The Home app in iPadOS 14 is designed to make smart home control easier with new automation suggestions and expanded controls in Control Center for quicker access to accessories and scenes.
Adaptive Lighting for compatible HomeKit-enabled lights automatically adjusts the color temperature throughout the day, and with on-device Face Recognition, compatible video doorbells and cameras can identify friends and family. The Home app and HomeKit are built to be private and secure, so all information about a user’s home accessories is end-to-end encrypted.
The first time you open the Home app, the setup assistant helps you create a home, where you can add accessories and define rooms. If you already created a home using another HomeKit-enabled app, you’ll skip this step.
Before you add an accessory such as a light or camera, be sure that it’s connected to a power source, is turned on, and is using your Wi-Fi network. Now to add an accessory:
Tap Home in the sidebar, then tap the plus sign.
Tap Add Accessory, then follow the onscreen instructions. When you add an accessory, it’s assigned to a default room, or a room you choose.
You may need to scan a QR code or enter an 8-digit HomeKit setup code found on the accessory itself (or its box or documentation). A supported smart TV displays a QR code for you to scan. You can assign the accessory to a room, and give it a name, and then use this name when controlling the accessory with Siri. You can also add suggested automations during set up.
When you set up Apple TV in tvOS and assign it to a room, it automatically appears in that room in the Home app on iPad.
To change an accessory’s room assignment:
In the sidebar, choose the room the accessory is currently assigned to.
If it’s not already assigned, look in Default Room.Touch and hold the accessory’s button, then swipe up.
Tap Room, then choose a room.
Turn on Include in Favorites to add the accessory to the Home tab.
To rearrange your favorites, tap , tap Edit Screen, then drag the accessory buttons into the arrangement you want. Tap Done when you’re finished.
You can group rooms together into a zone to easily control different areas of your home with Siri, Apple’s “personal digital assistant.” For example, if you have a two-story home, you can assign the rooms on the first floor to a downstairs zone. Then you can say something to Siri like “Turn off the lights downstairs.”
To organize rooms into zones:
Tap , then tap Home Settings.
Tap Zone, then tap an existing zone, or tap Create New to add the room to a new zone.
You can change a room’s name and wallpaper, add the room to a zone, or remove the room. When you remove the room, the accessories assigned to it move to Default Room.
Tap the Home icon, then tap Room Settings.
Tap a room, then make your changes.
