While Apple barely mentioned its smart location level during its WWDC 2024 keynote this week, Apple Home users tin still rejoice complete an update discovered successful nan first iOS 18 beta: they’re getting nan action to take a “Preferred Home Hub.” This fixes nan problem of your smart location “deciding” to tally complete Wi-Fi done a HomePod erstwhile there’s a perfectly bully Apple TV utilizing ethernet sitting correct there.
Eagle-eyed Redditors connected nan HomeKit subreddit spotted that, successful nan iOS 18 beta, there’s a caller action to prime your preferred Home hub alternatively of relying connected Apple’s automatic selection, nan existent choice.
HomeKit users took to nan thread to express their joy astatine this move, saying, among different things, that “This is nan astir important characteristic update successful nan history of Homekit,” “This is nan top news I’ve ever received,” and “I can’t judge it! Apple really listened!!!”
What this does is let users to take to person their Apple Home automations tally complete a hardwired Apple TV arsenic their main Home hub, alternatively than a Wi-Fi-based HomePod, thing wide acknowledged by users to make nan smart location level tally faster and much reliably.
An Apple Home Hub, specified arsenic a HomePod aliases Apple TV, adds nan expertise to create automations, power devices remotely, and alteration section processing for HomeKit Secure Video Cameras connected Apple’s smart location platform.
If you only person 1 Home hub, this alteration won’t impact you, but for group pinch ample Apple Home setups and aggregate hubs, nan inability to prime which 1 nan strategy is relying connected has caused vexation complete nan years.
While Apple will show you it chooses nan champion hub for nan job, Reddit users will show you this is not nan case.
While Apple will show you it chooses nan champion hub for nan job, Reddit users will show you this is not nan case. When Apple Home defaults to an older exemplary aliases 1 that uses Wi-Fi, immoderate users study seeing slowdowns successful automations and little reliability wide pinch their smart homes.
I personally regularly find my Apple Home moving connected a HomePod Mini successful nan acold area of my location alternatively than my hardwired Apple TV successful my surviving room. And erstwhile it does, my automations tally noticeably slower, and I often can’t entree my HomeKit cameras.
Prior to this change, nan only measurement to unit Apple Home to usage 1 peculiar hub would beryllium to unplug each your different hubs. Even then, erstwhile you plug them backmost successful nan strategy often reverts to its original configuration. And while you tin move disconnected Home Hub functionality connected an Apple TV, you can’t connected a HomePod.
But pinch iOS 18, Apple Home users will yet get nan power galore person been asking for. If you don’t want to hold until Apple releases iOS 18 successful nan fall, you tin download nan developer betas now. Fair warning: you’ll request it connected each your Home hubs for this to work, and that’s astir apt not a awesome thought if you want a smooth-running smart home.