Apple's Home App Mandatory Update: What You Need to Know [2025]

If you own an Apple device and control smart home accessories, today might feel different than yesterday. That's because Apple just flipped a switch that affects millions of smart home users worldwide. The company's reimagined Home app architecture, originally announced back in 2022, is no longer optional. It's mandatory now.

This isn't a minor interface refresh. It's a fundamental restructuring of how Apple's HomeKit ecosystem works under the hood. And if you've been procrastinating on this update, you're not alone. Many users delayed the transition after the initial rollout caused headaches in early 2023. But those days of putting it off are over.

So what exactly changed? Why did Apple force this move? And more importantly, what do you need to do right now to keep your smart home running smoothly? Let's dig into the details.

TL; DR

• Mandatory update: Apple's new Home architecture is now required for all HomeKit users and is no longer optional
• Matter support only: Only the new architecture supports Matter-compatible accessories and recent features like guest access and robot vacuums
• Device requirements: You'll need iOS 16.2 or later, and a HomePod or Apple TV as a home hub for advanced features
• iPad limitation: iPads can no longer function as home hubs in the new architecture, a significant limitation for some users
• Auto-migration: Some users may be automatically upgraded, but most will need to manually initiate the transition
• Bottom line: Update today to avoid losing smart home functionality and unlock modern HomeKit features

HomePods and Apple TV have high compatibility with the new Home architecture, while older HomeKit devices and iPads may face issues. Estimated data.

What Changed in Apple's New Home Architecture?

When Apple announced the new Home architecture in 2022, the company positioned it as an internal improvement. Performance would improve. Reliability would increase. Support for new accessory types would become possible. But Apple didn't publicize the gritty technical details of what actually changed under the hood.

The reality is more significant than Apple's public statements suggested. The new architecture represents a fundamental redesign of how HomeKit communicates with your accessories, stores data, and manages permissions across multiple devices. It's not just cosmetic.

One of the most visible changes is how the system handles home hubs. In the old architecture, any iPad on your network could serve as a home hub, allowing you to control your smart home remotely and share access with family members. This was a major advantage for iPad owners who already had devices on their networks. But in the new architecture, only HomePods and Apple TV boxes can function as home hubs. This limitation affects accessibility for some users and creates a hardware requirement that didn't exist before.

The new architecture also fundamentally changed how HomeKit handles communication protocols. The old system relied primarily on HomeKit Secure Router, a proprietary Apple protocol for communication between your iPhone, iPad, and accessories. The new system maintains backward compatibility with HomeKit accessories but adds comprehensive support for Matter, the emerging smart home standard that's trying to unify how different brands' smart home devices communicate.

This is crucial because major accessory manufacturers have begun abandoning HomeKit-exclusive designs in favor of Matter-compatible alternatives. Eve Systems, Nanoleaf, Level Lock, and others have shifted their focus to Matter support. For Apple to remain competitive in the smart home space, it needed to support Matter natively. The new architecture makes that possible.

The data storage model also changed. The old system stored certain home configuration data locally on your primary device. The new system relies more heavily on iCloud synchronization, which means your home configuration can synchronize across all your devices more reliably. But it also means you need a stable iCloud connection for some advanced features to work properly.

Apple's decision to transition to a new architecture was driven by the need for cost reduction, feature compatibility, Matter standard adoption, and system stability. Estimated data.

Why Apple Forced This Transition

Apple didn't make this mandatory update on a whim. The company had several compelling reasons to force users off the old architecture.

First, maintaining two separate smart home systems is costly. Apple has to support both the old HomeKit protocol and the new architecture. That means duplicate code, duplicate testing, duplicate maintenance, and duplicate support resources. By forcing everyone onto the new architecture, Apple consolidates its engineering efforts and reduces the likelihood of bugs that only affect old-architecture users.

Second, the old architecture is fundamentally incompatible with the direction Apple wants to take HomeKit. Features like robot vacuum support, detailed activity history, and guest access were designed exclusively for the new architecture. Apple isn't retrofitting these features to work with the old system. Supporting both systems indefinitely would mean freezing the old one in place, unable to access new features.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, Matter adoption requires commitment. The Matter standard is only valuable if all major platforms support it equally. Apple wants to position HomeKit as a first-class Matter implementation, not a second-class option for users still stuck on old infrastructure. Forcing the transition ensures that Apple can make aggressive promises about Matter support without worrying about legacy systems.

