT technician.
It’s unclear whether Apple’s partnership with ADT will extend to home security monitoring.
ADT has already reached a home security partnership with Google in 2023, but reportedly dropped some features offered on Google Nest devices earlier this year. Some people familiar with the matter told us that ADT’s deal with Google has already expired this year or will expire next year and is not set to be renewed. If this were true, then it would pave the way for ADT to reach a partnership with another tech giant: Apple.
Keep in mind that a potential partnership between Apple and ADT is still just a rumor for now and all these clues could somehow turn out to be a big coincidence. But if the partnership goes official on Tuesday, you’ll hear it here first.
