At WWDC in May, Apple quietly announced that it planned to relax some of those restrictions. The biggest change was the introduction of software-based authentication. In other words, you won’t have to replace your stuff to make it Apple-compatible going forward, and you’ll get HomeKit’s lauded security thrown in for free — provided the device maker actually goes in and implements it.
The linked HomeKit FAQ says that software authentication is only for non-commercial devices, and that commercial/shipping products are still required to use the hardware authentication chip. So Apple's own docs clearly refute the notion that non-HomeKit hardware can receive a software update to become HomeKit compatible.
Ikea Tradfri is an exception here. They plan to add HomeKit support via a software update, but they do in fact already ship their hardware with an MFI HomeKit authentication chip.
It is possible to add a software authenticated device to a HomeKit network, though you get warned when doing so. This is not new (though official support for it is). But it still sounds like commercial products can't just add HomeKit compatibility via software without breaking Apple's terms.
I don't think there was ever a mention of non-hardware authentication in the FAQ in the past (or even an FAQ at all). There was also never a public PDF of HAP until this year's WWDC, and the link to that PDF also explicitly states that it is for non-commercial products:
And let's say you come up with a really cool prototype? And now, you want to develop a HomeKit accessory for commercial sale. You need to join the Apple MFi Program.
You need to join the Apple MFi Program and go through self-certification before you can begin your manufacturing or sale of your accessories. And this is really exciting.
At WWDC in May, Apple quietly announced that it planned to relax some of those restrictions. The biggest change was the introduction of software-based authentication. In other words, you won’t have to replace your stuff to make it Apple-compatible going forward, and you’ll get HomeKit’s lauded security thrown in for free — provided the device maker actually goes in and implements it.
The linked HomeKit FAQ says that software authentication is only for non-commercial devices, and that commercial/shipping products are still required to use the hardware authentication chip. So Apple's own docs clearly refute the notion that non-HomeKit hardware can receive a software update to become HomeKit compatible.
Ikea Tradfri is an exception here. They plan to add HomeKit support via a software update, but they do in fact already ship their hardware with an MFI HomeKit authentication chip.
It is possible to add a software authenticated device to a HomeKit network, though you get warned when doing so. This is not new (though official support for it is). But it still sounds like commercial products can't just add HomeKit compatibility via software without breaking Apple's terms.