Apple already auto-upgraded my HomePods to OS 18 last year without asking, which means I can’t manage alarms on them anymore via the Home app on my devices, which are still on iOS 17. 
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Still Running Old HomeKit Architecture? Apple is Planning Automatic Upgrades
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The problem is that the new architecture isn’t compatible with devices that are stuck on iOS 15. So you can’t use your old iPhone SE or 7, or iPad mini 4, as a handy Home “remote” anymore, for example.
no complexity or confusion- just wait, Apple will autoupdate those that failed to heed the year of nagging...or just click the update button in settings, instructions in the article
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I’ve upgraded to the new architecture ages ago. All my IKEA smart lights and accessories like remotes and motion detectors still work like a charm. 🤷♂️
It just works until it doesn't. Just added a second AppleTV at my mom's house. It broke everything, nothing would respond. Tried everything and ended up having to start completely over and create a new "home" and had to reconfigure all 8 of her devices (light switches, smart plugs, garage door opener, doorbell cam etc.) basically from scratch.
To be fair the problem is not only Apple.
People here said that "i use this brand with their hub and it works perfectly". Yes, that's not a coincidence.
Even if today with matter everything is compatible (in theory) you still need a hub that expose all the zigbee accessories (like a simple bulb) to HomeKit. Now, the majority of brands do not do anything to make their hubs even slightly compatible with other zigbee devices. Because of the standard usually they work, but there are often problems.
Because obviously they don't want to spend money in developing something to help other brands integration.
The only exception that i found is the Ikea Dirigera Hub. Ikea seems to actually work into making third party accessories compatible with their hub, meaning that they usually fix all the small specific problems that a third party brand could have with their hub.
If you use a dirigera hub to manage all your smart products and then to expose them to HomeKit (with an apple tv or HomePod), everything seems to work perfectly.
People here said that "i use this brand with their hub and it works perfectly". Yes, that's not a coincidence.
Even if today with matter everything is compatible (in theory) you still need a hub that expose all the zigbee accessories (like a simple bulb) to HomeKit. Now, the majority of brands do not do anything to make their hubs even slightly compatible with other zigbee devices. Because of the standard usually they work, but there are often problems.
Because obviously they don't want to spend money in developing something to help other brands integration.
The only exception that i found is the Ikea Dirigera Hub. Ikea seems to actually work into making third party accessories compatible with their hub, meaning that they usually fix all the small specific problems that a third party brand could have with their hub.
If you use a dirigera hub to manage all your smart products and then to expose them to HomeKit (with an apple tv or HomePod), everything seems to work perfectly.
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I updated to the new architecture a long time ago, and the overall experience is great. I can feel that the system is now more stable. I have one old iHome HomeKit smart plug from 2015. While using the old architecture, it won't automatically reconnect if I reboot my Wi-Fi router, and I have to unplug and plug it back in. However, I don't think it ever happens since the upgrade.
My only complaint is that the new architecture does not work with the older version of the Home app in older OSes. I have a 2016 MacBook Pro running macOS Monterey, and the Home app no longer works.
My only complaint is that the new architecture does not work with the older version of the Home app in older OSes. I have a 2016 MacBook Pro running macOS Monterey, and the Home app no longer works.
For those with older devices, you can’t update to the new HomeKit. I do not want to use my 2015 iMac to control anything HomeKit related, but as long as it is associated with my Apple ID I’m not able to do the update.
So what will happen in my situation when Apple forces the HomeKit update on me? I damn sure don’t want to move my iMac off my ID, and don’t want to lose control of my Home devices with my iPhone 16.
So what will happen in my situation when Apple forces the HomeKit update on me? I damn sure don’t want to move my iMac off my ID, and don’t want to lose control of my Home devices with my iPhone 16.
Lutron Caseta is rock solid! Their products account for approximately 2/3 of my HomeKit equipment and have always played nicely through the Caseta bridge to my router. The EcoBee thermostat hasn’t given me any grief either. A handful of Meross smartplugs get a little cross-eyed from time to time.
Nanoleaf Shapes… Just keeping those around at this point for the occasional spur of the moment midnight dance rave when Siri feels like partying on her own haha.
I really hoped that when the new architecture was introduced back in 2022 that it would be a fresh start for HomeKit and it would finally live up to its potential and give that traditional Apple user experience. But three years on despite the opportunities Thread and Matter have introduced, it's still the same clunky mess.
Right now I'm sat in my home office wondering why the various lights in here that should have turned off 5 minutes after I left the room yesterday, and also at midnight, are still turned on.
Right now I'm sat in my home office wondering why the various lights in here that should have turned off 5 minutes after I left the room yesterday, and also at midnight, are still turned on.
My guess is that the upgrade will happen and that it'll stop working on your 2015 iMac.
Apple has done similar before, but I believe the upgrades are still optional:
- Reminders in iOS 13 (it was optional - not sure if it was ever forced)
- Notes in iOS 16 (option to lock via iPhone PIN or MacOS password - currently optional).
exactly. This is quite confusing. As for myself, I have some old devices and some new devices. And with these changes it is a nightmare. I have to update new devices, but if I do, the older, well functioning devices will not work. I would love to have option to keep the old system until the new is installed, or stop bugging me about updates. But will all this mess, I will not be relying on homekit. They already lost. And the lack of interest to this platform, lack of stability is testing my patience. Apple should just keep making macs and iphones. Leave the rest to professional developers.
Well crap, I don't know if I have old or new architecture. Probably new? Since my HomePods are still working fine and I'm running the latest iOS software on all my devices? And I have an M1MPB? I guess. Using HomeKit hasn't been too buggy for me. It mostly works, but I think the secure video is an area they can improve. I do trickle some accessories out to Home Assistant that I wasn't going to mess with in HomeKit. Everything works fine for now.
Curious to know if you are using the Tapo app and their Cloud Account?
Have been looking at the Tapo switches with Matter and wondering if the can be setup and used with Home Assistant without the need of the Tapo app or their Cloud Account.
I only need LOCAL control and have no desire for my light switches phoning home to the TP-Link mothership.
This morning Siri is literally doing the opposite of what I'm asking for my thermostat.
I said "set the air conditioning to 77" ... and it turned on the heat to 77.
I say some variation of this exact command every morning this time of year (only the temp changes in my command) and today it's doing "opposite commands".
Lovely.
I said "set the air conditioning to 77" ... and it turned on the heat to 77.
I say some variation of this exact command every morning this time of year (only the temp changes in my command) and today it's doing "opposite commands".
Lovely.
I stopped using HomeKit when I upgraded to the new version a couple of years ago. Constant issues just ruined the experience..
In the various forums I read, you are not the only person who credits a UniFi network for significantly reducing or eliminating HomeKit issues. Not sure why the UniFi network is “mo betta” than any other good-coverage system such as, for example, a mesh network, but the posts are there to support this theory.
Even with my very limited number of HomeKit items as least one a week goes “No Response” in the Home app, frequently in conjunction with the almost-monthly network software update. I looked into changing out my home network (8 eeroPro’s in a WiFi 5 mesh) to a UniFi replacement. I came away from their website with the impression that I’d never be able to do that on my own. I couldn’t even determine what equipment I’d need. Apparently this industrial-strength networking requires industrial-strength networking experience, something I find confusing at best and at worst not doable.