Products, services, and OS functions
may not be available in this country.
iPadOS 26
iPadOS 18
iPadOS 17
iPadOS 16
iPadOS 15
iPadOS 14
iPadOS 13
Modifying this control will update this page automatically

Control accessories with Home on iPad

Use the Home app and Control Center to control accessories in your home.

Control accessories in the Home app

On the Home tab, tap an accessory’s icon on the left side of the tile—a light, for example—to quickly turn the accessory on or off. Tap the accessory’s name on the right side of the tile to show the accessory’s control.

The available controls depend on the type of accessory. For example, with some lightbulbs, there are controls for changing colors. With your smart TV, you can choose an input source.

Add accessories to Control Center

You can add Home scenes and accessories to Control Center for easy access to your most used accessories.

  1. Open Control Center on your iPad.

  2. Tap The Add button in the top left, then tap Add A Control at the bottom.

  3. Tap the Home Scene or Accessory control.

  4. Tap Choose Scene or Accessory, then select a home and device or scene you want to control.

View categories and home status

The Lights, Climate, Security, Speakers and TV, and Water categories let you quickly access all the relevant accessories organized by room.

  1. Go to the Home app on your iPad.

    Below your home’s name, buttons show the status of accessories belonging to a category—for example, a Lights category that shows “3 on.”

  2. Tap one of the category buttons at the top of the screen or in the sidebar to show all accessories within that category, organized by room.

  3. While viewing a category, tap the icon on the left side of an accessory tile to perform an action—turn a light or group of lights on or off, start playing music on a HomePod, or lock the front door.

The Home app with the sidebar on the left. Security is highlighted. On the right, the Security category button is highlighted. Below are security accessories such as locks and garage doors.

View Activity History

When you have a home hub using the new version of Apple Home and latest software, all the members of your home (except guests) can view the activity history for accessories like garage doors, locks, security systems, and adaptive temperature thermostats. For example, you can learn when a door was unlocked and who unlocked it.

  1. Go to the Home app on your iPad.

  2. Tap the More button, then tap Home Settings.

  3. Go to Activity, then tap One Month to view up to 30 days of activity.

  4. On the Home screen, tap the Security or Climate category, then tap Home Activity to show the Activity History.

Turn Activity History on and off

Only the home owner or a shared home user with permission to add and edit accessories can turn Activity History on and off. When you turn off Activity History, all previous activity for the home is permanently deleted.

  1. Go to the Home app on your iPad.

  2. On the Home tab, tap the More button, tap Home Settings, then tap Activity.

  3. Choose One Month to turn Activity History on, or choose Off.

Turn on Adaptive Lighting

Some Apple Home-compatible lights let you adjust their color temperature, from cool blue to warm yellow. You can set supported lights to automatically adjust the color temperature throughout the day. Wake up to warm colors, stay alert and focused mid-day with cooler ones, and wind down at night by removing blue light. For a light that supports Adaptive Lighting, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the Home app on your iPad.

  2. Tap the light’s tile to show the controls.

    You can also touch and hold the tile, then choose Accessory Settings.

  3. Tap the Adaptive Lighting button, then turn on Adaptive Lighting.

Note: Adaptive Lighting requires a home hub, a device such as Apple TV 4K (4th generation or later) or HomePod speakers.

Edit home accessories

To edit accessory settings, tap the right side of an accessory tile, tap the Settings button, then do any of the following:

  • Rename an accessory: Tap the Delete button to delete the old name, then type a new one.

  • Change an accessory’s icon: Tap the icon next to the accessory’s name, then select a new icon. If you don’t get a choice of other icons, it means the icon can’t be changed for this accessory.

Group accessories

You can control multiple accessories with the tap of a button by grouping them.

  1. Go to the Home app on your iPad.

  2. Tap the right side of an accessory tile, tap the Settings button, then tap Group with Other Accessories.

  3. Tap the accessory you want to group with this accessory—another light in the room, for example.

  4. In the Group Name field, type a name for the group.

  5. Tap Done.

    Turn on Include in Favorites to include the group in Favorites in Home.

See alsoSet up accessories with Home on iPad
Morty Proxy This is a proxified and sanitized view of the page, visit original site.
Helpful?
Character limit: 250
Maximum character limit is 250.
Thanks for your feedback.
Morty Proxy This is a proxified and sanitized view of the page, visit original site.