Nanoleaf’s touch-sensitive Canvas LED smart squares already let you turn them on and off, adjust their brightness, and even play games simply by tapping them. Starting soon, though, Nanoleaf’s luminescent squares will also let you take charge of your various HomeKit-enabled devices.
An update to the Nanoleaf app for iOS will add Touch Actions, a feature that lets you tap specific Canvas light squares on your wall to control your various HomeKit devices, or even tee up a “scene” through a series of coordinated smart actions.
Once you’ve installed the update (which is slated to arrive today), Touch Actions will let you configure any of your Canvas LED squares to perform a smart activity by either tapping, double-tapping, or long-tapping.
Nanoleaf
Nanoleaf Canvas is a series of interlocking LED tiles with touch-sensitive surfaces that you can use to create geometric patterns of light.
Among the possibilities posted by Nanoleaf: tapping one of your Canvas squares in the morning to simultaneously turn up the lights and heat up a tea kettle connected to a smart plug, or tapping another square at bedtime to turn your lights off and dial back the thermostat.
Nanoleaf’s new Touch Actions offer a clever alternative to pulling out your phone to control your smart devices or scenes.
Of course, you could also just ask Siri to hit the lights, or summon Alexa or Google Assistant to do your HomeKit bidding with any compatible devices. That said, you might prefer tapping a Canvas square to brew your coffee rather than waking the whole house by barking at Alexa.
A Touch Actions update for the Android version of the Nanoleaf app is also on the way, according to Nanoleaf, although the company didn’t specify a release date.
Author: Ben Patterson, Senior Writer
Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he covers smart speakers, soundbars, and other smart and home-theater devices. You can follow Ben on Twitter.