Apple-ADT Partnership Rumored Ahead of Smart Home Hub

A new rumor from MacRumors says Apple may announce a partnership with home security company ADT when it unveils its all-new smart home hub. Apple has invited media to a "Welcome home" event in New York on Tuesday, October 13, and the partnership could be made official that day.

This is a rumor, not a confirmed fact. MacRumors bases its report on several clues, and points out that all of them could be a coincidence. Still, the clues add up.

The clues

• Since around July, ADT has posted "Low Voltage Technician" job listings in several U.S. cities. New hires have been given few details about their responsibilities, and many have been shadowing other technicians.
• Some employees and managers signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) related to the role. That level of secrecy is common for Apple.
• ADT has provided these new hires with iPhones for work, while its other technicians use Android devices.
• Some new hires say ADT plans to share more details about the role later this month, which lines up with Apple's Tuesday event.
• The role reportedly relates to home automation and in-home installation services. That suggests Apple may offer professional installation for the wall-mounted hub or its accessories.

Apple's hub is expected to come in a tabletop version with a speaker base and a wall-mounted version. It will reportedly include Siri AI, smart home accessory management, home security monitoring, photo faces and galleries, calendar overview, music playback, and FaceTime video calling.

What this could mean

If the partnership is real, Apple could let ADT technicians install the wall-mounted hub and related accessories. It's unclear whether the partnership would extend to home security monitoring.

ADT already partnered with Google on home security in 2023, but it dropped some features on Google Nest devices earlier this year. MacRumors reports that people familiar with the matter say ADT's agreement with Google either already expired this year or will expire next year, and it won't be renewed. That would open the door for Apple.

Should you care?

For now, treat this as a rumor. Don't hold off on any smart home purchase waiting for a partnership that may not happen. If anything, the most useful takeaway is that Apple's smart home hub is getting closer, and professional installation could be part of the offer.

We'll know more after Apple's event on Tuesday. Until then, file this under "plausible but unconfirmed."

• ADT
• Apple
• home security
• rumor
• smart home hub