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Has anyone played with the new Home app yet?

K

kepardue

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 28, 2006
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I admit, it looks pretty basic, but I'm hopeful that if nothing else it means that Apple has improved the performance and reliability of HomeKit in iOS/tvOS to the point that they're comfortable displaying HomeKit interactions in a first party app.

Some questions I would have are:
  1. Can you add new HomeKit accessories within the app, or do you still need to rely on downloading third party apps for this?
  2. What do the Rooms and Automation screens look like? I don't think they touched on that.
  3. How responsive are HomeKit devices? Particularly, things like the new August locks appear to report back status after you make a change pretty slowly.
  4. Does it appear that they'll allow developers to customize their device configuration in Home at all, or does it stick strictly to what HomeKit offers? I ask because I know that ecobee has a ton of Custom fields in there that aren't very well defined.
I saw one article that said that there are a couple dozen HomeKit devices now, but "Apple says that almost 100 more are expected to come out this year." Does anyone know where this fabled list of devices is? I'd love to see it. For two years now, we've seen Craig talk about using HomeKit to open your garage door, but to my knowledge nobody has even released a garage door. Chamberlain keeps kicking it down the road.
 
kepardue said:
I admit, it looks pretty basic, but I'm hopeful that if nothing else it means that Apple has improved the performance and reliability of HomeKit in iOS/tvOS to the point that they're comfortable displaying HomeKit interactions in a first party app.

Some questions I would have are:
  1. Can you add new HomeKit accessories within the app, or do you still need to rely on downloading third party apps for this?
  2. What do the Rooms and Automation screens look like? I don't think they touched on that.
  3. How responsive are HomeKit devices? Particularly, things like the new August locks appear to report back status after you make a change pretty slowly.
  4. Does it appear that they'll allow developers to customize their device configuration in Home at all, or does it stick strictly to what HomeKit offers? I ask because I know that ecobee has a ton of Custom fields in there that aren't very well defined.
I saw one article that said that there are a couple dozen HomeKit devices now, but "Apple says that almost 100 more are expected to come out this year." Does anyone know where this fabled list of devices is? I'd love to see it. For two years now, we've seen Craig talk about using HomeKit to open your garage door, but to my knowledge nobody has even released a garage door. Chamberlain keeps kicking it down the road.
Click to expand...
I don't think we can blame Chamberlain here, much like so many other home automation devices they're not able to meet whatever standards Apple has set for Homekit. They must realize this by now as they've let others pass them up in this technology by every measure. Several companies have thought they would be able to offer compatibility only to be sidelined by Apple. For now Smart Things, Amazon Echo, z-wave, etc. are far more compatible with everything out there today. My hope is they loosen this up to make it usable, I like the idea of an actual app and the scenes look pretty useful.
 
I have set everything up on my phone in the app but nothing is syncing over to my iPad. On the iPad, I get the "set up a home" screen, but I'm afraid to do that in case it overwrites my HomeKit data that's supposed to be syncing via iCloud Keychain.
 
1. You can add devices. There's a button to let you "Add Accessory" or "Add Scene". Tapping the Add Accessory button will bring up a window where it starts searching for accessories. I haven't actually added any accessories though.

2. Rooms screen looks like the main screen and you can select which rooms you want to view. Automation screen is a list of the the automation sequences you've created (like set xx scene when you leave yy area).

3. I've had mixed results here so far. My Hue lights sometimes show up as "No Response", my ecobee almost always shows up, and my August locks are just weird... They always show up as "Not Supported". But when you press on them and tap "Details", you'll eventually see their status load up and can then control them. Exit back to the main screen and they show as not supported again.

One curious thing while watching the keynote... they mentioned they're adding new HomeKit device categories, and locks were one of them. I thought this was already a category as there are already a couple HomeKit locks being sold (August, Schlage).
 
I also get "no response" on my Hue lights, but only when I'm on cellular (off WiFi). The ecobee thermostat however is always available
 
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Thanks for the responses, folks. I guess it's too early to be complaining about reliability not being improved since we're at the very beginning of the beta progress. It'll be interesting to see if the reliability and experience improves for everyone as we go forward. It's a shame the August locks and Hue lights don't appear to be quite up to speed yet.

