Learn why you can no longer use an iPad as a home hub to control and manage your HomeKit and Matter accessories.
In iPadOS 15 and earlier versions, you could set up an iPad as a hub to remotely control and bind together all the smart devices in your home. However, with changes to Apple’s HomeKit framework in iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura, your iPad can no longer double as a remote hub for your home.
Why your iPad can no longer double as a home hub
Apple confirmed the change, with the fine print at the bottom of the iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura pages acknowledging that “only Apple TV and HomePod are supported as home hubs.” The same disclaimer appears in the feature’s description within the iPadOS 16 interface.
One reason for the removal of iPad-as-a-home-hub support could be Matter, which is an industry standard created to make smart home devices and platforms even smarter and interoperable. Apple has added Matter support to HomeKit, which is its software that powers compatible smart home devices.
While we’re speculating, perhaps software support for Matter requires an always-on device. Your Apple TV is always connected to power. Ditto for your HomePods, too. But your iPad runs on battery power. In iOS 15 and earlier, you must leave your iPad powered on for it to double as a home hub. So perhaps that’s why the Apple TV and HomePod are supported as home hubs, but the iPad is not.
What does a home hub do?
If you want to use smart home devices in your house, you also need at least one hub to bind them all together and make them talk to your Apple devices. If you have an Apple TV or a HomePod in your house right now, you already have a home hub. With it, you can fully control accessories for the connected home, such as smart lighting and door locks, with Siri and in the Home app. A home hub also lets you run home automations, receive notifications, and control your smart home appliances remotely over the internet.
Which devices can be your Apple home hub?
Your Apple TV, HomePod, and HomePod mini are automatically set up as home hubs for your HomeKit-enabled connected home.
Setting up an iPad running iPadOS 15 as a home hub used to be a manual process that required venturing to Settings > Home to turn on the option labeled “Use this iPad as a Home Hub.”
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