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Amazon and Google have relatively open systems already, which have allowed tens of thousands of third-party devices to link up with their smart speakers. Apple only supports a few hundred via its HomeKit standard. The global smart home market is projected to grow to $US174.2 billion ($254.2 billion) by 2025, according to MarketWatch, up from $US55.7 billion in 2016.

Apple said the project is built around "a shared belief that smart home devices should be secure, reliable, and seamless to use."

But the move could also raise privacy and security questions. For years, Amazon and Google collected data every time someone used a smart speaker to turn on a light or lock a door, and asked gadget makers like Logitech to provide usage data too. Bringing more devices together in a home raises the prospect of personal data being shared with a higher number of companies, some of which may have more lax security or privacy standards. Google pared back the number of companies its Nest devices connect to earlier this year due to privacy concerns.

After lagging behind Amazon and Google, Apple is rebooting its smart home efforts, developing new software and devices from a new team, Bloomberg reported earlier this year.