ESPHome 2026.10: native ESP8266 builds, smaller updates and the breaking changes to check first
The October release makes ESP8266 builds faster, shrinks over-the-air uploads by about a third and adds around two dozen components. It also changes some behaviour, so read this before you hit update.
By Andrew Ingleton · Published
ESPHome, the firmware framework behind many DIY sensors and switches that talk to Home Assistant, shipped version 2026.10.0 on 21 October, with a follow-up fix release, 2026.10.1, on 27 October. If you built devices with the ESPHome Starter Kit or flash your own, here is what changed and what to check.
Native ESP8266 builds
ESP8266 devices now build with the native Arduino toolchain by default, instead of PlatformIO. The ESPHome team says this removes the need for Rosetta on Apple Silicon Macs and makes cold builds much faster; in its own test on an M5 Max, a build took 9.2 seconds instead of 17.8. Expect the first build after upgrading to be a full clean build. If you need the old route, set toolchain: platformio under the esp8266: block, but that path is deprecated and due to be removed in 2027.4.0.
Smaller over-the-air updates
Compressed uploads, previously limited to the ESP8266, now work on ESP32, RP2040 and LibreTiny boards too. Firmware images are about a third smaller, and the project reports an upload over a poor test link falling from 317 seconds to 74. Older clients and firmware keep working, and the integrity check covers the decompressed image.
Lower memory use
Several internal changes trim RAM use on all builds, such as packing flags together and moving data like fonts and audio files from RAM into flash. That matters most on small chips, where memory is the limit.
New components
The announcement headline says 20 new components, though the list it gives is longer. Highlights include:
- An STCC4 sensor for CO2, temperature and humidity, and a TF-Luna infrared distance sensor.
- The PZEM-6L24 three-phase power meter.
- Improv over Bluetooth for easier Wi-Fi setup.
- Xiaomi body scale S200 and S400 support.
- TAS2780 and TAS5805M audio amplifiers, plus a Sendspin switch.
- Home Assistant button, select and text components, an exponential moving average filter and an RX8025T real-time clock.
Breaking changes to check
- Lights: restore_mode is deprecated in favour of restore_state, and lights with initial_state now boot in that state. Test what your lights do at power-up.
- Speakers: codec_support_enabled is removed (use pipeline format: NONE for the old behaviour), and volume and mute are now independent.
- IR climate: heat_cool is no longer offered when heating or cooling is disabled; add supports_heat_cool: true to restore it.
- Sendspin: needs Music Assistant 2.10.7 or 2.11.0b4 or later, encrypted connections and ESP-IDF.
- Remote receiver: on some chips buffer_size is now in bytes, so multiply explicit values by 4.
- Host platform: Windows is no longer supported.
How to update safely
- Read the upgrade checklist and the breaking changes above.
- If you use Sendspin, update Music Assistant first.
- Update ESPHome and expect a full rebuild on ESP8266.
- Update one non-critical device first, then check lights, speakers and IR climate devices.
- Go straight to 2026.10.1 to pick up the follow-up fixes.
Source: the ESPHome 2026.10.0 release post. Home Assistant users should also keep an eye on the main release, as our review of 2026.10 explains.
