Meet the Roomba family reunion—where vacuums don’t just clean up messes but finally learn to play nice with your smart home. In a move that’s equal parts unexpected and awesome, iRobot has rolled out Matter compatibility across four Roomba models, even while going through Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Yeah, while the company’s paperwork was piling up like last week’s laundry, someone still hit “update” and said, “Let’s make Roombas smarter.” The Roomba Combo 10 Max launched with Matter support in early 2025, but now the Plus 500 Combo, Max 700 Vac, and Max 700 Combo have joined the club thanks to recent firmware updates.
Even with bankruptcy chaos, iRobot slipped out a firmware update—turns out Roombas still know how to clean up, both messes and expectations.
Only the J7 and J9 Combos are sitting this one out—for now. Who knew bankruptcy couldn’t stop a little tech magic?
This isn’t just about bragging rights—it’s about real Roomba functionality finally syncing seamlessly with your smart setup. With Matter compatibility, these bots slot right into Apple Home, turning into HomeKit accessories you can boss around with Siri.
“Hey Siri, clean the kitchen” and *poof*, it’s happening. You can even start cleaning when you leave the house, set schedules, or trigger mopping after dinner—because yes, your Roomba now has better dinner etiquette than your uncle at Thanksgiving.
Setting it up? Easy. Open the Roomba Home or iRobot Home (Classic) app, tap through to Connected Services, pick Apple Home, and follow the prompts. Just make sure you’re on iOS 18.4 or higher and have a HomePod or Apple TV handy as a hub.
Once linked, the iRobot app becomes more of a chill hangout spot than a command center—most stuff works straight from Home.
And let’s be real, for a company sold to Picea Robotics, a Chinese manufacturer with over 7,000 employees and 20 million vacuums sold, this is a power move.
ClearView™ LiDAR? PrecisionVision™ AI that dodges dog doo? AutoWash™ Docks that go 75 days without emptying? Yeah, these bots clean hard and now talk smart.
Even in turmoil, iRobot said, “Nah, we’re still dropping upgrades,” and honestly? That’s kind of inspiring. The acquisition by Picea Robotics is expected by February 2026. This update rollout underscores that iRobot remains committed to innovation, even amid financial challenges, with Matter support actively expanding across its lineup. Thanks to the local-first architecture of Matter, these Roombas can operate efficiently without relying heavily on cloud services, which is particularly important during company transitions.
References
- https://www.macrumors.com/2025/12/29/roomba-vacuums-matter-integration/
- https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/12/30/zombie-roombas-still-matter-to-homekit-with-support-upgrades
- https://media.irobot.com/2025-03-11-iRobot-Introduces-Suite-of-Innovative-ROOMBA-R-Floor-Cleaning-Robots
- https://www.irobot.com/en_US/roomba-max-705-combo-robot-plus-autowash-dock/X185020.html
- https://9to5mac.com/2025/12/30/best-homekit-robot-vacuums/
- https://apple.gadgethacks.com/news/apple-home-robot-vacuum-support-finally-arrives-in-ios-184/
