Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

The company announced it has added hot water controls for UK/EU users of Nest thermostats, one of the last major features still available only in the Nest app. Hot water boost, scheduling, and temperature settings will roll out in the coming weeks, allowing Nest users to control all their Nest devices through the Google Home app.

In the first public demo of the new universal language for smart locks, I used a Samsung Galaxy S24 to tap-to-open a Nuki smart lock. No app necessary, and no need to unlock the phone first.

Aliro is based on Apple’s NFC Home Key technology and will support UWB unlocking, allowing any smartphone to securely unlock any door lock, regardless of ecosystem or brand. The Aliro standard is scheduled to launch later this year.

It was surprisingly fun, and the bot easily kept up with me using its two 4K binocular cameras and omnidirectional wheels. But I didn’t enjoy its post-match critique quite as much.

Stay tuned to our IFA story stream for all the news.