Apple may be bringing a new Home app to iOS 16, but that’s not all good news: Apple has confirmed that the iPad will no longer be able to serve as a home hub when the update arrives this fall.
When setting up an Apple-based smart home, you can choose a central hub that always stays in the house: This receives commands, sends notifications, controls automations and generally tells the other components what to do. In the past, the hub could be an Apple TV, a HomePod, or an iPad, but as of this fall’s launch of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, only the HomePod and Apple TV will work.
What was first spotted in the iOS footnotes of Tech Ctr was on twitter now confirmed by Macrumorswhich uncovered the following message in the latest iOS 16 developer beta:
A home hub is required for features like receiving accessory notifications and letting others control your home. You can’t view shared homes until those homes are also updated to the latest HomeKit. The iPad is no longer supported as a home hub.
This change is not too surprising. The iPad has always been an odd addition, as it had to be plugged in to actually function as a hub. Absently shoving your iPad in a bag and taking it on the train can result in automations not running and your family being bothered by having to turn on the lights manually — or worse, depending on how deep your smart home network is. integration works.
So now only Apple TV or HomePod, both devices for the living room. Apple hasn’t exactly set the smart home world on fire, but maybe that’s a sign that Apple wants to make some serious changes to how it works. Rumors are circulating about a new one HomePod with screen and a cheaper Apple TV are on the way, so this small change could lead to a much bigger one.
