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Time to abandon the old

Apple abandons old HomeKit

Apple tightens upgrade requirements for HomeKit users and abandons the old architecture.

Ove Kaufeldt
Published

Much suggests that Apple is approaching a new era for its smart home products. It is program code in the third beta version of iOS 18.4, which developers received on Monday, that indicates the existing HomeKit architecture will soon be phased out. The built-in Home app no longer seems to be compatible with the old platform. Users are already being warned with a message that support for the old version will soon cease and that they should update now to avoid disruptions in the management of accessories and automations. 

The new HomeKit architecture was introduced in the beta version of iOS 16.2, but it turned out to have such serious compatibility issues that it was quickly withdrawn. Instead, it made a comeback with iOS 16.4 in February 2023, when Apple marketed it as both "more efficient and reliable". Despite the technical improvements, the transition has not gone unnoticed. Since the new architecture breaks support for the Home app on devices powered by older versions of iOS and macOS, some users have chosen to wait with the upgrade. 

With the upcoming update, a number of processes within the smart home ecosystem are threatened with disruption if not all devices and systems are updated in time. However, Apple has not yet provided any details on exactly when the update requirement will take effect. 

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