Set up your HomePod, HomePod mini or Apple TV as a home hub

Set up a home hub to control your smart home accessories while you're away from home, share control of your accessories with others, and automate your accessories to do what you want, when you want.

• About home hubs and Matter accessories

• Set up HomePod mini or HomePod as a home hub

• Set up Apple TV as a home hub

• View and select a preferred home hub

• If your home hub isn't working as expected

About home hubs and Matter accessories

• You must set up a home hub to add Matter accessories to the Home app.

• Thread-enabled Matter accessories require a Thread-enabled home hub, such as HomePod mini or Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Ethernet or a supported third-party border router.

Set up HomePod mini or HomePod as a home hub

When you set up HomePod mini and HomePod,* they become home hubs automatically.

Set up Apple TV as a home hub

1. Open Settings on Apple TV.

2. Select AirPlay and Apple Home.

3. Select Room, then choose a room or add a new room.

Apple TV* becomes a home hub when you add it to a room in the Home app.

View and select a preferred home hub

1. Open the Home app on your iPhone, iPad or Mac.

2. Tap or click the More button.

3. Select Home Settings, then select Home Hubs & Bridges.

4. Your active home hub appears at the top of the screen. You can disable Automatic Selection to select a preferred home hub manually.

If your home hub isn't working as expected

• Only home owners can add HomePod or Apple TV to the Home app to set them up as home hubs. Open the Home app on your iPhone, iPad or Mac, tap or click the More button, and select Home Settings to view the owner of the home.

• If you are the home owner and can't add Apple TV to a room in the Home app, go to Settings > Users and Accounts on Apple TV and make sure your name is selected under Default User. Find out how to change the default user on Apple TV.

• Update your HomePod, HomePod mini, Apple TV or iPad to the latest software.

• Restart your HomePod, HomePod mini, Apple TV or iPad.

• Check that the device you set up as a home hub is in your home, connected to your home Wi-Fi network and turned on.

• Turn on iCloud Keychain and two-factor authentication for your Apple Account.