How to Use HomeKit in iOS

Upgrade your device to iOS 10., Get at least one HomeKit-enabled accessory., Learn the Home hierarchy., Follow the accessory’s setup instructions.,Turn on the accessory., Find the accessory’s setup code.,Open the Home app on your iPhone or iPad...

62 Steps 6 min read Advanced

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Upgrade your device to iOS 10.

    This update installs the Home app, which you’ll use to control your HomeKit accessories., Check electronics stores for products (e.g., security systems, lighting, smart locks, etc.) that say “Works with Apple HomeKit” on their packaging.See http://www.apple.com/shop/accessories/all-accessories/homekit for a list of HomeKit accessories you can buy directly from Apple. , This is how the Home app organizes your rooms and accessories:
    Home:
    This is the highest level in the app.

    Each home contains rooms, which contain accessories.

    Rooms:
    Your home will have at least one room.

    For example, you may add a room called Kitchen to your home.

    Accessories:
    These are the HomeKit-enabled products in each room, such as smart lights and thermostats.

    You may have accessories in the Kitchen and Office rooms in your home. , Every accessory is different, so you must follow its specific steps to prepare it for pairing with Home.,, In a few moments, you must snap a photo of this code to pair the accessory with Home.

    This 8-digit code follows the format 123-45-678 and can be found on the accessory or its packaging.,, If this is your first time setting up Home, the “My Home” screen will appear.

    If you’ve already set up a home and a room in the app, tap Home and select the room where the accessory is connected. , Home will now scan for compatible accessories and display the results as square tiles.If you’re adding a new accessory to an existing room, tap +. , The camera frame will appear., Home will snap the photo and pair with the device.If you’re unable to capture the code, tap Enter code manually to enter it with the keypad. , This is helpful if you plan to use Siri to control devices.For example, if your overhead light appears as “Philips 24E633,” tap that and change it to “overhead light.” , There are some room names set up by default (e.g., Living Room, Bedroom).

    Tap one of those options to add your accessory to that room.

    Tap Create New if you want to create a room with a new name. ,, It’s at the top right corner of the screen.

    The accessory is now paired with the Home app.Some accessories need additional setup steps.

    Refer to its manual to make sure there’s nothing else you need to do. , A “scene” will let you control multiple accessories at the same time with a single tap.

    You’ll be able to select which accessories are included in the scene, as well as what happens when the scene is activated.For example, you could create a scene that will dim the lights, lock the door, and turn down the thermostat when you leave the house. ,,,, Tap one of the four suggestions (Arrive Home, Good Morning, Good Night, Leave Home) or click Custom to start from scratch.

    The suggested scenes try to build a useful scene for you.

    For example, the Good Morning scene will automatically include the option to turn off compatible porch light. ,,, You’ll see a list of all accessories added to the scene., This is where you’ll set what happens to this accessory when the scene is active.

    For example:
    If you’re editing the Arrive Home scene, tap and hold the porch light and switch it to On.

    You may also disarm the security system and start warming the oven. , This gives your scene a test run so you can see it in action., This makes it so you can quickly turn the scene on and off from the Home tab and Control Center.,,, If you only have one, you should already be on this screen., Now you’ll see the accessories in this room as square tiles.

    The tiles will also display the accessory’s current status, such as whether it’s on or off.

    A thermostat should display the current temperature setting.

    A light may report its brightness level as a percentage (e.g. 75%). ,, On some devices, you’ll see extra features on this screen.

    If not, leave it open and skip to the next step.

    Here are some extra features you may see:
    A temperature control panel for a thermostat.

    A slider that controls lighting brightness.

    A volume slider for a speaker system. ,, Now you’re back at the Room tab., If you created a scene (one action for many accessories) that includes accessories in this room, you’ll see it under scenes., From the home screen of your iPhone or iPad:
    Tap the Settings app.

    Tap Siri.

    Make sure the switch is in the On position. ,, Here are some examples:“Set the brightness of the bedroom light to 35%” “Set the temperature to 67 degrees.” “Turn on the porch light at the beach house.” If you’re using a scene like Leave Home or Good Morning, you could say “I’m leaving” or “good morning” to activate the scene. , You can use the iOS Control Center to quickly manage any accessories you’ve saved as Favorites.See Customizing an Accessory to learn how to add accessories to your Favorites. , The main screen of the Control Center will appear., The Home controls are on the last screen of the Control Center.