That's interesting that for both of you the ecobee seems to always be up. That tends to be the one I've had the most problem with. Since you do have the ecobee, I am curious, if you launch the Home app fresh, how long does it take for ecobee to report it's status? Is it almost instantaneous, or does it sit and load for a minute before it does?

When you make changes to your temperature settings in Home, does the Home app instantly apply those settings, or is there some jankiness in how quickly the thermostat reports back the state change? This is probably the area of greatest frustration for me with HomeKit stuff. Some devices (iDevices switches) report back state change virtually instantly, while others (August Locks) take a few moments after the lock has done it's thing to report back the updated status.

Have any of you played with automation at all? Is it intuitive to set up rules? Is there any way to set up a schedule per-accessory now? Like, if I have a pool pump on an outdoor switch that I want to run for a few hours at 8pm, would I need to create a scene for "Pool Pump On" and "Pool Pump Off", or could I do that at the accessory level. Can one set up events based on activity, like, 'If Laundry Room Light has been on for 15 minutes, turn it off'?
 
kepardue said:
Thanks for the responses, folks. I guess it's too early to be complaining about reliability not being improved since we're at the very beginning of the beta progress. It'll be interesting to see if the reliability and experience improves for everyone as we go forward. It's a shame the August locks and Hue lights don't appear to be quite up to speed yet.

That's interesting that for both of you the ecobee seems to always be up. That tends to be the one I've had the most problem with. Since you do have the ecobee, I am curious, if you launch the Home app fresh, how long does it take for ecobee to report it's status? Is it almost instantaneous, or does it sit and load for a minute before it does?

When you make changes to your temperature settings in Home, does the Home app instantly apply those settings, or is there some jankiness in how quickly the thermostat reports back the state change? This is probably the area of greatest frustration for me with HomeKit stuff. Some devices (iDevices switches) report back state change virtually instantly, while others (August Locks) take a few moments after the lock has done it's thing to report back the updated status.

Have any of you played with automation at all? Is it intuitive to set up rules? Is there any way to set up a schedule per-accessory now? Like, if I have a pool pump on an outdoor switch that I want to run for a few hours at 8pm, would I need to create a scene for "Pool Pump On" and "Pool Pump Off", or could I do that at the accessory level. Can one set up events based on activity, like, 'If Laundry Room Light has been on for 15 minutes, turn it off'?
Click to expand...
Not sure if this helps. I'm not using the new Home app from Apple yet. But, I have used iDevices app and Home app that is on the app store. My understanding - at least with iDevices - the actual schedule is stored in the device itself. That's why if you lose your internet connection the schedule you set is still executed. At least that's what iDevices told me - I'll see if I can find their email. I had thought the schedule was stored on the iOS device and executed from there - and that wouldn't be good. Then I thought it might have been stored on the ATV - it seems like it's not. I don't know if this is unique to iDevices - maybe it's an Apple requirement they have that capability. I recall testing it - the schedule executed without any iOS or ATV device being on.

If I'm correct, you can only update the schedule on the iOS device that created it in the first place. I need to confirm this one.

One more thought - I believe if you using Lutron Caseta the schedule is stored there.
 
kepardue said:
Thanks for the responses, folks. I guess it's too early to be complaining about reliability not being improved since we're at the very beginning of the beta progress. It'll be interesting to see if the reliability and experience improves for everyone as we go forward. It's a shame the August locks and Hue lights don't appear to be quite up to speed yet.

That's interesting that for both of you the ecobee seems to always be up. That tends to be the one I've had the most problem with. Since you do have the ecobee, I am curious, if you launch the Home app fresh, how long does it take for ecobee to report it's status? Is it almost instantaneous, or does it sit and load for a minute before it does?

When you make changes to your temperature settings in Home, does the Home app instantly apply those settings, or is there some jankiness in how quickly the thermostat reports back the state change? This is probably the area of greatest frustration for me with HomeKit stuff. Some devices (iDevices switches) report back state change virtually instantly, while others (August Locks) take a few moments after the lock has done it's thing to report back the updated status.

