Apple Outlines What to Do If You Have Issues Accessing a Home in iOS 16.2

Apple today published a support document designed to help those who are having issues with HomeKit, outlining what to do if you can't access a home or accept an invitation in the Home app.

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Apple says that on an iPhone or iPad running iOS 16.2 or iPadOS 16.2, users should use the Remove Home option on any listed homes that don't have accessories. If the invited user has a home with accessories, Apple support must instead be contacted for help.

If there is a home with no accessories listed, after it is removed from the Home app, the invited user and home owner's devices need to be restarted, as do all Apple TV and HomePod devices in the home.

From there, the home owner will need to remove any pending invitations to the invited user, and then re-invite the user to share control of the home. An invited user must accept an invitation to access a home within three hours or the invitation will expire.


Apple's instructions come just a day after the new Home architecture that was introduced in iOS 16.2 was pulled. At the current time, Apple is not allowing users to upgrade to the architecture, likely due to multiple bugs that users have reported with the update.

Issues with the architecture update include ‌‌HomeKit‌‌ devices stuck in an "updating" or "configuring" status, devices going missing, HomeKit Secure Video not working, and invitations to share the Home with other users failing, which is what the support document addresses.

In a separate support document, Apple says that the new Home architecture will be reintroduced at a later date, and that it has been temporarily removed.

Related Roundups: iOS 16, iPadOS 16
Related Forum: iOS 16

Top Rated Comments

TonyC28 Avatar
24 weeks ago
Tell me you give zero f—-s about a platform you’re hosting without telling me you give zero f—-s about a platform you’re hosting.

Good grief what a joke. It’s crystal clear HomeKit is a weekend hobby to them because it doesn’t generate revenue but come on, this is getting sad.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
airwalk331 Avatar
24 weeks ago
Apple lost their touch. You can't trust any OS update. It's all, literal, crap : (
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TonyC28 Avatar
24 weeks ago

And yet it is working just fine for me,
Is it possible… just hear me out…is it possible that even though things went well for you they may not have for others? Could there maybe be a reason Apple yanked the update and had to issue this? Just…is it possible…?
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
haruhiko Avatar
24 weeks ago
Upgrading the architecture is an absolute mess. First the shared user disappeared and couldn’t accept the invitation, then after a few reboot of home hubs the user was finally added to the home with all sorts of problems. After that the HomeKit secure video failed to record anything, after another round of rebooting home hubs, the recording is still not back now.

I’m about to give up HomeKit. It’s an absolute garbage.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Burger Thing Avatar
24 weeks ago

And yet it is working just fine for me, I installed from the beta. But hey, I did figure out that:
1) HomePods had to run completely new versions of software. As with all new versions I added them to home via a reset. I mean how else would you do that they had to be removed from other homes on old architecture first. So your HomePod is about to reset continue holding until you hear three beeps
2) only other accessories were appletvs they added just fine

So ok this is an oversimplified case as I have no other Matter accessories. But if I did, I would guess that they had to be updated and reset as well
No offense but this all seems like common sense. Of course I wish installation was more Apple like. This kind of reminded me of windows and why I ditched it
No offence, but I have the slight impression that with your few HomePods and one Apple TV as your only accessory, you have absolutely no idea how complex home automation can grow.

And with “complex” I mean also its maintenance, updates and troubleshooting of multiple hubs, accessories of different manufacturers.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alexhardaker Avatar
24 weeks ago
Apple’s software quality has been going downhill ever since they fired Forstall 10 years ago
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)