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iOS 9 Could Feature 'Home' App For Controlling HomeKit Accessories

But all in all, this is really needed and I'm glad they are coming up with a universal framework that vendors can tap into and save us some sanity from crappy vendor implementations.

If you're crying about another app, go have your mom fix you a bottle and change your nappies.
 
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This can't be a killer feature of iOS 9 considering how few households have moved to smarthomes.

I'd like to re-do all my lights but at $50 a bulb...not happening soon.
 
Cloudsurfer said:
If iOS didn't have folders, we would've had over 2 pages of bloatware on our iPhones.

iOS really needs a hide function.
Click to expand...
Just because of one folder?

Why is everyone so upset because of a single folder icon?

Stop crying over nothing.
 
I think Apple made a big mistake releasing HomeKit in the first place with not a single piece of hardware worldwide that supported it. That is kind of like vaporware at its worst.

Home automation has been around for decades and decades. Firms like BSR started much of this long long ago with X10. SmartHome updated that approach with dual band highly reliable Insteon products. Then firms like Nest, Harmony, MiLocks, and others moved the progress even further.

HomeKit and Home App may end up being good, but so far it’s a net zero. In the meantime many of us already have automatic lights, locks, temperatures and other features based on both time and GPS data.
 
macduke said:
I hope everything lives inside a centrally controlled app. Many of the app reviews I've looked at for various smart devices are pretty poor. They just need to provide basic information to HomeKit and let Apple handle the rest. We also need quick access to it through a today widget and/or control center.
Click to expand...

Alarm.com is the best
phone-UI3.jpg


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yozh said:
Right now my home automation folder has apps for the following:

Honeywell Stats
Wink
Nest
Wemo
Harmony
netatmo
Yamaha receiver
RainMachine
LiftMaster
IF
and others....
I would love to get control over those and use from the same app.
Click to expand...

Check out Alarm.com

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robbyx said:
Would be nice, but is it really such a big deal? Just make a junk folder, or as I call it Crapple. It's not like these apps take up huge amounts of storage.

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This is precisely why I stayed away from home automation when I remodeled my place. That market is way too fragmented. I don't want a bunch of devices and apps that don't talk to each other. If Apple is successful in making HomeKit a standard, it will be huge.
Click to expand...

Alarm.com can connect all your devices in ONE App.

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Ed217 said:
I think Apple made a big mistake releasing HomeKit in the first place with not a single piece of hardware worldwide that supported it. That is kind of like vaporware at its worst.

Home automation has been around for decades and decades. Firms like BSR started much of this long long ago with X10. SmartHome updated that approach with dual band highly reliable Insteon products. Then firms like Nest, Harmony, MiLocks, and others moved the progress even further.

HomeKit and Home App may end up being good, but so far it’s a net zero. In the meantime many of us already have automatic lights, locks, temperatures and other features based on both time and GPS data.
Click to expand...

Z-Wave is now the standard technology in home automation.
Pretty much can everything in house. Door locks, lights, thermostats, garage door, etc.
 
I love that you *can* use Siri to control things, but it would be rough for that to be the main way. There are a lot of situations where you can't / don't want to talk to make something happen. When someone else is asleep in the room, when music/tv is on...
 
Hopefully this app will support the following:

Hardware
1) Philips Hue
2) Rachio Sprinkler System
3) Kwikset Kevo
4) Craftsman GDO
5) Insteon devices

Functionality
1) Conditional Triggers (When this, If this, Then That, Do this)
2) Multiple Schedules for the same devices and/or scenes
3) Understand daytime, nighttime, sunrise, sunset

If it doesn't support the functionality for v1, then this is another simple useless home automation app like everything else and I will stick with my ISY994i-zW/Pro w/ IR
 
AppleGuesser said:
Haha, seriously just posted something about it. Not complaining heavily, but the ability to hide it would be best. I understand I can dump it in a folder, which is what I will do, but why not let me hide it and be able to re add it in my settings when I need the app? Seems like a legitamite solution rather than just saying, "arggg, hate bloatware. Another dang app!!! Come on Apple!!!" :cool::apple:
Click to expand...