Finally, the early bugs that plagued the rollout have been fixed. Apple encountered genuine problems when the new architecture initially rolled out in iOS 16.2, with some users reporting slow or unresponsive devices. The company paused the rollout, investigated, and re-released it more carefully in iOS 16.4. By now, after nearly two years of testing and refinement, the system is stable. Apple felt confident enough to make it mandatory.

But here's the thing: even with those fixes, some users will likely experience problems during their transition. Apple can't guarantee every accessory will play nicely with the new architecture, especially older third-party devices. The company is essentially forcing users to discover these compatibility issues themselves, which is why the forums are likely to be full of frustrated users over the next few weeks.

Understanding Matter Support and Its Importance

Matter is the smart home industry's attempt at creating a universal standard. Instead of having WiFi, Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Thread as competing protocols with different ecosystems, Matter aims to be a vendor-agnostic layer that works across all of them.

The practical implication is straightforward: a Matter-compatible smart bulb will work with HomeKit, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, and other ecosystems simultaneously. You buy one device and get to use it with multiple platforms. No more lock-in. No more picking a single ecosystem and committing to it.

But here's where it gets interesting. For HomeKit to support Matter accessories, the system needs to understand Matter's protocol, which is fundamentally different from HomeKit's proprietary approach. The old HomeKit architecture was built around HomeKit Secure Router and HomeKit-specific protocols. Adding Matter support would have required significant architectural changes that Apple deemed too disruptive to implement as a simple update.

So the company designed the new architecture from the ground up with Matter in mind. The new system speaks both HomeKit-native and Matter languages. It can communicate with accessories using the old HomeKit protocol, but it also understands Matter completely.

This means accessories like Eve Energy smart plugs, Nanoleaf RGB bulbs, and newer Thread-based devices will work with the new architecture in ways they either couldn't or worked poorly with the old one. If you've been eyeing Matter-compatible accessories but stuck with your old HomeKit setup, this is your moment to branch out.

However, Matter support in HomeKit isn't a free-for-all. Apple still requires a home hub (HomePod or Apple TV) to add Matter accessories to HomeKit and to control them remotely. This is different from some other ecosystems that allow local Matter control via your phone. It's another Apple tax of sorts, forcing you to buy additional hardware to access features that technically don't require it.

The HomePod mini and Apple TV 4K are the new required devices for Apple's home hub, costing

The New Features You Gain

The forced transition isn't all punishment. Apple also added several useful features that are exclusively available in the new architecture.

Guest Access is perhaps the most practical. You can now invite guests to control specific accessories in your home without giving them full HomeKit access. Want your dog walker to be able to unlock the front door but not adjust your thermostat? Guest access makes that possible. Previously, HomeKit forced you to share everything or nothing.

The implementation is granular. You control which accessories each guest can access and for what timeframe. A guest invited for a specific day loses access automatically. You can revoke access instantly from your phone. For families who share homes with contractors, cleaners, or regular visitors, this feature alone makes the update worthwhile.

Robot Vacuum Support arrived with the new architecture and is exclusive to it. HomeKit can now work with compatible robot vacuums from select manufacturers, letting you start cleaning jobs, check battery status, and receive notifications from the Home app. This might seem niche, but it represents HomeKit expanding beyond the typical light bulb and thermostat category into more complex appliances.

Activity History provides detailed logs of every action taken in your home. When was the front door last unlocked? Who opened it? At what time? What happened with your lights yesterday? This history syncs across devices and persists longer than the old system's fragmented approach. Privacy-conscious users will appreciate that this data stays in HomeKit and doesn't phone home to Apple's servers for logging.

Enhanced Automation capabilities let you create more complex rules and routines. Automations can now chain together in ways they couldn't before. You can set up scenes that trigger automatically based on multiple conditions, then execute complex sequences of actions when those conditions are met.

These features aren't revolutionary. But cumulatively, they make HomeKit feel more mature as a smart home platform. You're not just switching to new infrastructure for the sake of it. You're actually gaining capabilities that make a smart home more practical and controllable.

What You Need to Do Right Now

The process of updating to the new Home architecture is straightforward, though it requires attention to detail.

First, verify that all your devices are running supported operating systems. This means iOS 16.2 or later, iPadOS 16.2 or later, macOS 13.1 or later, tvOS 16.2 or later, or watchOS 9.2 or later. If you're running older versions, you'll need to update those first. Check your Settings app on each device to see what version is currently installed.

