iOS 18 beta now supports Adaptive Lighting on Matter smart bulbs
In addition to the generative AI features planned for iOS 18, several Reddit users have discovered that the iOS 18.1 beta enables Adaptive Lighting by default for Nanoleaf’s Matter-compatible smart bulbs. Adaptive Lightning, a staple of Apple Home since iOS 14, dynamically adjusts the color and intensity of lighting throughout the day to mimic natural patterns.
Currently, only a few OEMs, including Philips Hue, Nanoleaf, Eve and Aqara, have access to this functionality though Philips Hue users lost support after upgrading to the new Matter bridge. Similarly, Nanoleaf’s Essentials lights ceased to use this feature when they became compatible with Matter. With the upcoming release of iOS 18, this situation might be changing.
Nanoleaf Essentials lineup have Adaptive Lighting enabled on iOS Beta 18.1.
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Gimmy Chu, CEO of Nanoleaf, has affirmed via The Verge that the smart lighting company is partnering with Apple to launch Adaptive Lightning to Matter products. This is still undergoing testing, which explains why the toggle appears enabled in the iOS 18 betas. If testing is successful, it isn't far-fetched to consider that other Matter smart bulbs will be able to take advantage of the feature when iOS 18 is released this fall.
Even if this integration takes a while to roll out publicly, Nanoleaf's Essentials series and Philips Hue lights will be the first Matter products to use Apple's color-changing light balancing system. Both brands were among the earliest to use Adaptive Lightning shortly after its initial launch and have devices that are fully interoperable with Apple Home. For iOS users of Hue lights who are yet to upgrade to Matter, they should be able to safely do so now. For those with Matter-enabled products such as Nanoleaf's A19 bulbs or LED lightstrips, these devices can now exploit Apple's Adaptive Lighting.
While this is a win for Matter, it remains confined to smart homes running on HomeKit. Other Matter-supported platforms including Samsung SmartThings and Google Home do not have Adaptive Lighting since the option does not exist outside of HomeKit yet, although the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) has promised to build a similar feature into later Matter updates.
