Apple will ‘soon’ force everyone to use the new Home app

Back in iOS 16.2—and then again in iOS 16.4, after some initial teething problems meant it had to be pulled—Apple rolled out a new architecture for its Home app. This was a complete reworking of the way Home worked and was intended to improve its efficiency, reliability, and speed. Basically, the idea was that it would run a bit more smoothly than before.

That might sound like an obvious win, but iPhone owners are a skeptical lot. Besides, updating to a new setup can cause compatibility problems with devices still running older software. Whatever the reason, almost two years later, not everyone has updated to the new version… and until now Apple has been fine with that. But not for much longer.

According to 9to5Mac, code in the third beta of iOS 18.4 hints that the Home app will imminently stop working with the old HomeKit architecture. There are text strings in the code warning users that support for the old version “will end soon,” the site reports, and that they must “update now to avoid interruptions.” This same message will presumably apply to the iPadOS, MacOS, and tvOS Home apps as well.

That could leave holdouts facing a difficult choice: upgrade their entire smart-home setup to the new architecture, or find a way to control it other than Apple’s Home app. If you want to test it out now, you can tap the (…) button in the upper right corner of the Home app, and then select Home Settings. The prompt to update will be at the top of the screen.

iOS 18.4 is currently in beta. It’s expected to roll out to the general public in April. It’s unclear at this point when users will be required to upgrade to the latest version of HomeKit, but it seems likely to coincide with the launch of iOS 19 in the fall of 2025.