Second, open the Home app on your primary device. If you haven't already updated to the new architecture, you should see a prominent update prompt. The prompt explains that the new architecture is required and gives you the option to proceed. Apple also notes that some users may be automatically upgraded without seeing this prompt, though the company hasn't specified the criteria for automatic upgrading.

Third, tap the update button and let the process complete. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour depending on how many accessories you have and how stable your WiFi is. Your home should remain accessible during this time, but you might notice brief hiccups with remote access.

Fourth, verify that all your accessories reconnected properly. This is crucial. Some accessories might drop off the network or need to be re-added. Go through your Home app systematically, checking each room and each device. If you see "No Response" status on any accessories, those will need manual reconnection.

Fifth, test your automations and scenes. Sometimes HomeKit automations don't migrate perfectly during architecture transitions. Run through each automation manually to make sure it still works as expected. If something is broken, you might need to recreate it.

If you're that rare user who hasn't seen an update prompt in the Home app yet, force close the app completely and reopen it. If still no prompt appears, try signing out of iCloud on one device and back in. This sometimes triggers the update flow.

The initial rollout of the new HomeKit architecture in iOS 16.2 faced significant issues, but stability improved significantly after the iOS 16.4 re-release. Estimated data shows a sharp decline in reported issues over two years.

The Home Hub Requirement and Its Implications

One of the most significant changes in the new architecture is the elimination of iPad as a home hub. This affects far more users than Apple probably anticipated.

In the old system, any iPad on your network could serve as a home hub. For users who keep an iPad plugged in at home, this was perfect. You didn't need to buy additional hardware. The iPad you already owned fulfilled the role. Many families had old iPad models sitting around, and those worked perfectly as home hubs.

With the new architecture, only HomePods and Apple TV boxes qualify. An iPad can't do it anymore, no matter how new or how long it's been sitting on your network. This creates a genuine hardware requirement that didn't exist before.

Why did Apple make this change? The company hasn't explicitly said, but the reason is probably related to how the new architecture handles synchronization and data management. HomePods and Apple TVs have always been treated as more permanent fixtures in the home compared to iPads, which are portable devices that might leave the network. The new architecture probably makes assumptions about home hub permanence that an iPad can't guarantee.

The practical implication is that if you don't own a HomePod or Apple TV, you need to buy one. A HomePod mini costs around

For remote access, sharing control with family members, receiving notifications when things happen at home, and accessing any Matter-compatible accessories, you need one of these devices. You can still control your home locally when you're on WiFi without a home hub, but that severely limits what you can do.

This is where Apple's ecosystem lock-in becomes most apparent. The company is using HomeKit's remote access as leverage to get you to buy more Apple hardware. It's a legitimate business strategy, but it's worth understanding that this is a cost, not just a convenience.

Addressing the Early Rollout Problems

Many users delayed updating to the new architecture because of issues that appeared when it first rolled out. Understanding what went wrong and how Apple fixed it might ease concerns about the forced transition.

The initial launch in iOS 16.2 was troubled. Some users reported that after switching to the new architecture, their HomeKit accessories became slow or unresponsive. Lights would take five seconds to turn on instead of half a second. Scenes would execute sluggishly. Some accessories would disconnect and reconnect constantly. In a few cases, HomeKit became completely non-functional.

The root cause wasn't immediately clear to users, and Apple took time to investigate. What eventually emerged was that the transition process itself had bugs. The way HomeKit was migrating user data from the old architecture to the new one was introducing conflicts and inconsistencies. Some accessories weren't properly re-registering with the new system. HomeKit's iCloud synchronization was sometimes overwriting local settings.

Apple paused the rollout, went back to the drawing board, and re-released the new architecture as part of iOS 16.4. This second attempt was much more stable. The company had fixed the migration bugs and improved how HomeKit handled existing accessory configurations during the transition.

Since then, the system has been stable. Two years of usage in the wild has revealed very few major issues. The bugs that do appear now are usually related to specific accessory models that have poor HomeKit integration, not problems with the architecture itself.

This history is important context for today's mandatory transition. Apple is forcing this move partly because the company is confident the system is now stable enough to handle it. But some users will still experience hiccups, particularly those with older or unusual accessory combinations.

Matter offers high compatibility across major smart home ecosystems, enhancing device interoperability. (Estimated data)

Impact on Different User Groups

The mandatory update affects different user groups in different ways.