    You’ll see a house icon at the top and your favorite accessories as tiles below.The tiles also report some information about each accessory, such as whether it’s turned on or off. ,, Like controlling accessories with the Home app, long-pressing a tile will bring up extra features for certain accessories.

    For example, rather than tapping a light to turn it off, tap and hold it to reach the on-screen dimmer, then drag the dimmer to the desired position. , If you added a scene to your favorites in the Home app, it will appear on this screen.,,, You can edit an accessory’s settings, such as its name, icon, and group settings, at any time., If you only have one Home, you’ll be there already.,,,, Enter a name that describes the accessory (e.g., overhead lighting, Bob’s speakers)., If you want to move the accessory to a different room, you can select the new room here.

    You can also tap Create New to set up a brand new room. , This adds a tile for this accessory to the Home tab and the Control Center.,, You can add a new room to your home at any time., It’s the center icon at the bottom of the screen., It’s the round icon at the top left corner.,,, The room will now appear in your home.
  2. Step 2: Get at least one HomeKit-enabled accessory.

  3. Step 3: Learn the Home hierarchy.

  4. Step 4: Follow the accessory’s setup instructions.

  5. Step 5: Turn on the accessory.

  6. Step 6: Find the accessory’s setup code.

  7. Step 7: Open the Home app on your iPhone or iPad.

  8. Step 8: Tap Get Started.

  9. Step 9: Tap Add Accessory.

  10. Step 10: Tap the accessory.

  11. Step 11: Position the setup code in the frame.

  12. Step 12: Tap the accessory name to change it.

  13. Step 13: Tap Location to select a room.

  14. Step 14: Turn on “Include in Favorites.” Flipping this switch on adds the accessory to the Home tab of the Home app and the Control Center

  15. Step 15: making it easy to access.

  16. Step 16: Tap Done.

  17. Step 17: Open the Home app.

  18. Step 18: Select your home.

  19. Step 19: Tap +.

  20. Step 20: Tap Add Scene.

  21. Step 21: Tap to select a scene.

  22. Step 22: Tap Add or Remove Accessories.

  23. Step 23: Tap accessories to add to the scene.

  24. Step 24: Tap Done.

  25. Step 25: Tap and hold an accessory.

  26. Step 26: Tap Test This Scene.

  27. Step 27: Turn on Show in Favorites.

  28. Step 28: Tap Done.

  29. Step 29: Open the Home app.

  30. Step 30: Select your home.

  31. Step 31: Tap the Rooms tab.

  32. Step 32: Tap an accessory to turn it on or off.

  33. Step 33: Tap and hold an accessory.

  34. Step 34: Tap Details.

  35. Step 35: Tap Done.

  36. Step 36: Tap a scene to turn it on or off.

  37. Step 37: Make sure Siri is on.

  38. Step 38: Say “Hey Siri.” This tells Siri to start listening.

  39. Step 39: Say your command.

  40. Step 40: Go to the home screen of iOS device.

  41. Step 41: Swipe up from the bottom edge.

  42. Step 42: Swipe all the way to the right.

  43. Step 43: Tap an accessory to turn it on or off.

  44. Step 44: Tap and hold an accessory to change other features.

  45. Step 45: Tap Scenes.

  46. Step 46: Tap a scene to turn it on or off.

  47. Step 47: Swipe down to close Control Center.

  48. Step 48: Open the Home app.

  49. Step 49: Select your Home.

  50. Step 50: Tap {{button|Rooms}.

  51. Step 51: Tap and hold an accessory.

  52. Step 52: Tap Details.

  53. Step 53: Tap the name to change it.

  54. Step 54: Tap Location.

  55. Step 55: Turn on “Include in Favorites”.

  56. Step 56: Tap Done.

  57. Step 57: Open the Home app.

  58. Step 58: Tap Rooms.

  59. Step 59: Tap the menu icon.

  60. Step 60: Tap Add Room.

  61. Step 61: Enter a name for the room.

  62. Step 62: Tap Save.

Detailed Guide

This update installs the Home app, which you’ll use to control your HomeKit accessories., Check electronics stores for products (e.g., security systems, lighting, smart locks, etc.) that say “Works with Apple HomeKit” on their packaging.See http://www.apple.com/shop/accessories/all-accessories/homekit for a list of HomeKit accessories you can buy directly from Apple. , This is how the Home app organizes your rooms and accessories:
Home:
This is the highest level in the app.

Each home contains rooms, which contain accessories.

Rooms:
Your home will have at least one room.

For example, you may add a room called Kitchen to your home.

