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Homekit: Accessory Already Added Issue?

During the installation process of my new Yale Assure Lock SL Wi-Fi and Bluetooth lock I added the August module to my Home app and realized I did it in the wrong order per the installation manual, so I removed it. I'm not unable to add the August module back to home Home app as I keep getting the "Accessory Already Added. To add this accessory to your home, you'll need to reset it first." After two and half weeks trying to debug the situation with August support (uninstalling the lock from the door several time, resetting the lock to factory default setting via the Yale Access app and the hard reset button in the lock. Removing all existing accessories from Home app and completely deleting my home the that I had setup in the Home app several time. Disabling iCloud sync on all devices) with no avail. I'm now turning to the Apple community for assistance. The last point I'll add is the Yale Access app has a add lock to Homekit Setup and during that setup process I get stuck on the following screen "We were unable to find your device. Please make sure the device is nearby and powered on". I'm able to open and close the lock via bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and over the Internet without any issue through the Yale Access app. Any help will be greatly appreciated.


Posted on Nov 14, 2020 12:37 PM

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Posted on Nov 27, 2020 4:10 PM

Okay - I found a workaround that may work for some people.


I couldn't get the lock working with HomeKit on my iPhone, but my husband was home today and we decided to try setting the whole thing up on his iPhone instead. I did a factory reset of the lock and started again - this time using the August app on his iPhone, and then enabling HomeKit within the August app there too. It worked! This time the August app was able to set up HomeKit successfully.


Of course this option only works if you have two people with iPhones in your house and you are okay with having the other person "own" the August setup and the HomeKit setup.


This workaround shows me that this is clearly a HomeKit problem. Removing accessories in HomeKit is not working properly. HomeKit is leaving behind information that makes the Home app think the accessory is still there - even though you can't see the accessory anywhere in the app. In an iCloud account that had never had the lock added and then removed (my husband's), everything was fine. In my account I couldn't get it to work no matter what I did.

41 replies

Dec 21, 2020 7:52 PM in response to LandLine

Thank you LandLine. This also worked for me. I disconnected the bridge from Wi-Fi and then factory reset the lock from the Yale/August app and then unplugged the bridge. I then re-installed the lock through the Yale/August app and I was able to add it to Homekit. After testing that the locked worked via the Home app I then proceeded to add the Wi-Fi bridge back to the Yale/August app with success. I hope this also works for the others on this thread.


Dec 22, 2020 7:26 PM in response to djoneswi

Hi everyone. Really hope this helps...


I struggled for weeks with this as well. Tried everything you can think of, so I called AppleCare.


they called me this morning and walked through all possibilities.


this is actually not a HomeKit issue. It was a hardware issue.


I finally got it working by doing a full factory reset.


I opened the back plate, took out all batteries, left the august module in place.


you will then need to unscrew the two screws where the batteries were, as well as the bottom screw.


when you move the battery plate, you will see the board underneath.


roughly in the Center of it you will see a white button. This is the hard reset button.


you have to hold down for three second. Then while still pressing and holding it, you need to put the batteries back in.


you will here the Yale lock turn on.


this has successfully factory reset it.


then I found something funny. I couldn’t setup the august connect properly from the Yale app. I had to use the august app instead, weird.


anyways. I hope this helps.


cheers

Dec 23, 2020 6:54 AM in response to grhodson

Well here we are 25 days later and no replacement module. Multiple calls to Yale and I have now been told that they were out of modules and miracle of miracles they just came in and they will send one today.


I have not tried playing with it again - but having read some of the more recent posts, I may try one more time while I am waiting for a module.

Dec 30, 2020 3:11 PM in response to qthegaijin

Exactly the same issue with the Sensi/Emerson touch thermostat. Just won't re-add itself to Home kit, no matter what - have reset and re-added it several times to the Sensi App. I don't want to create a new home because I have many 40 devices connected to Home Kit, and a ton of custom schedules for art lights, blinds etc. Two of the other Sensi/Emerson thermostats in my unit (there are three) are working just fine with Home Kit.

Feb 3, 2021 6:49 AM in response to qthegaijin

I had the pleasure of racking my brain for an hour or two, trying to add my devices back into homekit after changing my wifi password to a stronger, more secure password.


In my attempt to connect my Sensi Touch Thermostat to Homekit, I either got Device Already Added, or Device Could Not be Added.


In order to resolve this, I had to Factory Reset the Thermostat using this sequence.


Menu > About > Factory Reset


Hope that helps everyone who is having issues adding their Sensi Touch Thermostat back into Homekit.

Mar 17, 2021 6:30 AM in response to Tonycicerone



Is there a way to reset the ecobee to factory default?


Try this:


From the Home screen, press Menu.

Select Settings.

Go to Reset.

Choose Reset All Settings then confirm your selection by pressing Yes.

Choose the reset option that suits your needs: ... 

The ecobee thermostat will be reset to factory defaults.


I grabbed that off the web from a google search. Not sure how helpful it is.


Hope that helps.



Jul 3, 2021 11:14 AM in response to Draps

This worked for me. The exact steps I took were:


1) Delete the wi-fi module (if you have one) and unplug.


2) Reset the module in the Yale / August app.


3) Reboot iPhone.


4) Remove the batteries.


5) LEAVE THE AUGUST MODULE IN! (not trying to yell, just trying to emphasize where I went wrong!)


6) Remove the screws and reset the Yale lock (hold down the white button and replace the batteries while holding the button down.


7) Setup master lock code and register lock.


8) Add lock to Yale app.


9) Add lock to Homekit though the Yale app BUT I entered the code. I did not use the camera.


10) After successfully adding to Homekit you can add the August Wi-fi adapter if you have one.


I've wasted weeks trying to get this thing to work in Homekit so I hope this helps at least 1 person :-)


Good luck!


Homekit: Accessory Already Added Issue?

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