Casual Users with a few Philips Hue bulbs and maybe a smart speaker probably won't notice much. Their devices will likely transition smoothly, and they'll gain access to guest access and better automations without any real downside. For them, the update is mostly transparent.

Power Users who've built complex automations and scenes might experience some disruption. Automations sometimes don't migrate perfectly and require manual recreation. Complex scenes with many accessories might execute slightly differently. Some of these users might need to spend an hour or two rebuilding parts of their setup.

iPad-only Users who relied on an iPad as their home hub face a genuine problem. They either need to buy a HomePod mini or an Apple TV, or they lose remote access to their smart home. This is frustrating and represents a real cost increase for iPad users who thought their existing hardware was sufficient.

Users with Older Accessories might discover that some of their devices don't work well with the new architecture. Old HomeKit products from several years ago might have less robust implementations of the HomeKit protocol. These devices were fine in the old architecture but struggle with the new one's different communication patterns. Affected users might need to replace accessories that still work fine.

Matter Enthusiasts finally get what they want. All those Matter-compatible accessories they've been eyeing can now integrate with HomeKit properly. For these users, the new architecture is a feature unlock they've been waiting for.

Preparing Your Accessories for Transition

Making sure your accessories transition smoothly requires some preparation.

Start by identifying all your HomeKit accessories. Go through the Home app and note every device, what room it's in, and whether it has any customizations or special settings. You don't need to write this down if you have a good memory, but it helps if something goes wrong.

Second, check the firmware version of your accessories. Some older HomeKit accessories might need firmware updates to work well with the new architecture. Check the manufacturer's app for each accessory and update them if available. This takes time but prevents compatibility surprises.

Third, if you have any automations or scenes that are particularly important, test them manually. Make sure they work as expected before you start the architecture migration. This gives you a baseline to compare against after the update.

Fourth, ensure your WiFi network is stable and has good coverage where your accessories are located. An unstable network makes HomeKit transitions more problematic. If you have WiFi dead zones, consider adding a mesh router or access point before starting the update.

Finally, pick a time to update when you're available to monitor the process and troubleshoot if needed. Don't update your home architecture while you're traveling or about to leave home for the day. Give yourself at least an hour when you can check on things and fix problems if they arise.

Estimated data shows significant growth in interoperability and Matter adoption, enhancing smart home integration and functionality by 2025.

The Security and Privacy Implications

Apple has long positioned HomeKit as more privacy-conscious than competing smart home ecosystems. The new architecture maintains this positioning but with some important nuances.

HomeKit still encrypts all communication between your devices and your accessories. This is end-to-end encryption that Apple can't read. Unlike Amazon Alexa, which analyzes what you say, or Google Home, which learns your routines for advertising purposes, HomeKit claims not to use your smart home data for any purpose other than making HomeKit work.

The new architecture's increased reliance on iCloud synchronization raises some questions. How much of your home configuration is stored on Apple's servers? How long does Apple retain this data? Can Apple access it if needed? Apple's public documents are vague on these specifics.

Activity history, one of the new features, is particularly relevant. When HomeKit logs every action in your home, where is that data stored? Apple says it syncs via iCloud, but the specifics of retention and access policies are unclear. This is the kind of feature that privacy advocates would rightfully scrutinize more carefully.

Based on what's publicly available, HomeKit appears to be significantly more privacy-conscious than competitors. But the increasing reliance on iCloud as the backbone of the system means you're trusting Apple as a custodian of more information than before. For users concerned about privacy, it's worth thinking about what you're comfortable with.

Compatibility Issues and Known Problems

While the new architecture is stable, it's not perfect. Some compatibility issues exist.

Older HomeKit accessories sometimes have problems. The new architecture makes different assumptions about how accessories behave. Some devices that worked fine in the old system become unreliable in the new one. Common issues include devices that randomly become unresponsive or that take longer than before to respond to commands.

Certain third-party automation apps that depend on HomeKit sometimes break. These apps read HomeKit data directly and create automations that HomeKit's native automation system can't create. The architecture change sometimes breaks this integration. If you use a third-party HomeKit automation app, check whether the developer has released an update for the new architecture.

iCloud dependencies can be problematic for users with poor internet connections or who live in regions where iCloud services are slow. The new architecture relies more heavily on iCloud syncing than the old system. If your iCloud connection is flaky, you might experience intermittent HomeKit issues.