Accessories:
These are the HomeKit-enabled products in each room, such as smart lights and thermostats.

You may have accessories in the Kitchen and Office rooms in your home. , Every accessory is different, so you must follow its specific steps to prepare it for pairing with Home.,, In a few moments, you must snap a photo of this code to pair the accessory with Home.

This 8-digit code follows the format 123-45-678 and can be found on the accessory or its packaging.,, If this is your first time setting up Home, the “My Home” screen will appear.

If you’ve already set up a home and a room in the app, tap Home and select the room where the accessory is connected. , Home will now scan for compatible accessories and display the results as square tiles.If you’re adding a new accessory to an existing room, tap +. , The camera frame will appear., Home will snap the photo and pair with the device.If you’re unable to capture the code, tap Enter code manually to enter it with the keypad. , This is helpful if you plan to use Siri to control devices.For example, if your overhead light appears as “Philips 24E633,” tap that and change it to “overhead light.” , There are some room names set up by default (e.g., Living Room, Bedroom).

Tap one of those options to add your accessory to that room.

Tap Create New if you want to create a room with a new name. ,, It’s at the top right corner of the screen.

The accessory is now paired with the Home app.Some accessories need additional setup steps.

Refer to its manual to make sure there’s nothing else you need to do. , A “scene” will let you control multiple accessories at the same time with a single tap.

You’ll be able to select which accessories are included in the scene, as well as what happens when the scene is activated.For example, you could create a scene that will dim the lights, lock the door, and turn down the thermostat when you leave the house. ,,,, Tap one of the four suggestions (Arrive Home, Good Morning, Good Night, Leave Home) or click Custom to start from scratch.

The suggested scenes try to build a useful scene for you.

For example, the Good Morning scene will automatically include the option to turn off compatible porch light. ,,, You’ll see a list of all accessories added to the scene., This is where you’ll set what happens to this accessory when the scene is active.

For example:
If you’re editing the Arrive Home scene, tap and hold the porch light and switch it to On.

You may also disarm the security system and start warming the oven. , This gives your scene a test run so you can see it in action., This makes it so you can quickly turn the scene on and off from the Home tab and Control Center.,,, If you only have one, you should already be on this screen., Now you’ll see the accessories in this room as square tiles.

The tiles will also display the accessory’s current status, such as whether it’s on or off.

A thermostat should display the current temperature setting.

A light may report its brightness level as a percentage (e.g. 75%). ,, On some devices, you’ll see extra features on this screen.

If not, leave it open and skip to the next step.

Here are some extra features you may see:
A temperature control panel for a thermostat.

A slider that controls lighting brightness.

A volume slider for a speaker system. ,, Now you’re back at the Room tab., If you created a scene (one action for many accessories) that includes accessories in this room, you’ll see it under scenes., From the home screen of your iPhone or iPad:
Tap the Settings app.

Tap Siri.

Make sure the switch is in the On position. ,, Here are some examples:“Set the brightness of the bedroom light to 35%” “Set the temperature to 67 degrees.” “Turn on the porch light at the beach house.” If you’re using a scene like Leave Home or Good Morning, you could say “I’m leaving” or “good morning” to activate the scene. , You can use the iOS Control Center to quickly manage any accessories you’ve saved as Favorites.See Customizing an Accessory to learn how to add accessories to your Favorites. , The main screen of the Control Center will appear., The Home controls are on the last screen of the Control Center.

You’ll see a house icon at the top and your favorite accessories as tiles below.The tiles also report some information about each accessory, such as whether it’s turned on or off. ,, Like controlling accessories with the Home app, long-pressing a tile will bring up extra features for certain accessories.

For example, rather than tapping a light to turn it off, tap and hold it to reach the on-screen dimmer, then drag the dimmer to the desired position. , If you added a scene to your favorites in the Home app, it will appear on this screen.,,, You can edit an accessory’s settings, such as its name, icon, and group settings, at any time., If you only have one Home, you’ll be there already.,,,, Enter a name that describes the accessory (e.g., overhead lighting, Bob’s speakers)., If you want to move the accessory to a different room, you can select the new room here.

You can also tap Create New to set up a brand new room. , This adds a tile for this accessory to the Home tab and the Control Center.,, You can add a new room to your home at any time., It’s the center icon at the bottom of the screen., It’s the round icon at the top left corner.,,, The room will now appear in your home.

About the Author

J

John Harris

John Harris has dedicated 11 years to mastering lifestyle and practical guides. As a content creator, John focuses on providing actionable tips and step-by-step guides.

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