Home Assistant 2026.4 is now available to download and brings a substantial package of new features following the rather modest March update. The focus is on the new native infrared support, which allows countless older devices such as televisions and air conditioning systems to be integrated into the smart home. There are also cross-domain automations, a lock manager for Matter locks and a total of 14 new integrations.
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Infrared becomes a fully-fledged feature in Home Assistant
Probably the most exciting feature of Home Assistant 2026.4 is the native infrared support. Many devices in the home – televisions, air conditioners, fans and soundbars – have an infrared receiver but are not smart. This is exactly where the update comes in: Home Assistant can now send out infrared commands via small ESPHome devices with IR transmitters, which act as so-called infrared proxies. The principle is already familiar from Bluetooth proxies, which make Bluetooth devices accessible anywhere in the home.
LG Infrared is the first integration to use this new platform. This allows LG televisions to be controlled via infrared from Home Assistant – including switching on/off, volume control, channel change and playback commands. There are also button entities for classic remote control functions such as input selection and navigation. As infrared is a one-way communication, the integration works with so-called “Assumed States” – there is no real device feedback.
According to the official release notes, anyone who wants to get started straight away can use the Seeed Studio XIAO IR Mate, for example, which can be flashed directly in the browser via the ESPHome Ready-Made Projects page. There is also a sustainability concept behind the feature: instead of replacing older devices with smart models, you can now simply integrate them into the smart home.
Cross-domain automation
Since Home Assistant 2025.12, developers have been working on purpose-specific triggers and conditions to make automations more natural. The April update now brings a crucial enhancement: cross-domain triggers. Previously, each trigger was tied to a specific entity type. A “door open” trigger now reacts to any door entity – regardless of whether it is a contact sensor or a motorized garage door.
The same applies to many other areas: Temperature sensors, air conditioning units and water heaters are treated in the same way for temperature triggers. Particularly practical: room assignments and labels are included. For example, the automation “When a window on the upper floor is opened” can be created without having to list every single window. If a new window sensor is added in future, it is automatically included.
The new cross-domain triggers and conditions include categories such as door, garage door, window, motion, presence, temperature, humidity, illuminance, power consumption, battery, air quality and climate. The function is currently available as a Labs feature and can be activated under Settings > System > Labs.
Matter Lock Manager: Manage PIN codes directly
Owners of Matter-compatible smart locks can now manage access codes directly via Home Assistant. The new “Manage lock” option can be found on the device page of a supported lock, which can be used to create users, assign PIN codes and define access types. You can choose between full access (lock and unlock at any time) and one-time access, where the code is automatically deleted after a single use.
The feature is supported, for example, by Tedee locks in combination with a keypad. The lock actions are also available in automations and scripts – for example, one-off PIN codes can be automatically generated for guests and sent by notification.
Dashboard improvements and AI transparency
There are also some visual improvements: dashboard areas can now be given a background color. Each section can be given its own color – either from predefined options or as a hex color code. The opacity can also be adjusted to visually group maps or highlight certain areas.
Other dashboard innovations include the ability to place favorite colors for lights directly on tile and light cards for quick access, a revised gauge card design and a new auto-height option for cards that automatically adjust to the content.
Anyone using an AI-supported voice assistant with Assist can now also see what the AI is “thinking”: each answer shows a pop-up “Show Details” area with the AI’s reasoning steps, tool calls and results.
14 new integrations and numerous improvements
Home Assistant 2026.4 comes with a total of 14 new integrations. These include UniFi Access for the local control of Ubiquiti access systems, WiiM for the control of WiiM streamers, Solarman for energy monitoring and TRMNL for e-paper displays. Two chess platforms (Chess.com and Lichess) have also found their way into the smart home.
There have also been noticeable improvements to existing integrations: SmartThings received massive support for vacuum robots and dishwashers, Roborock now supports the Q10, and OpenAI Conversation has been expanded to include GPT 5.4 support. The BMW Connected Drive integration, on the other hand, has been removed as BMW has prevented access by third-party providers.
Voice control for vacuum robots and new backup features
With Home Assistant 2026.3, vacuum robots could already be sent to certain areas. Now this also works by voice command: Simply ask the voice assistant to vacuum a specific room – the robot will do the rest. In addition, Home Assistant now shows a progress bar for each backup destination when uploading backups. Home Assistant Cloud, WebDAV, Google Drive and OneDrive are supported, among others. Also new: the backup encryption has been updated to a more modern standard.
Conclusion: Home Assistant 2026.4 is a comprehensive update
With native infrared support, cross-domain automations and the Matter Lock Manager, Home Assistant 2026.4 delivers several highlights. IR integration in particular opens up exciting possibilities for making older devices smart – without the need for expensive new purchases. If you are not yet familiar with Home Assistant, the open source software can be installed on a Raspberry Pi or mini PC, for example, and supports protocols such as ZigBee, Z-Wave and Matter. The update is available immediately via the regular update channels.