Have any of you played with automation at all? Is it intuitive to set up rules? Is there any way to set up a schedule per-accessory now? Like, if I have a pool pump on an outdoor switch that I want to run for a few hours at 8pm, would I need to create a scene for "Pool Pump On" and "Pool Pump Off", or could I do that at the accessory level. Can one set up events based on activity, like, 'If Laundry Room Light has been on for 15 minutes, turn it off'?
Click to expand...
My Hues seem to be more random. I tried them last night with wifi/bluetooth turned off and they connected. Just now on a different wifi network, they loaded up fine. It took about 5 sec just now after opening the app and seeing both the ecobee and Hue status.

I'll try testing the response of the ecobee this evening. I've been having some issues with the ecobee app lately. I'll change from 23 to 22, but once the app refreshes, it says 22.5. Over and over. Change it to 21.5 out frustration, and it'll go to 21.5. Maybe doing it in the Home app will be better. Testing the Hues, they changed and the status updated pretty instantly. The locks, once I was able to force them to connect, when I moved the slider to "unlock" I heard the locks moving right away.
 
Does anyone know if HomeKit data is supposed to sync over iCloud and be available on your other iOS devices? I can't get it to sync from my iPhone over to my iPad. I am signed into the same iCloud account on both devices.

EDIT: Same goes for tvOS 10.
 
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amjustice said:
I did a walk through video if anyone who doesn't have access to the betas wants to check it out

Click to expand...

That's fantastic! Thanks for taking the time to make a video. I'm assuming the garage door displayed there was from HomeBridge?
 
chinanderm said:
Does anyone know if HomeKit data is supposed to sync over iCloud and be available on your other iOS devices? I can't get it to sync from my iPhone over to my iPad. I am signed into the same iCloud account on both devices.

EDIT: Same goes for tvOS 10.
Click to expand...

I can't get it to work with tvOS yet but it synced right up with my iPad mini 2.
 
Phone and iPad are on iOS 10 and the Home app on both are seeing the same things. Apple TV is not on iOS 10 and I'm able to remotely connect to my devices still too.

kepardue, I tried adjusting my ecobee, it's fairly quick. Changed settings and checked the thermostat and it was there right away. Weird thing though, the Home app only lets me change the temperature (in C) by a whole degree at a time. Only 21, 22, etc. Can't get it to 21.5.
 
chinanderm said:
Does anyone know if HomeKit data is supposed to sync over iCloud and be available on your other iOS devices? I can't get it to sync from my iPhone over to my iPad. I am signed into the same iCloud account on both devices.

EDIT: Same goes for tvOS 10.
Click to expand...
Yes this is how it works, you have to have iCloud Keychain on as well
[doublepost=1466203137][/doublepost]
kepardue said:
That's fantastic! Thanks for taking the time to make a video. I'm assuming the garage door displayed there was from HomeBridge?
Click to expand...
Thanks I'm glad you liked the video. Nope garage door was simulated.
 
The app is far away from the good working one. Hope in next beta versions to be improved . It does not recognise August lock homekit and the Elgato Eve products... Plus, I stop connecting to the accessories remotely , while I am with ATV4 ios10 and ATV4 ios9 and one ATV3.... Strange..
 
myname70 said:
The app is far away from the good working one. Hope in next beta versions to be improved . It does not recognise August lock homekit and the Elgato Eve products... Plus, I stop connecting to the accessories remotely , while I am with ATV4 ios10 and ATV4 ios9 and one ATV3.... Strange..
Click to expand...

I had the same issue with the August Lock. If you tap into the lock details, it should connect for a short bit of time before losing connection. I was able to get the August added into my "I'm Leaving" scene during that short time it was connected. Now, even though the "Devices" view shows it as not being connected, I can activate the "I'm Leaving" scene and it works successfully! I know it may stop, but it's been working for the last hour or so.
 
chuyn said:
Weird thing though, the Home app only lets me change the temperature (in C) by a whole degree at a time. Only 21, 22, etc. Can't get it to 21.5.
Click to expand...

Same deal with my Eve Thermos... The eve app shows tenths of a degree, but Home rounds to the nearest degree. Not too bad if you're working in Fahrenheit, as I assume most of Cupertino is, because who cares about half a degree in Fahrenheit. However, the habitable range of Celcius is far more precise, and probably requires re-thinking. I have submitted this as a bug using my feedback app, I suggest other beta users do the same
 
john991 said:
I can't control my lights nor locks using siri on the Apple TV with tvos 10. I wonder if Apple didn't add support for home kit on the Apple TV /w tvos 10 yet?
Click to expand...


