HomeKit device owners who have switched their entire system to iOS 16.2 & Co. report difficulties using the device. Apple had previously promised to establish a “new underlying architecture” for its smart home standard. This improves “the performance and reliability of the accessories in your home,” according to the company. The opposite is the case for the affected users: their hardware is temporarily unavailable or is completely on strike. Some users have therefore already set up their entire HomeKit network from scratch.
Requirements for the “new architecture”
Many users may not have come into contact with the “new architecture” at all. The reason: Every single Apple HomeKit device has to be up to date – i.e. all iPhones (iOS 16.2), iPads (iPadOS 16.2), Macs (macOS 13.1), Apple Watch clocks (watchOS 9.2), Apple TV devices (tvOS 16.2) and HomePod and HomePod mini (HomePod OS 16.2). If just one of the devices hasn’t been updated – for example, if you’re still using a Mac with Monterey – the update to the new architecture will not even be suggested. If all devices are updated, the update option appears in the Home app. It has to be specifically initiated.
Apple has so far kept a low profile as to what will specifically change. But it goes beyond the introduction of Matter. HomeKit is not considered the most reliable platform in the world, so some users may be tempted to update. But that doesn’t always seem to work. The first error that occurs starts with the update itself: It sometimes hangs. At first, however, you should be patient, sometimes the problem resolves itself. Other users report that their devices were no longer accessible after the update – the reinstallation was necessary, usually in connection with a reset of the devices. This can be extremely annoying in large HomeKit networks, especially since Apple still does not plan to create and restore backups of the configuration.
Workarounds: Turn everything off and on again?
One of the workarounds for the problems is to completely switch off all devices in the HomeKit network and then restart them – this alone can sometimes be impossible if the hardware is permanently installed, for example. (Then pulling the fuses in the apartment helps.) Other users are trying the beta version of iOS 16.3 and Co., but it remains unclear whether it will really help.
It’s also difficult to determine how common HomeKit problems are – but they’ve been a topic on social media and Apple forums for the past few days. If you can, you should probably wait until iOS 16.3 with the update. And users who are still using devices with older software versions anyway are not offered the “new architecture” as mentioned. The rejection of the new architecture also ensures that iPads can still be used as HomeKit centers (Home Hubs).
(bsc)