Because hiding it could cause confusion. How many folks would go "Hey, I can't find my app now that I bought an Apple watch!" How many support request will be created based on folks forgetting they hid something?

Drop it in the extra folder and call it a day. If you have 300 icons scrolling across 10 screens, you doing it wrong. :cool:
 
Black Magic said:
Because hiding it could cause confusion. How many folks would go "Hey, I can't find my app now that I bought an Apple watch!" How many support request will be created based on folks forgetting they hid something?

Drop it in the extra folder and call it a day. If you have 300 icons scrolling across 10 screens, you doing it wrong. :cool:
Click to expand...

I don't disagree with you, but I would argue it works okay on the Apple TV with hiding apps and I don't think people get that confused. But I can see your point, my grandparents have iPhone's and I can only imagine the anger they would have if Maps suddenly "disappeared." :D
 
AppleGuesser said:
More apps. Like the Apple TV, we are at that stage we seriously need a hide option. I do not and never will use compass, home app, etc. Atleast, not in the next year. If things change I could always bring it back, but why not let me hide it? Seems fair. Otherwise, it is bloat ware as bad as AT&T's crap on Android phones. :eek:
Click to expand...

Dumping everything in a folder is a pretty effective option and it takes 10 sec to do it all. 90% of Apple apps are just front end for a huge amount of back end services. They're pretty small apps in general.
 
applesith said:
This can't be a killer feature of iOS 9 considering how few households have moved to smarthomes.

I'd like to re-do all my lights but at $50 a bulb...not happening soon.
Click to expand...

The killer feature will be multi-tasking/split-screen for the latest iPhone 6's and iPads.
 
Great. Another compulsory app I won't use. Really hoping iOS 9 makes a lot of Apple's apps OPTIONAL!! That's what you invented the App Store for, lads.

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BeSweeet said:
One day, I'll have HomeKit-compatible devices, but until then, this will just be another app for the "junk" folder.

Forgot that I was jailbroken for a moment. Can easily hide those things!
Click to expand...

This is how I feel. I imagine one day (like when I own my own home) I might use that app but until such a day, I'd like it to be optional. Apple really need to re-think their decision behind making lots of their apps compulsory and realise that's what the App Store is for and people should have an option. Fine, pre-load them onto brand new iPhones and restore them when an iOS device is restored, but make them deletable!

All but the absolute crucial apps (ones which play a part in basic functionality of the device) should be removable!

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AppleGuesser said:
Haha, seriously just posted something about it. Not complaining heavily, but the ability to hide it would be best. I understand I can dump it in a folder, which is what I will do, but why not let me hide it and be able to re add it in my settings when I need the app? Seems like a legitamite solution rather than just saying, "arggg, hate bloatware. Another dang app!!! Come on Apple!!!" :cool::apple:
Click to expand...

But that does not solve the issue. If Apple want to force more compulsory apps on us, they need to make base models come with more capacity. 32GB should be a minimum. They already take up a bunch of your space with their operating system, adding compulsory apps is only taking up more of your space. God only knows why they ever thought an 8GB iPhone was acceptable. But hey, they sold em'!
 
macosxuser01 said:
I can do this already with Alarm.com system
Click to expand...

I want to walk into my living room and say "Siri (or wherever), lights at 50%". Or "watch the latest episode of Silicon Valley)". If my tv lift is retracted, Siri signals it to rise, turns the tv on, and pulls up Silicon Valley in HBO go. Etc. I don't want to use my phone, watch, control pad, or anything like that. It needs to be voice.

Current systems, while improving, are still too much works in progress. Home automation needs a major player like apple to step in and create a standard. Then it will get really interesting.
 
unplugme71 said:
Hopefully this app will support the following:

Functionality
1) Conditional Triggers (When this, If this, Then That, Do this)
2) Multiple Schedules for the same devices and/or scenes
3) Understand daytime, nighttime, sunrise, sunset
Click to expand...

