How to Set up and manage HomeKit accessories

1 Get started

Skip Home’s intro page, then tap Add Accessory on the My Home page to see nearby HomeKit-compatible accessories waiting to be added. If you don’t, tap the sentence at the bottom for advice. Otherwise, tap one to connect to it.

2 Add an accessory

Align the accessory’s sticker with your iPhone camera’s view to scan it and add the accessory to your home. Name the accessory, and add it to a room if you want. Making it a favourite adds it to the Home page and Control Centre.

3 Check for updates

To add more accessories, tap +, then Add Accessory. After doing this in the Home app, it’s worth downloading and opening any app its maker provides, as it may have additional controls, including the ability to install firmware updates.

4 The Home overview

Tap Home for a status summary and favourite accessories. Tap the arrow (top left) to rename your home, give others control, and see if a 4th-gen Apple TV or iPad 4 or newer, set as a hub in Settings > Home, is reachable for remote access.

5 Edit the summary

In the Home page, tap Details to see which accessories contribute to the summary. Apply a long/deep press to an accessory in Home or Rooms, tap Details, then Status and Notifications and set the Include in Status switch as you want it.

6 Organise your rooms

Tap Rooms in the bottom bar and swipe horizontally to see what’s in each. Tap the list icon, Room Settings, then Edit to set the order in which rooms appear. Tap Done then Edit to drag accessories in the room you’re viewing into a new order.

7 Group accessories

To control things as a group, long or deep press on an accessory, tap Details, then Group with Other Accessories. Name the group, tap accessories to add, then tap Done. Their tiles are replaced by one that toggles all of them on or off.

8 Create a scene

Scenes set more complex statuses of multiple accessories in one tap. They can also be triggered by conditions such as your location, temperature, or motion in a room. Tap + on the Home or Rooms page, Add Scene and then Custom.

9 Configure your scene

Enter a name. Tap Add Accessories, those to include in the scene, then Done. Apply a long/deep press to accessories in turn to set their statuses. A scene can be turned on or off from any room it affects, and Home if set as a favourite. Tap Done.