With Apple updating their Apple TVs to Thread 1.4 with tvOS 27 will Aqara be updating their hubs to support Thread 1.4 so that we can finally get rid of the double network issue and have Apple TVs and HomePods be able to talk and share identifiers with Aqara ecosystem.
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Hi and a warm welcome to the forum.
There is a common misconception that we need Thread 1.4 just to merge different Border Routers into a single network mesh. That can already work under Thread 1.3, provided the Border Routers receive the same Thread credentials, but it heavily relies on the smartphone operating system’s APIs (like iOS Keychain or Google Play Services) to sync these credentials between ecosystems. As many of us know, this OS-bound syncing can be quite clunky and prone to discovery errors.
The real game-changer with the upcoming updates is how credentials are handled moving forward, though it requires two distinct pieces of the puzzle:
- Thread 1.4 standardizes the way Thread network credentials can be shared between Border Routers, reducing the dependence on platform-specific OS mechanisms for credential distribution.
- Matter 1.4 introduces the Home Router and Access Point (HRAP) device type as part of the CSA’s broader Network Infrastructure Manager (NIM) initiative. This provides a standardized, secure storage area where these Thread credentials can live and be managed.
Apple has announced Thread 1.4 for the upcoming iOS 27 / tvOS 27 cycle, and early betas show it running under the hood. However, there is currently no public evidence or visible UI in the betas to confirm whether Apple TVs or HomePods will actually implement or be certified for the Matter 1.4 HRAP role.
So even if Aqara updates the M3 to Thread 1.4, we are still in a transition phase. Thread 1.4 solves an important part of the problem by standardizing credential sharing between Border Routers, but the overall user experience still depends on how vendors implement the corresponding Matter infrastructure features. Until these capabilities are broadly adopted across ecosystems, we will likely continue to see some reliance on platform-specific mechanisms to get everything onto a single Thread mesh.
Of course, I’d also like to see the new Matter and Thread standards integrated into Aqara’s app and the firmware of its devices and sensors as soon as possible. I’m sure Aqara has a roadmap for this. After all, they were among the first to address the Matter 1.5 topic with the G350 camera hub.
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they can update thread version but it’s not mandatory to create UI or share credentials