Here's the New 'Home' App for Controlling HomeKit Devices in iOS 10

HomeKit users have long wished for a centralized, Apple-designed app for controlling HomeKit-enabled products, and in iOS 10, Apple has granted that wish, with the debut of the new "Home" app. Designed to be used on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, Home is Apple's new one-stop HomeKit control solution.

As can be seen in the video below, Home offers a simple, fast, convenient way to manage all of the connected products in your house. Not all accessories are fully functional with Home right now as its a beta, but support will improve before Home launches as part of iOS 10 this fall.


Opening the Home app brings up a main screen that lists all favorite Scenes and favorite accessories for quick access. The app's wallpaper is customizable, and a Settings section offers options for changing the name of a home and inviting additional users.
The "Rooms" section of the app is where new accessories can be added and new Scenes can be created, with Scenes able to work with all of the HomeKit-connected products in your house.

Each accessory can also be controlled individually by pressing on its name to bring up a set of options. With Philips Hue lights, for example, a long press or 3D Touch offers options for dimming lights and changing colors.

An "Automation" feature in the Home app allows HomeKit accessories to be set up to perform actions based on time and location, such as turning on the lights when the sun sets or turning on the air conditioning when you leave work. The Apple TV serves as a remote hub for HomeKit and in iOS 10, you can also set an iPad to serve as a hub to enable HomeKit devices to work remotely.

Along with a new Home app, iOS 10 brings support for additional types of HomeKit devices like air conditioners, heaters, air purifiers, humidifiers, cameras, and doorbells.

For full details on the new features coming in iOS 10, make sure to check out our iOS 10 roundup. Don't miss out on our previous videos, which have covered watchOS 3, macOS Sierra, and other iOS 10 features:

- WWDC 2016 Overview in Seven Minutes
- iOS 10's Overhauled Lockscreen
- The New iOS 10 Photos App
- The New iOS 10 Messages App
- macOS Sierra - Siri
- iOS 10 Hidden Features
- watchOS 3 Overview
- iOS 10's Redesigned Apple Music Experience
- 3D Touch in iOS 10

We've also got roundups for all of the upcoming operating systems, including watchOS 3, macOS Sierra, and tvOS 10.

Related Forum: iOS 10