Apple has reintroduced the HomeKit upgrade to the new architecture in the beta version of iOS 16.4 released to developers today, after initially stopping the update at the end of 2022 after the release with iOS 16.2 and was not reintroduced with iOS 16.3, despite all expectations.
Upgrade via the Home app
In the current beta of iOS 16.4, the HomeKit upgrade can now be triggered again via the Home app. To do this, the home must be called up in the Home app and via the … menu at the top right, the “Settings of the home”. There you can click on “More info” via the “Software update” menu item, provided that the “Update for home available” field is displayed at the top. In the following you can choose whether the home should be updated now or later.
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HomeKit Upgrade in iOS 16.4 Beta
No more access for old devices
The user is also informed whether all other Apple devices such as HomePod, HomePod mini, Apple Watch, Macs, Apple TVs, iPads and iPhones that are connected to and can access the home are using a current software version that is compatible with compatible with the HomeKit upgrade. This is because connected devices that are not using the latest software will no longer have access to the home after the upgrade until they are updated. However, the HomeKit upgrade can be carried out despite the warning. In the test, mainly old devices (Apple Watch Series 2 with watchOS 6.3, iPad mini with iOS 12.5.6 and iPhone 7 with iOS 15.7.3) are currently displayed here, for which no current iOS, iPadOS or watchOS versions are available to be provided. They could therefore permanently lose access to the home in the Home app if no special update is submitted later.
The update for the architecture of Home and HomeKit should improve the performance and reliability of Apple's smart home network. However, Apple had to remove the function again after major problems, as some users' devices disappeared completely from the Smart Home and others got stuck in the “updating” or “configuring” status.
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