Apple Watch/Siri/Alexa

[dseg (Dan)]

Is there a way to have Siri turn on and off lights by talking into an Apple Watch?

Not sure what would talk to what but just wondering if this is possible.
So instead of "Alexa, turn off the kitchen light."
You talk to your Apple Watch with Siri.

[JDRoberts]

@dseg

Is there a way to have Siri turn on and off lights by talking into an Apple Watch?

Not sure what would talk to what but just wondering if this is possible.
So instead of “Alexa, turn off the kitchen light.”
You talk to your Apple Watch with Siri.

Yes, but the method varies depending on which brand/model of lights.

Philips Hue (through their bridge) and Lutron Caseta are both HomeKit-compatible. So they have their own integration with Siri which works very well, in some ways better than Alexa. (I have and use both.) And both have official SmartThings integrations.

Anything which is controlled by SmartThings but is not HomeKit-compatible, such as a zwave light switch or Cree bulbs can still be operated from an Apple Watch, but you have to do it by sending a voice text to IFTTT. So “Hey, Siri, tell house #turn_kitchen_ceiling_on.” This was how I used to do voice control with SmartThings before I got an Echo. It works, but it’s clunky.

Voice Control Using Siri and IFTTT (not using HomeKit, just voice text)

Hi All - see the below instructions for executing simple SmartThings commands using Siri. The solution involves sending a text to an IFTTT phone number which acts as a trigger to turn on or off devices via SmartThings. You can setup a contact called ‘home’ and then send a message to ‘home’ (use command ‘Tell Home’) with the proper tag to trigger the event. I’d love feedback on the approach. I would rather use more natural language like ‘Tell Home to turn on the kitchen lights’ rather than ‘Tell home hashtag kitchen underscore lights’. Regardless, the approach below executes simple ST actions with use of Siri alone, which is pretty cool. BASIC SETUP Setup an IFTTT account Add the Smarthings channel to IFTTT - make sure to provide access to any devices that you want to control Add th…

I myself am quadriparetic, use a wheelchair with limited hand control. So voice control is essential for me. And I do use an Apple Watch, although I prefer the voice recognition on Alexa. So I use Echo for choice, but also use the Apple Watch daily. I now only choose Devices which work with HomeKit and Alexa, but fortunately there are good choices in lights.

But you can still use the IFTTT method with any SmartThings-controlled device, it’s just not as smooth as HomeKit.

[jwflutterby]

Any updates on this? I thought Apple was making it easier for app developers to allow Siri controls? None of my stuff is HomeKit compatible

[JDRoberts]

@jwflutterby

Any updates on this? I thought Apple was making it easier for app developers to allow Siri controls? None of my stuff is HomeKit compatible

There have been a few more companies recently, such as LIFX bulbs and Nanoleaf. IKEA announced that their new Tradfri lights will be HomeKit compatible “soon” but not yet.

There is a page in the community – created wiki that lists the devices that officially work with both SmartThings and HomeKit:

http://thingsthataresmart.wiki/index.php?title=Devices_that_Work_with_HomeKit_and_SmartThings

If you have a strong technical background there is another unofficial alternative where you can set up a server as a “man in the middle” and get access to most of your smartthings – controlled devices, but it’s pretty complicated to set up.

[jwflutterby]

I was hoping for the SmartThings app to be Siri compatible eventually… I’ve already invested in a bunch of GE hardwired Zwave light switches and it’d be nice to use Siri to control them. I guess I’ll play with the IFTTT hack, thanks for the response!