Features I wish Apple added to HomeKit

If you’re using smart home appliances from different vendors, and you’re also in the Apple ecosystem, Apple’s HomeKit is the natural choice as the hub from which you control all the devices (as long as they are HomeKit compatible). If all the members of your household are using iPhones, going with HomeKit is even a better solution. However, HomeKit isn’t perfect yet. Here are a few features, in no particular order, I wish Apple would consider changing or adding.

• More flexibility in setting the time of day for automations I would really want to be able to set more then one time of day for triggering the same automation. Sometimes I want to trigger the same automation at 9:00, 12:00 and 15:00, and I would rather not have to make three separate automations (especially if they are longer ones, and such that are updated every now and then). Being able to choose every hour, or every three hours, etc would also be nice.
• Running shortcuts in scenes I would love to be able to use shortcuts in scenes. That would help in making scenes smarter.
• Using variables to set lamps’ brightness levels and colors It’s possible to take a lamp’s brightness or color and put it into a variable, but you’re not able to use that variable to set a lamp’s brightness or color. This would be quite useful when you want to change a lamp’s brightness or color in a shortcut as an alert, but then set it back to whatever brightness or color it was before.
• Global variables Wouldn’t it be great if you were able to set global variables in one shortcut that could be accessed by another shortcut? Right now, variables cease to exist as soon as a shortcut has terminated. You could of course use a lamp or a smart plug as a Boolean variable, but that’s not always practical.
• More possible triggers for automation As of right now, there isn’t that many different triggers you can use for automation. You can’t for instance use a temperature sensor, or light sensor to trigger a shortcut. I hope more will become available in the future.
• Apple should start making their own smart home accessories I know I’m not alone in thinking wishing for this. Wouldn’t it be great if you could buy an Apple branded sensors, dimmers, switches, remotes, etc?