Homey just made the smart home controller I hoped Apple would build

<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="Homey’s new tactile touchscreen controller has a rotary dial for controlling lights, climate, music and more." data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Homey-Portal--Home.png?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> Homey’s new tactile touchscreen controller has a rotary dial for controlling lights, climate, music and more. </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Smart homes have gotten really good at making things really complicated. Turning on a light can involve multiple steps, compared to just flipping a switch. Homey, the Dutch-based smart home platform <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/3/24191422/lg-homey-athom-acquisition-samsung-smartthings">owned by LG</a>, thinks it has a solution. </p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">This week it launched the Homey Portal, a touchscreen smart home controller that looks very promising, if very expensive. <a href="https://homey.app/homey-portal/">Preorders open today</a> at an introductory price of $249/&euro;249, with units shipping in December.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">A 2.8-inch round touchscreen device with a stainless steel dial, the Homey Portal can sit on a desk or mount to the wall and is powered by a USB-C cable. You tap the icons to control devices li …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/987462/homey-lg-smart-portal-smart-home-controller-price-specs-release-date">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>