There are many apps that do this already and have for some years. My lights are based on sunset and sunrise. Lights in steps or dark areas go on based on motion sensors, in less lit times of the day. Each device can have multiple schedules.

None of this is new, its been around for many years. It will be good if Apple combines it all together in iOS, but hardware support will be the key.
 
I am struggling to find the Apple stock apps in the usage stats on my iPhone - not sure how much space they are taking up (on a 128GB iPhone 6 ith 86GB free).

I am really hoping for something special from Homekit - I have Hue and Playbub lights (and will be getting a couple of ember lights soon) an would like to have more automation but I am struggling with some requirements:

- Needs to be easy to use from an iPhone and/or :apple:Watch
- Needs also to be able to be used by people who don't have an iPhone or :apple: Watch
- Needs to incorporate lots of different aspects of the house in a simple way

At the moment just using Hue is not simple. I have 11 bulbs though parts of the house and it is just easier to walk up to a switch to turn them on.
 
perkedel said:
what is your definition of bloatware then?
for me, stuff i don't use, taking up space, minimal usefulness if any, but compulsory.
:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

First three definitions I could find - none of which would cover the Apple Apps.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bloatware

A piece of software, hardware or website that attempts to do too much and becomes utterly useless for users. An example of bloatware would be a word processing application that also tries to be your page layout program, drawing tool, and web browser; absorbing half your hard drive and all your RAM in the process.

http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/38760/bloatware

1) Applications that are overloaded with features. See software bloat and wares.
(2) Myriad applications pre-installed on a PC by the vendor. Many PC manufacturers are paid by software vendors to pre-install lite versions of their products on the PCs they sell. In addition, some of these applications load at startup, wasting memory and providing a potential for conflict with other applications. For a fee, some retailers offer to rid the new PC of bloatware for their customers.

http://www.techopedia.com/definition/4237/bloatware

Bloatware is software that has unnecessary features that use large amounts of memory and RAM. Software comes to be known as bloatware when it becomes so unwieldy that its functionality is drowned out by its useless features. This is also known as software bloat.

Bloatware is also a slang term for numerous programs that are pre-installed on new PCs. Many of these programs are "lite" or limited trial versions designed to entice new users to buy or subscribe to the full-featured versions.
 
There's already a home button, and now there's going to be a home app??

many years ago I remember seeing a mockup of the rumored next iPhone, which had a wide, pill-shaped home button that you could do swipe gestures on. Apple should do something like that now, and have it so if you swipe left on the home button, all the homekit stuff comes up...
 
acedout said:
That's not the meaning of 'bloatware'
Click to expand...

s1m said:
First three definitions I could find - none of which would cover the Apple Apps.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bloatware

A piece of software, hardware or website that attempts to do too much and becomes utterly useless for users. An example of bloatware would be a word processing application that also tries to be your page layout program, drawing tool, and web browser; absorbing half your hard drive and all your RAM in the process.

http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/38760/bloatware

1) Applications that are overloaded with features. See software bloat and wares.
(2) Myriad applications pre-installed on a PC by the vendor. Many PC manufacturers are paid by software vendors to pre-install lite versions of their products on the PCs they sell. In addition, some of these applications load at startup, wasting memory and providing a potential for conflict with other applications. For a fee, some retailers offer to rid the new PC of bloatware for their customers.

http://www.techopedia.com/definition/4237/bloatware

Bloatware is software that has unnecessary features that use large amounts of memory and RAM. Software comes to be known as bloatware when it becomes so unwieldy that its functionality is drowned out by its useless features. This is also known as software bloat.

Bloatware is also a slang term for numerous programs that are pre-installed on new PCs. Many of these programs are "lite" or limited trial versions designed to entice new users to buy or subscribe to the full-featured versions.
Click to expand...
Oxford Dictionary:

Definition of bloatware in English:
noun

1.1 Unwanted software included on a new computer or mobile device by the manufacturer

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/english/bloatware
 
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