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iPad Home Hub Support Apparently Being Removed in iOS 16

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As part of its rebuilt Home app experience in iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, Apple appears to be removing support for using an iPad as a Home Hub.

ios-16-home-app.jpeg

For those unfamiliar with what a Home Hub does, the HomeKit framework allows you to remotely control compatible smart home devices, but some features like location-based automation require a designated Home Hub, which remains powered on and connected at your home when you're away.

For example, with a Home Hub, some thermostats can change the temperature to something more economical whenever you leave your home by using a virtual geographical boundary (geofencing). A Home Hub also allows you to use Siri to trigger actions when you're away from home.

In iOS 15, Apple lets you designate an Apple TV, HomePod, or iPad as a Home Hub, but in iOS 16, which is currently in beta, "Only Apple TV and HomePod are supported as home hubs," according to a footnote in Apple's iOS 16 preview webpage.

Despite this change, it should be noted that iPadOS 16 beta 1 still allows you to designate an iPad as a Home Hub. However, given Apple's marketing webpage for iOS 16 as well as interface notes in iPadOS 16, it's likely that this ability will be removed in a later version of the software.

ios-16-home-hub-ipad.jpeg
iPads still available as Home Hubs in iPadOS 16 beta 1​

Apple hasn't explained why iPad has dropped from the list of compatible Home Hub devices in iOS 16, but it could have something to do with Apple's announcement that HomeKit will support the upcoming Matter cross-platform compatibility smart home standard when the latter goes live.

Matter will allow HomeKit users to integrate more IoT device categories into their smart homes than ever before, and control them with the Home app and using Siri. Matter is due to launch later this year, which is likely to be around the time that iOS 16 is officially released to the public in the fall.

Article Link: iPad Home Hub Support Apparently Being Removed in iOS 16
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2022/06/10/ipad-home-hub-support-removed-ios-16/
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Hmmm, won't matter to anyone who already has a HomePod or Apple TV, but what about everyone else?

Plans for a new HomePod seem even more important if this turns out to be true.

Plus - a hub should basically be fixed in place, right? A HomePod or Apple TV will generally stay in one place. An iPad is much more likely to move around and even be taken outside of the home. So the suitability of an iPad to be the hub for a HomeKit setup is much lower than the other devices. (added in edit, after thinking about this further)
 
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GOOD! If you use Homekit you know this is a good thing. My wired ATV hub acts differently when primary than when my OG HomePods are hubs versus when even my HomePods Minis are hubs – the wireless hubs are never as stable, even on an otherwise rock solid Eero network. NEED to be able to set a default hub or, if that is simply out of the cards, Apple's gotta prioritize wired vs wireless on the backend, come on.
 
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Reactions: G5isAlive, SFjohn, EedyBeedyBeeps and 14 others
I want an iPad with no battery. Lots of people use iPads as controllers and their batteries get ruined for no good reason. Having the base model iPad with an option to run only via cable would be amazing.

I know this isn't 100% relevant but it got me thinking that a stationary device with a battery isn't a good thing so Apple needs a product like that.
 
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I imagine it has to do with the Home Hub needing to be on all the time, at least plugged in and on in the background. Both the AppleTV and the HomePods are guaranteed to be like this, whereas the iPad may be turned completely off. Maybe it is a requirement of Matter that wasn't needed before?
 
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Satjiv's one click said:
I want an iPad with no battery. Lots of people use iPads as controllers and their batteries get ruined for no good reason. Having the base model iPad with an option to run only via cable would be amazing.

I know this isn't 100% relevant but it got me thinking that a stationary device with a battery isn't a good thing so Apple needs a product like that.
Click to expand...
How is this different form just putting the iPad that has batteries into a dock all the time? One could have a shop remove the batteries from an older iPad if that was a concern.
 
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That's reasonable in some ways — it just doesn't seem like a wise choice to leave the battery plugged in / staying nearly fully charged the whole time.

By the same token, it's not uncommon to find MacBook users leaving their Macs always plugged in to have the batteries swollen. Part of the reason for some people is to minimise the charge cycle for a higher resell value, but in fact they do so at the expense of the battery health (the chemicals have to move from time to time), or even fire safety:

macbook-pro-15-2018-i9-png.909487

source: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/is-this-a-swollen-battery.2231637/

As long as there isn't an option for the user to manually stop the built-in battery from charging / at say 50%, there's no reason for a device to be deemed as a desktop / fixed device acting as a home hub.

---
As a side note, Mac users may find apps like Charge Limiter, AlDente, BatteryStatusShow useful for controlling how much the battery is charged for leaving it plugged in for a longer period of time.
 
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Macative said:
Seems highly unlikely to me that this person even exists...the person who's only home hub is an iPad AND they actually rely on it in this way.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that would be me… I have a PlayStation, so no need for an Apple TV, I have a lot of Wireless speakers around the house so no need for an HomePod… making the iPad my only choice for a hub, maybe they should add that feature to the macs :)
 
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Macative said:
Seems highly unlikely to me that this person even exists...the person who's only home hub is an iPad AND they actually rely on it in this way.
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Why is it highly unlikely? An iPad is perfectly fine as a hub for people that have a few HomeKit items. My parents use their iPad as a hub to control the automations for LED light strips above their kitchen cabinets. The iPad is always home and never had any issues with it being used as a hub.
 
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It seems logical that you want a home hub that always stays in the home...things probably break if it leaves or gets powered off. Now that they are starting to build an ecosystem of home products, removing the iPad is more sensible. I'm sure some people are using an iPad as a hub, but most of them probably have another Apple product that can be a hub. And, it may, uh, matter in the future with Matter, the hub may be required to be on all the time and in the home for things to operate.

I'm looking forward to Matter finally coming online, that should increase the number of devices that can be used in Homekit. Maybe this move will make more sense next year once that happens and Apple pushes out its plans for Homekit's future.
 
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MacRumors said:
Despite this change, it should be noted that iPadOS 16 beta 1 still allows you to designate an iPad as a Home Hub. However, given Apple's marketing webpage for iOS 16 as well as interface notes in iPadOS 16, it's likely that this ability will be removed in a later version of the software.
Click to expand...
I could be totally wrong, but I doubt Apple would suddenly drop the Home Hub from iPads.

That would suck for anyone that upgrades their iPad's OS after the relentless upgrade prompts just to have their HomeKit devices to stop working.

If it happened to me, I would not be happy.

Freeangel1 said:
ROKU is better.
Click to expand...
Cheaper yes, but far from better.
 
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