Home Assistant 2026.3: Vacuuming rooms, and the sky is dark againBreaking down Home Assistant 2026.3: map vacuum rooms to Areas for voice control, set HA as your default Android assistant with wake word support, SendSpin multi-room updates, Python 3.14 performance gains, and new integrations for Ghost, Proxmox, SwitchBot AI Art Frame, Trane HVAC, and NYC MTA.
Mailbag: NFC dash buttons, Aqara FP300 presence tips, bed sensors, and listener automations for pets and babies.
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Chapters
00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:40 - News: Partners, Event, Merch
00:03:54 - Dark Sky Returns: Acme Weather
00:08:02 - Mailbag: AI, Accessibility, Pets
00:12:56 - Gear Talk: Aqara, NFC, Bed Sensors
00:19:09 - 2026.3 Release Overview
00:21:56 - Vacuum Room-to-Area Mapping
00:27:42 - App & Voice: Python, Dashboards, Assist
00:32:15 - SendSpin Sync & Visuals
00:36:30 - Matter, Docker, AI, Energy
00:41:30 - Devices & Integration Highlights
00:44:24 - New Integrations Roundup
00:51:48 - Breaking Changes To Note
00:55:30 - Wrap-Up & What’s Next
This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors
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Products Discussed
HEIMAN smoke and CO alarms (Matter over Thread): https://amzn.to/4smRtrv
Open Home Foundation merch (hat, hoodie): https://store.openhomefoundation.org/
Neakasa M1 automatic litter box: https://amzn.to/3NdtiNd
Petlibro RFID pet feeders: https://amzn.to/4se0XFo
Owlet Dream Sock: https://amzn.to/4b0kHFI
Samsung Frame TV: https://amzn.to/3N40VAW
SwitchBot AI Art Frame (color e‑ink): https://amzn.to/4u0qLXr
Hosts
Phil Hawthorne
Website
Smart Home Products
Twitter: @philhawthorne
Bluesky: @philhawthorne.com
Buy Phil a Coffee
Rohan Karamandi
Website
Smart Home Products
Twitter: @rohank9
Buy Rohan a Coffee
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