The initial accessory setup process in the Home app is fairly straightforwardīy default, you’ll see a new “My Home” screen that allows you to start building your connected home by adding locks, lights, thermostats, etc. Once you’ve acquired your first HomeKit device, launch the Home app, and you’ll be greeted with a “Welcome Home” splash screen that explains some of the things that are possible with the Home app. Groups, scenes, and automation are optional, but they allow for broader control over your home. To use the Home app, you must have at least one home, one room, and one accessory. Home → Rooms → Accessories → (Groups, Scenes & Automation) Keeping this hierarchy in mind will make it much easier to understand how the app functions. There is a basic hierarchy when it comes to using the Home app. Other HomeKit-enabled accessories you might want to consider Name If you’re just beginning, the Starter Kit is a great entry-level product that will introduce you to several of the concepts that you’ll need to learn in order to get the most out of HomeKit. Philips, as you’re probably aware of, is one of the leaders in the connected home device category, and sells a variety of lighting-related products. The Philips Hue Starter Kit costs $69.99, and comes with a Hue bridge and two white bulbs. Before today, I didn’t own any HomeKit-enabled products, but I went out and bought a Philips Hue Starter Kit for this tutorial. The $69.99 Philips Hue Starter kit is a great first HomeKit accessoryīefore you can begin using the Home app, you’ll need at least one HomeKit-certified product. You might still have to use standalone product apps to facilitate firmware updates or for other one-off situations, but most devices can be controlled solely from the Home app once configured. Many home automation products compatible with HomeKit have their own standalone apps available in the App Store, but the advantage of using the Home app is that you can access and control all of your devices from one centralized location. If you’ve never used a HomeKit product, then there is a slight learning curve associated with setting up devices and controlling them. Subscribe to 9to5Mac’s YouTube channel for more iOS 10 videos You’ll need at least one HomeKit-enabled product Home app settings are synced via iCloud, so any iCloud-enabled iOS device running iOS 10 - an iPod touch, iPhone, or an iPad - can be used to control your Home. The app features integration with Control Center, 3D Touch quick actions, and as you’d expect from anything HomeKit related, support for Siri. With the new Home app in iOS 10, it’s super-easy to set up and manage HomeKit-enabled devices. There’s also something to be said for an app that appears on your Home screen by default not to mention that it’s free. These apps work, and in some cases do things better than the stock Home app, but it’s difficult to compete with the level of native integration baked into a stock iOS app. A good example of this is the recently updated Home – Smart Home Automation app from Mattias Hochgatterer.

Previously, users had to rely on third-party HomeKit apps in order to achieve similar functionality. As you’ll learn, the set up process and day-to-day device interaction has much improved with the release of iOS 10. These are devices that have been specifically certified by Apple to work seamlessly. The new Home app is a centralized hub for managing Apple HomeKit-enabled devices. Resident Apple HomeKit enthusiast, Zac Hall, already wrote a thorough walkthrough of the new Home app during the initial iOS 10 beta period, but now that iOS 10 and watchOS 3 are shipping, it’s only right to give it another in-depth visit with a corresponding walkthrough. It’s all thanks to the new built-in Home app that ships with iOS 10 and watchOS 3. Controlling smart home devices with your iPhone or iPad is far from a new concept, but in iOS 10, Apple is lending much more focus to home automation.

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