Thanks for quoting me, this makes tracking easier. I added an unrelated HomeKit device to my setup, and for some unknown reason this sorted things out so now I can control my lights via Apple TV.
 
NOITAIDAR said:
Same deal with my Eve Thermos... The eve app shows tenths of a degree, but Home rounds to the nearest degree. Not too bad if you're working in Fahrenheit, as I assume most of Cupertino is, because who cares about half a degree in Fahrenheit. However, the habitable range of Celcius is far more precise, and probably requires re-thinking. I have submitted this as a bug using my feedback app, I suggest other beta users do the same
Click to expand...

I've sent some feedback to the same effect. If my heating is on, it's between 18 and 23 so 0.5C increments are important.
 
KrisLord said:
Thanks for quoting me, this makes tracking easier. I added an unrelated HomeKit device to my setup, and for some unknown reason this sorted things out so now I can control my lights via Apple TV.
Click to expand...

I've turned on two factor authentication on my tv 4 and iPhone. Now the home app says I need to setup remote access to control my hie lights.

Anyone have two factor authentication on and have remote access to any of your HomeKit devices with tvOS 10 and iOS 10?

Update: It took awhile for Apple to update my HomeKit configuration and with two factor authentication on the Apple TV tvOS 10 and iOS 10 now works properly in the HomeKit app. I.e. My Hue lights.
 
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How do you guys even get your Apple TV (4) to work with the Home-app? Today I decided to reset my Apple TV, using the latest tvOS restore image and I factory restored my Philips Hue Bridge (HomeKit) and did a rest of my HomeKit settings.

I've got Two Factor Authentication enabled on my Apple ID, I got iCloud Keychain and everything enabled. I re-did the Apple TV setup using the bluetooth solution during setup and everything. Then I configured my Hue Bridge using the Home-app and that works.

But upon hitting the "Automation" tab it just recommends me to get a Apple TV (4) or use a "always at home" iPad running iOS 10. I can't see any logical way to tell the Home-app that I have a Apple TV sitting on my network??

Enabling Home on my iPad so I can use that for Automation works just fine. But my iPad is not always at home, and I would want to use the Apple TV anyways.


What on earth am I doing wrong? Both my iPhone, iPad and Apple TV are running the latest iOS 10 and tvOS build.
 
RamGuy said:
How do you guys even get your Apple TV (4) to work with the Home-app? Today I decided to reset my Apple TV, using the latest tvOS restore image and I factory restored my Philips Hue Bridge (HomeKit) and did a rest of my HomeKit settings.

I've got Two Factor Authentication enabled on my Apple ID, I got iCloud Keychain and everything enabled. I re-did the Apple TV setup using the bluetooth solution during setup and everything. Then I configured my Hue Bridge using the Home-app and that works.

But upon hitting the "Automation" tab it just recommends me to get a Apple TV (4) or use a "always at home" iPad running iOS 10. I can't see any logical way to tell the Home-app that I have a Apple TV sitting on my network??

Enabling Home on my iPad so I can use that for Automation works just fine. But my iPad is not always at home, and I would want to use the Apple TV anyways.


What on earth am I doing wrong? Both my iPhone, iPad and Apple TV are running the latest iOS 10 and tvOS build.
Click to expand...

When setting up my ATV 4 it took sometime for Apple to sync it on iCloud. For the life of me I couldn't get it to work. But after waiting for an hour it started working.

You may just have to wait it out.

I'm using iOS 10 beta and tvOS beta too.
 
It's been over 12-hours since I did the reset on the Apple TV and logged-on with my Apple ID on it. It's still not showing on any of my Apple devices when running the Home-app.

All I can see is this picture, and I suppose that's the default picture when the app figures you do not have a Apple TV (4) on your Apple-ID / network.


I tried setting it up using my iPad Air 2 running iOS 10 as the Home Automation Hub and that didn't really work at all. Sharing "My Home" with my girlfriend and she was not able to control our Philips Hue lights using the Home-app on her devices at all. They always said updating, or not available. If we configure the Home-app without the iPad for home automation, we can both use the Home-app to control the lights when at home without issues. Adding the iPad into the mix was letting me do the automation, and I could control the lights when not on the same network but my girlfriend couldn't do jack anymore.
 

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