Some users report that HomeKit Secure Video, Apple's intelligent video doorbell feature, behaves differently with the new architecture. Recordings sometimes sync more slowly, and notifications sometimes arrive with delay.

None of these are catastrophic, but they're worth knowing about. If you experience something weird after the transition, it's probably one of these known issues rather than a unique problem with your setup.

What Happens to Older Devices That Don't Support the Update

If you're running iOS 15 or macOS 12 or earlier, you won't be able to use the new Home architecture. Apple has drawn a hard line at iOS 16.2 and macOS 13.1.

This is genuinely problematic for users with older devices. If you have an iPhone 6S or an older Mac, you can't update past certain OS versions. These devices will simply lose HomeKit access entirely. You won't be able to control your smart home from them anymore.

For users with multiple devices, this creates a fragmented situation. You might have an old iPad that you can't update, a newer iPhone that you can update, and a Mac that's somewhere in between. You'll be able to control your home from the iPhone and Mac but not the iPad.

Apple did give users years of notice that this was coming, so theoretically, affected users should have been prepared. In practice, many people don't pay attention to HomeKit architecture changes until something breaks.

If you rely on an older device as your home hub, now is the time to upgrade it or replace it with a compatible device. Waiting until the mandatory switch happens and HomeKit stops working is not a good strategy.

Planning Your Smart Home Going Forward

With the architecture transition complete, the smart home is entering a new era.

Matter adoption will accelerate. Now that Apple, Google, and Amazon all support Matter, accessory manufacturers have strong incentive to build Matter-compatible devices instead of building separate HomeKit, Alexa, and Google Home versions. This should lead to cheaper accessories and more choice over the next couple of years.

HomeKit's feature set should expand. Apple has been conservative about HomeKit features compared to competitors. With the architecture in place, the company can add more complex features without worrying about backward compatibility. Expect to see more sophisticated automations, more accessory types supported, and deeper integrations with Siri.

The importance of a home hub will increase. As HomeKit becomes more feature-rich, having a reliable home hub will become more critical. Your home hub handles a lot of work now, and future updates will probably push more responsibility onto it. Make sure you have a quality home hub and ideally a backup.

Interoperability between platforms will improve. Matter's promise is that your accessories will work across ecosystems. As Matter matures and more devices support it properly, HomeKit users will have the freedom to mix and match accessories from different brands with confidence that they'll all work together.

Privacy will remain a selling point. As concerns about smart home privacy grow, Apple's relatively privacy-conscious approach will become more valuable. The company might lean into this positioning more heavily in marketing.

Common Mistakes to Avoid During Transition

People make predictable mistakes when updating to the new HomeKit architecture.

Mistake #1: Updating multiple devices simultaneously. Don't update all your devices at the same time. Start with your phone, let the transition complete fully, and then update your iPad or Mac. This makes troubleshooting easier if something goes wrong.

Mistake #2: Updating before upgrading your home hub. If you're still using an iPad as your home hub, you need to buy a HomePod mini or Apple TV before you update to the new architecture. Don't update first and then realize you need to buy hardware. Buy it first, set it up, let it sync, then do the architecture update.

Mistake #3: Not testing remote access after updating. Just because local HomeKit control works doesn't mean remote access is working. Leave your house and try controlling something from outside your WiFi network. If remote access isn't working, troubleshoot it while you're aware of the issue, not weeks later when you need it.

Mistake #4: Assuming all your automations will migrate. They won't. Some will, some won't. Plan to spend an hour rebuilding automations after the transition. This isn't Apple's fault. It's just how complex system migrations work.

Mistake #5: Updating without a stable internet connection. The new architecture relies on iCloud. Make sure you have stable WiFi during the transition. Don't try to update over a cellular connection or a weak WiFi network.

FAQ

What exactly is the new Home architecture?

The new Home architecture is a fundamental redesign of how Apple's HomeKit ecosystem works internally. Announced in 2022, it improves performance and reliability while adding support for Matter-compatible accessories and new features like guest access and robot vacuum control. The key technical changes include how HomeKit communicates with accessories, how it synchronizes data across devices, and how it manages permissions and automations.

Is the update mandatory, or can I stay on the old system?

The update is now mandatory. As of today, Apple no longer supports the old HomeKit architecture. If you want to continue using the Home app and controlling your smart home devices, you must update to the new architecture. Apple will not allow older devices or apps to access HomeKit moving forward.

