Apple Confirms iPad Will No Longer Be Supported as a Home Hub in iOS 16
The iPad will no longer be able to be used as a home hub following the launch of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, and the HomePod 16 software this fall, Apple confirmed today.
As discovered in iOS 16 code by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser, Apple says that the iPad will no longer be supported as a home hub. This information will be displayed in the Home app after updating to iOS 16.
A home hub is required to take advantage of features like receiving accessory notifications and allowing other people to control your home. You will not be able to view shared homes until those homes are also upgraded to the latest HomeKit. iPad will no longer be supported as a home hub.
With Apple dropping support for the iPad as a home hub, users will need to have a HomePod, HomePod mini, or Apple TV to take advantage of features enabled by a hub, such as accessing accessories remotely with Siri and using location-based automation features.
Apple's iOS 16 preview webpage suggested that the iPad would not be able to be used as a home hub, but it was not confirmed until now because in the first iPadOS 16 beta, it was still possible to set an iPad as a home hub. "Only Apple TV and HomePod are supported as home hubs," reads the website.
The wording in the code found in the second beta of iOS 16 suggests that Apple is removing the home hub functionality from the iPad. The company has not explained why the iPad will no longer function as a home hub, but it could be related to Apple's upcoming cross-platform Matter smart home standard implementation.
Coming later this year, Matter will let HomeKit users add more smart home accessories to their HomeKit setups.
Related Stories
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.
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...
Though code in iOS 16 has indicated that the iPad won't work as a home hub following the update, an Apple spokesperson today told The Verge that the iPad will indeed still be able to be used as a home hub, but with a caveat - it will not support new architecture that is being introduced later this year.
The spokesperson said that Apple is planning to "introduce a new architecture," which...
Swedish furniture and accessory store Ikea today announced the upcoming launch of the Dirigera smart hub, which supports Matter. Matter is a universal smart home automation connectivity standard that is being adopted by Amazon, Apple, Google, Samsung, and other manufacturers. It promises smart home interoperability, and is just beginning to roll out this year.
The Dirigera is an upgrade from ...
Some Mac users who upgraded to macOS Monterey this week are experiencing problems getting USB hubs and other USB-based devices to work properly with their machines, based on scattered online reports. There have been several reports on Reddit, Apple's Developer Forums, and Apple's Support Communities about the issues. In some cases, users say the the USB 3.0 ports on their hub no longer work ...
Aqara HomeKit accessories are now available from the Apple Store Online in a range of European countries, the company has today announced.
Aqara products will be available from the Apple Store Online in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. To date, Aqara products have only been stocked in Apple Stores in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao.
Review: Aqara Camera Hub G2H and Sensors...
The Home app on iOS is getting a major overhaul with iOS 16, with Apple saying it's doubling down on reliability and ease of use.
Apple says it has made changes to the "underlying architecture" of the Home app to enable "faster, more reliable performance, especially for homes with many smart accessories."
With the new Home app redesign, all users' rooms are displayed on one single page,...
While the Apple TV was an afterthought during the WWDC 2022 keynote, there is indeed a new tvOS 16 update for all Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K models, with the first beta released to developers for testing yesterday. Below, we've rounded up several new features and enhancements coming in the software update.
An overview of new tvOS 16 features for Apple TV:Cross-device connectivity: Apple...
Today we have a pair of deals from ZAGG and Satechi, which recently kicked off summer sales on accessories like iPhone cases, iPad cases, USB-C hubs, wireless chargers, and more.
ZAGG
ZAGG is offering a BOGO sale on its cases from Gear4 today, letting shoppers buy one case and get a second for free for a limited time. This sale covers cases for the iPhone 13 family of devices, as well as the...
Popular Stories
The M2 MacBook Pro has started making its way into customers' hands and we're learning more about how it performs in a variety of situations, but all eyes are really on the upcoming M2 MacBook Air which has seen a complete redesign and should be arriving in a couple of weeks.
Other top stories this week included a host of product rumors including additional M2 and even M3 Macs, an updated...
Apple today began selling refurbished Mac Studio models for the first time in the United States, Canada, and select European countries, such as Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
In the United States, two refurbished Mac Studio configurations are currently available, including one with the M1 Max chip (10-core CPU and 24-core GPU) for...
The redesigned MacBook Air with the all-new M2 Apple silicon chip will be available for customers starting Friday, July 15, MacRumors has learned from a retail source. The new MacBook Air was announced and previewed during WWDC earlier this month, with Apple stating availability will begin in July. The MacBook Air features a redesigned body that is thinner and lighter than the previous...
Apple's new 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 chip features a significantly slower SSD compared to the previous model, resulting in poorer performance in some workflows, it has been discovered.
Specifically, it has been found that the $1,299 base model with 256GB of storage has significantly slower SSD read and write speeds compared to the equivalent previous-generation 13-inch MacBook Pro....
Top Rated Comments