PSA: Apple Ending Support for Old HomeKit Architecture in Fall 2025, Upgrade Before Then

Apple will officially end support for the previous version of Apple Home in the fall of 2025, according to an updated HomeKit support document. Apple says that users will need to update to the new HomeKit architecture by then to avoid interruptions with accessories and automations.

apple homekit ios 18 5
The updated ‌HomeKit‌ architecture was initially introduced in March 2023 alongside iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, and macOS Ventura 13.3, but there were some issues with stability that may have prevented some users from upgrading. In fact, it actually came out briefly in December 2022, but there were issues with missing devices, home sharing invitations that didn't work, problems with HomeKit Secure Video, and more, so Apple removed it until 2023.

Since then, Apple has fixed the ‌HomeKit‌ architecture and the problems have been addressed, but it is worth noting that the architecture breaks support for the Home app on devices running older versions of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

Users will have to upgrade by the end of 2025, though, in order to keep using ‌HomeKit‌. The upgrade does bring some tangible features like guest access, support for robot vacuum cleaners, and Activity History. Apple says it also provides faster, more reliable performance, especially for smart homes with a lot of ‌HomeKit‌ and Matter accessories installed.

The upgrade can be installed in the Home app by tapping on the More button, choosing Home Settings, and then tapping on Software Update.

Popular Stories

M5 MacBook Pro

Apple Announces New 14-Inch MacBook Pro With M5 Chip

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:07 am PDT by
Apple today updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, which is also available in updated iPad Pro and Vision Pro models. In addition, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro can now be configured with up to 4TB of storage on Apple's online store, whereas the previous model maxed out at 2TB. However, the maximum amount of unified RAM available for this model remains 32GB. Like...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

Apple Debuts New iPad Pro With M5 Chip, Faster Charging, and More

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple today announced the next-generation iPad Pro, featuring the custom-designed M5, C1X, and N1 chips. The M5 chip has up to a 10-core CPU, with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. It features a next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerator in each core, allowing the new iPad Pro to deliver up to 3.5x the AI performance than the previous model, and a third-generation ray-tracing ...
maxresdefault

Here's Everything Apple Announced Today

Wednesday October 15, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We didn't get a second fall event this year, but Apple did unveil updated products with a series of press releases that went out today. The M5 chip made an appearance in new MacBook Pro, Vision Pro, and iPad Pro models. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up our coverage and highlighted the main feature changes for each device below. MacBook Pro M5...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
iphone air thickness

Apple Said to Cut iPhone Air Production Amid Underwhelming Sales

Friday October 17, 2025 8:29 am PDT by
Apple plans to cut production of the iPhone Air amid underwhelming sales performance, Japan's Mizuho Securities believes (via The Elec). The Japanese investment banking and securities firm claims that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are seeing higher sales than their predecessors during the same period last year, while the standard iPhone 17 is a major success, performing...
Vision Pro M5 Announcement

Apple Updates Vision Pro With M5 Chip, Dual Knit Band, and 120Hz Support

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:14 am PDT by
Apple today updated the Vision Pro headset with its next-generation M5 chip for faster performance, and a more comfortable Dual Knit Band. The M5 chip has a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and a 16-core Neural Engine, and we have confirmed the Vision Pro still has 16GB of RAM. With the M5 chip, the Vision Pro offers faster performance and longer battery life compared...
MacBook Pro M5 Screen

New MacBook Pro Does Not Include a Charger in the Box in Europe

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:59 am PDT by
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip does not include a charger in the box in European countries, including the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, and others, according to Apple's online store. In the U.S. and all other countries outside of Europe, the new MacBook Pro comes with Apple's 70W USB-C Power Adapter, but European customers miss out....
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New 14-Inch MacBook Pro Has Two Key Upgrades Beyond the M5 Chip

Thursday October 16, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with an M5 chip, and there are two key storage-related upgrades beyond that chip bump. First, Apple says the new 14-inch MacBook Pro offers up to 2× faster SSD performance than the equivalent previous-generation model, so read and write speeds should get a significant boost. Apple says it is using "the latest storage technology," ...
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday October 14, 2025 8:43 am PDT by
Apple's AirPods Max have now been available for almost five years, so what do we know about the second-generation version? According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new AirPods Max will be lighter than the current ones, but exactly how much is as yet known. The current AirPods Max weigh 0.85 pounds (386.2 grams), excluding the charging case, making it one of the heavier...
macbook pro blue

Apple's M5 MacBook Pro Imminent: What to Expect

Tuesday October 14, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is going to launch a new version of the MacBook Pro as soon as tomorrow, so we thought we'd go over what to expect from Apple's upcoming Mac. M5 Chip The MacBook Pro will be one of the first new devices to use the next-generation M5 chip, which will replace the M4 chip. The M5 is built on TSMC's more advanced 3-nanometer process, and it will bring speed and efficiency improvements. ...

Top Rated Comments

oldmacs Avatar
23 weeks ago

Good thing Apple will be releasing new HomeKit support for older iOS devices. :rolleyes:
When people defend Apple arbitrarily dropping support for hardware, saying "it's not like the device will just stop working", this is another great example of how these devices are rendered unusable through the services that stop working.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lurker-Monkey Avatar
23 weeks ago
It doesn’t Matter.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WilliApple Avatar
23 weeks ago
I was an early adopter of the HomeKit architecture and got to say, I notice no difference from the old one. You guys are safe to upgrade now to the new one if you’re holding off for whatever reason.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
crisneat Avatar
23 weeks ago
That’s the contradiction that stands out to me:

Apple promotes itself as environmentally conscious, remember the whole Mother Nature skit during the iPhone event? but then makes decisions like this that push perfectly functional devices into obsolescence.

By ending support for the older Home architecture in 2025, they’re essentially forcing users to upgrade not just the Home app, but potentially entire devices if they’re running older iOS/macOS versions. That includes older iPads or Macs people might still use as HomeKit hubs. So what happens to those? They get tossed or shelved, not exactly eco-friendly.

It feels like the drive for performance and ecosystem control is overriding their sustainability message. It’s not just about updating software anymore, it’s about making sure all your devices are new enough to stay in the loop.

That’s a lot of e-waste.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JosephAW Avatar
23 weeks ago
Good thing Apple will be releasing new HomeKit support for older iOS devices. :rolleyes:
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarlJ Avatar
23 weeks ago
Just in case anyone is concerned, this is not a switch over to Matter or some other new communications protocol for the devices themselves, it's simply rearranging things so that most communication goes through a home hub of some sort, so that the hub will keep track of what is on/off/etc, and when your iPhone/iPad/etc. needs to know, it asks the hub and gets all the answers at once, rather than asking each individual device in turn.

I was a bit concerned a few months ago when this came up, wondering if some very old HomeKit switches would have problems with the change, but it all worked fine (yes, apparently there were some issues when the new architecture rolled out, but those seem to have been cleared up long ago).
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)