Set up and use the Home app

Turn on lights, adjust the thermostat, or set a scene to control both. With the Home app, you can easily and securely control the products that you use in your home — all from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, or Mac.

Set up the Home app, then you can control your home with Siri. Or set up home automations and let the Home app do all the work. Add your TVs and speakers, then you can control what’s playing throughout your home. You can share control with family and friends. And get notifications about the activity in your home so you never miss a thing.

Get started

*Samsung AirPlay 2-compatible smart TVs don't support HomeKit and can't be added to the Home app.

Add accessories

To add an accessory to the Home app, use your iOS device. You can't add accessories to the Home app on Mac. Before you set up your accessory, check these things first:

  • Make sure that it's powered on and nearby.
  • Check your accessory’s manual to see if it needs additional hardware to work with HomeKit.

Then follow these steps:

  1. Open the Home app and tap Add Accessory or Add Icon.
  2. Use the camera on your iOS device to scan the eight-digit HomeKit code, or QR code on the accessory or accessory documentation. If you have an iPhone 7 or later and see   on your accessory, hold your iPhone near the accessory to add it.
  3. When your accessory appears, tap it. If asked to Add Accessory to Network, tap Allow.
  4. Name your accessory and assign it to a room to help you identify it in the Home app and control it with Siri.
  5. Tap Next, then tap Done.

Learn how to add your HomePod, Apple TV, or AirPlay 2-compatible smart TVs and speakers to the Home app.

Some accessories, like Phillips Hue lighting and Honeywell thermostats, require additional setup with the manufacturer's app.


 

Change information about your accessory

After you add your accessory with your iOS device, you can edit information for it on your iOS device or Mac.

  • On your iOS device: Press and hold an accessory, then tap Settings.
  • On your Mac: Double-click an accessory, then click Settings.

From here, you can change its name and room where it's located. Turn on Include in Favorites to access and control your accessory in Control Center, the Home tab, and on your Apple Watch. 

You can also group together accessories, like lights, to control them as one accessory.

Learn how to check the status and get notifications for your HomeKit accessories.

Control Center will allow you to control up to nine accessories that you add to Favorites.

     

Control your accessories

You can use Siri to turn on and control your accessories. Or you can manually control them in the Home app.

Turn an accessory on or off:

  • On your iOS device or Apple Watch, tap an accessory.
  • On your Mac, click an accessory.

Find and adjust extra features, like brightness, color, and temperature controls:

  • On your iOS device or Apple Watch, press and hold an accessory.
  • On your Mac, double-click an accessory.

Want to control your home when you're not there? Just set up a home hub with a HomePod, Apple TV, or iPad.

Set a scene to control multiple accessories

Scenes let you control multiple accessories at the same time. For example, you can create a scene called "I'm here" that turns on all of the lights and unlocks the front door — all at once.

On your iOS device:

  1. In the Home app, tap Add Icon in the upper-right corner, then tap Add Scene.
  2. Choose a suggested scene. Or create a custom scene, then give your scene a name.
  3. Tap Add Accessories.
  4. Tap the accessories that you want to add, then tap Done.
  5. To adjust the settings for an accessory, press and hold it. To preview the scene, tap Test This Scene. Turn on Include in Favorites to access your scene in Control Center, Home tab, and Apple Watch.
  6. Tap Done.

On your Mac:

  1. In the Home app, click Add Icon, then Add Scene.
  2. Choose a suggested scene. Or create a custom scene, then give your scene a name.
  3. Click Add Accessories.
  4. Click the accessories that you want to add, then click Done.
  5. To adjust the settings for an accessory, double-click it. To preview the scene, click Test This Scene. Turn on Include in Favorites to access your scene in Control Center, Home tab, and Apple Watch.
  6. Click Done.

To turn on a scene, tap or click it. Or ask Siri. If you set up a home hub, you can also automate a scene.

To add or remove accessories from a scene on your iOS device, press and hold a scene, then tap Settings. On your Mac, double-click a scene, then click Settings.

Organize accessories by room and zone

Organize your accessories by room to help you keep track of where your accessories are located and control rooms with Siri. You can also group rooms into a zone, like upstairs or downstairs.

Add a room

On your iOS device:

  1. Tap the Rooms tab, tap Rooms Icon in the upper-left corner, then tap Room Settings.
  2. Tap Add Room.
  3. Give your room a name, then tap Save.

To navigate between different rooms, tap the Rooms tab at the bottom, then swipe right or left across the screen.

On your Mac:

  1. In the menu bar, go to Edit > Edit Room.
  2. Click Rooms.
  3. Click Add Room. 
  4. Give your room a name, click Save, then click Done.

To navigate between different rooms, click Home Icon in the toolbar, then select a room. Or go to the Rooms tab and swipe left or right with two fingers on your Trackpad or Magic Mouse.

Assign accessories to a room

  • On your iOS device: Press and hold an accessory, tap Settings > Room, choose a room, then tap Done.
  • On your Mac: Double-click an accessory and click Settings in the upper-right corner. Then click Room, choose a room, then click Done.

Organize rooms into a zone

Group rooms together into a zone, like upstairs or downstairs, to easily control different areas of your home with Siri.

On your iOS device:

  1. Tap the Rooms tab, tap Rooms Icon in the upper-left corner, then tap Room Settings.
  2. Tap a room, like Living Room.
  3. Tap Zone. Tap a suggested zone or tap Create New.
  4. Tap Done.

On your Mac:

  1. Choose Edit > Edit Room.
  2. Click Rooms, then click a room.
  3. Click Zone, then click a suggested zone or click Create New.
  4. Click Done.

Delete your home or remove accessories

To remove an accessory from the Home app:

  • On your iOS device: Press and hold an accessory, tap Settings, then scroll to the bottom and tap Remove Accessory.
  • On your Mac: Double-click an accessory, click Settings, then scroll down and click Remove Accessory.

If you remove your home from the Home app, all of its data, like accessories, scenes, automations, and people you’ve invited to control your home, will be deleted. You’ll also need to reset each of your accessories before you can set them up again. To reset your accessory, look for a button on the accessory, check its manual, or contact the manufacturer.

To delete your Home and all of its data from the Home app:

  • On your iOS device: Tap Home Settings Icon in the upper-left corner, then scroll to the bottom and tap Remove Home.
  • On your Mac: Go to Edit > Edit Home, then scroll to the bottom and click Remove Home.

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