HomeKit no longer knows when I have arrived home (it's back)

Recent updates all around to tvOS 16.3 (my HomeKit home hub), iOS 16.3, MacOS 13.2, watchOS 9.3 and my worst HomeKit problem has reappeared.


HomeKit doesn't know I'm home and so automations such as lights which are only supposed to run when 1) they detect activity and 2) I am not home, are running even though I am home.


Security cameras which are only supposed to steam and record when 1) I am not home and 2) activity is detected, are recording even though I am home.


I had this problem earlier and there is another thread on here where this is described - "HomeKit no longer know when I have arrived home". That thread closed so I couldn't add to it.


Hugely annoying and inconvenient to say the least to have home security which relies on HomeKit compromised. Quite concerning that this is the 4th tvOS release and this stuff is still not fixed. This all worked perfectly back in the 15.x and earlier days. It's not acceptable to break important security-related stuff that used to work.


I would have purchased HomePods or HomePod minis by now, but I can't invest in this system while it's broken and has been broken for months, and is showing no signs of converging on a solution.


With regard to me being home and HomeKit not knowing it, the only way I know to get some insight on this is to look at the FindMy map, where the symbols for me and my home are right on top of each other. So it makes no sense that HomeKit somehow doesn't know I'm home.


Is Apple every going to fix this?


I may be telling that there is no topic on this discussion board specific to HomeKit. Best I can classify this is under Apple TV since that's my home hub.

Apple TV 4K, tvOS 16

Posted on Jan 26, 2023 08:01 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 29, 2023 12:17 PM

Hello J2_7183,


It sounds like you've done well isolating the issue. For help with HomeKit be sure the steps below found in the article here are completed and requirements are met. Set up your HomePod, HomePod mini, Apple TV, or iPad as a home hub - Apple Support


"If your home hub isn't working as expected


You can also test removing and adding the accessory back with these steps: Add an accessory to the Home app - Apple Support


However as you're fully updated and if the issue continues, reach out to Apple Support directly to report the issue and further assist.


Contact - Official Apple Support


Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support



Best.

Similar questions

4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 29, 2023 12:17 PM in response to J2_7183

Hello J2_7183,


It sounds like you've done well isolating the issue. For help with HomeKit be sure the steps below found in the article here are completed and requirements are met. Set up your HomePod, HomePod mini, Apple TV, or iPad as a home hub - Apple Support


"If your home hub isn't working as expected


You can also test removing and adding the accessory back with these steps: Add an accessory to the Home app - Apple Support


However as you're fully updated and if the issue continues, reach out to Apple Support directly to report the issue and further assist.


Contact - Official Apple Support


Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support



Best.

Feb 11, 2023 12:14 PM in response to OrigamiFan1

My problem resolved itself after a couple of days.


Besides rebooting everything multiple times, one change which I made was to unplug the Ethernet connection from my router to my Apple TV and let it join the network on wi-fi (it had already been set up to join my network on wi-fi whenever a wired connection was not provided). This did not immediately fix the problem, so I'm not certain this was key to the fix. I have since left my Apple TV on wi-fi. In the instructions provided above by OrigamiFan1, the following bullet point is included:



I had not taken this literally in the past, figuring that devices which join my network via wi-fi and Ethernet are "on the same network". They are assigned IP addresses which differ only in the last byte, but are in different, adjacent sub-groups of 64. I'm not sure if this is important as I'm not an expert in networking by any stretch. I plan to eventually plug the Ethernet cable back into my Apple TV and see if the problem returns.


For now, however, I'm just happy that all the many problems I've been having for months with HomeKit seem to be resolved. Automations have been trouble free after this particular problem resolved. So it seems for me the tvOS 16.3 / iOS 16.3 /MacOS 13.2 / watchOS 9.3 set of updates did finally fix HomeKit. I hope this is true for everyone else as well and continues to be true.


One final detail to mention. I had chosen the option to "upgrade to the newer HomeKit architecture" when it was offered with the prior set of updates. I'm not certain if this is relevant at all in comparison to other folks who did not choose this option. I also don't know my prior choice here is making any difference at all in how HomeKit is operating for me compared to if I hadn't taken the option previously.

Feb 25, 2023 03:04 PM in response to J2_7183

This problem had reappeared. HomeKit does not know I'm home. This has been the case for a couple of days now.


A number of days ago I plugged the Ethernet cable back into my Apple TV, my HomeKit home hub -- I described this in a prior post above as guessing to be possibly related, given that this makes my Apple TV no longer literally "connected to your home Wi-Fi network" per Apple's instructions, although it was still on the same network but at a nearby wired IP address. At first everything was fine, including that HomeKit continued to correctly know when I was home vs. away. This problem appeared some days later.


I have unplugged the Ethernet cable from my Apple TV again, so that my Apple TV is now back to literally "connected to my home Wi-Fi network". I have also restarted my Apple TV multiple times, including one time after I had temporarily removed my Apple TV as my HomeKit home hub. The problem has not yet resolved itself after multiple trips away from home and back. Everything else in HomeKit seems to be working fine, including all my timed automations. Evidence from the FindMy app on my iPhone seems to indicate that the system in general realizes I am actually home when I am.


Current software versions are all the latest: tvOS 16.3.2 / iOS 16.3.1 / macOS 13.2.1 / watchOS 9.3.1.

Feb 27, 2023 06:42 PM in response to J2_7183

Like last time, my problem seems to have resolved itself after a couple of days.


As mentioned, after the problem appeared I had unplugged the Ethernet cable from my Apple TV home hub, so it was back to connected, literally, to my home Wi-Fi network, rather that on my home network at an adjacent, wired Ethernet address. Going forward I will plan to leave my Apple TV home hub on Wi-Fi.


The only other variable I can think that may have been related is that the problem seemed to have resolved itself coincident with, or just after, powering on my iPhone after it had been off for a number of hours. My Apple watch was on, however, during the time my iPhone was off. Just mentioning this in case it may have been related.


I am providing details here in case they may help someone else trying to troubleshoot similar problems.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

HomeKit no longer knows when I have arrived home (it's back)

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.