Will the update break my existing accessories?

Most accessories will transition smoothly, but some might have compatibility issues. Older HomeKit devices sometimes struggle with the new architecture's different communication patterns. You might experience slower responses or occasional disconnections with older accessories. Testing after the update is essential to identify any problems early.

Do I need to buy a HomePod or Apple TV to use the new architecture?

You need a HomePod or Apple TV home hub to access certain features: remote access from outside your home, sharing control with family members, receiving notifications, and controlling Matter-compatible accessories. If you only need local control when you're on your home WiFi, you don't strictly need a home hub, but this severely limits functionality.

Can my iPad work as a home hub with the new architecture?

No, the new architecture doesn't support iPad as a home hub. Only HomePods and Apple TV boxes can function in this role. If you were using an iPad as your home hub, you must replace it with a HomePod mini (around $99) or an Apple TV box before updating to the new architecture.

What is Matter, and how does it relate to HomeKit?

Matter is a universal smart home standard designed to make accessories work across multiple ecosystems like HomeKit, Google Home, and Alexa. The new HomeKit architecture includes native Matter support, allowing you to add Matter-compatible accessories to HomeKit and control them alongside your existing HomeKit-native devices. This gives you more choice in accessories and reduces vendor lock-in.

Will I lose my existing automations and scenes during the transition?

Most automations and scenes will migrate automatically, but some complex ones might not survive the transition intact. It's a good idea to document your important automations before updating and be prepared to rebuild anything that breaks during migration. Apple's transition process tries to preserve everything, but it's not perfect.

What devices do I need to update for this to work?

You need to update any device you use to control your smart home: your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or Apple TV. At a minimum, all these devices need iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, macOS 13.1, tvOS 16.2, or watchOS 9.2 or later. Older devices running earlier operating systems won't be able to access HomeKit anymore.

How long does the update process take?

The transition usually takes between 5 and 30 minutes depending on how many accessories you have and how stable your WiFi connection is. During this time, your HomeKit accessories should remain functional, but you might experience brief interruptions in remote access. Plan for an hour just to be safe and allow time for troubleshooting if something goes wrong.

What should I do if the update fails or gets stuck?

If the update fails, force close the Home app completely, wait a minute, and try again. If problems persist, try restarting the device, checking that you're signed into iCloud, and ensuring your WiFi connection is stable. If the update still fails, contact Apple Support for assistance. Don't panic, stuck updates can usually be recovered.

Final Thoughts

Apple's forced transition to the new Home architecture marks a turning point for HomeKit. The ecosystem was creaking under the weight of supporting two parallel systems. Forcing everyone onto the new architecture consolidates Apple's efforts and opens the door to the smart home future the company envisions.

For most users, the transition will be smooth and mostly invisible. Your lights will still turn on when you ask them to. Your automations will still work. But you'll gain access to better features, and you'll be positioned to adopt Matter-compatible accessories when you're ready.

For some users, this transition creates pain points. iPad users lose their free home hub. Users with older devices lose compatibility. Some accessory combinations might become unreliable. These are real frustrations, and Apple's communications around the transition haven't adequately addressed them.

But the transition was inevitable. HomeKit needed to evolve to compete with Google Home and Alexa. The new architecture is that evolution. Whether you're excited about it or frustrated by it, acceptance is the only practical path forward now that the architecture is mandatory.

If you haven't updated yet, do it today while you're thinking about it. Familiarize yourself with what changed. Test your automations. Make sure everything still works. And if you hit problems, remember that most transition issues can be resolved by removing and re-adding the problematic accessory to HomeKit.

The HomeKit ecosystem is more powerful now than it ever was. You've got access to more accessories, more platforms, and more features. The forced transition is the price of progress, and for most users, it's a price worth paying.

Key Takeaways

• Apple's new HomeKit architecture is mandatory starting today and no longer supports older iOS and macOS versions
• The transition unlocks Matter support, guest access, robot vacuum control, and enhanced automations exclusive to the new system
• iPad can no longer serve as a home hub, requiring users to purchase a HomePod mini or Apple TV for remote access features
• Most accessories will transition smoothly, but older HomeKit devices may experience compatibility issues or slower responses
• Users on iOS 15 or macOS 12 and earlier will lose HomeKit access entirely unless they upgrade their devices first

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