A few days ago, close to the presentation of iPadOS 16 during WWDC 2022, it emerged that with the new operating system, Apple’s tablets would have lost the ability to function as a HomeKit hub for reasons of logic and rationalization of the smart home platform. However, spokeswoman Catherine Franklin has contacted in the past few hours The Verge to clarify that this will not be the case.
Franklin says that basically with iPadOS and iOS 16 iPads will continue to be supported as HomeKit hubs “exactly as before“and while it is technically true it is essential to point out that one is on the way for HomeKit new architecturewhich will be available in the new Home app of iPadOS 16. And in this new architecture, iPads will not be able to work from the HomeKit Hub.
Basically, users will be forced to choose: new architecture, more efficient and reliable, but only on HomePod (also Mini) and Apple TV (HD and 4K), or old architecture with support also for iPad. Apple says the upgrade option will be offered to users directly in the Home app in an iPadOS 16 update following its release.
For the moment, Apple has remained very vague about the specific details of this “new architecture”. It should have to do with adopting the smart home communication standard Matter, which iPads won’t support for sure (at least, that was the official announcement at the time). For now, let’s take note and wait to understand what exactly will change when it becomes available.
