Smart home PSA: Apple's "new architecture" for Home app becomes mandatory today

In 2022, Apple announced it was adopting a “new Home architecture” for its smart home ecosystem to improve its performance and reliability and make it possible to support different kinds of accessories. Although it was mostly an invisible update when it worked properly, some users who attempted to switch to the new architecture when it first rolled out in iOS 16.2 ran into slow or unresponsive devices and other problems, prompting Apple to pause the rollout and re-release it as part of iOS 16.4.

If you put off transitioning to the new architecture because of those early teething problems or for some other reason, Apple is forcing the issue starting today: You’ll need to update to the new Home architecture if you want to continue using the Home app, and older iOS and macOS versions that don’t support the new architecture will no longer be able to control your smart home devices. The old version of the Home app and the old Home/HomeKit architecture are no longer supported.

If you’re like me, you hit an “upgrade” button in your Home app years ago and then mostly forgot about it—if you open the Home app on a modern iPhone, iPad, or Mac and don’t see an update prompt, it means you’re already using the updated architecture and don’t need to worry about it.

For those who haven’t upgraded, Apple’s support document outlines what you need to do: Make sure every device you plan to use the Home app on is running a supported operating system (“iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, macOS 13.1, tvOS 16.2, or watchOS 9.2 or later”), open the Home app, and tap the update prompt. Apple says that some users “may be automatically upgraded to the latest version of Apple Home,” but it didn’t specify under what circumstances an automatic switch will happen.

Apple has never gone into explicit detail on just what the updated Home architecture does, but the additions the company has made to its Home (formerly HomeKit) ecosystem in the last couple of years generally work only with the updated architecture and app. According to Apple’s support page, that includes “guest access, robot vacuum cleaners, and Activity History in the Home app.”

For features that require a “home hub,” like sharing control of a home with other Apple users, receiving notifications, or adding accessories compatible with the Matter smart home standard, switching to the new architecture will also require you to have a HomePod (either full-sized or mini) or a modern Apple TV box on your network. The old version of Home/HomeKit allowed iPads to function as home hubs, but they can’t be used that way with the new architecture.