Homekit Automations are broken in iOS 16

As the automations don’t run on your iOS device but rather the homehub, running an iOS pre-release is unlikely to cause a problem. 

What you’ve experienced is the release of iOS 16 occurring at the same time as the public release of the corresponding version 16 of the homehub software (for appletv or HomePod). 

That’s why it appeared to break when installing the public iOS 16 release. But it wasn’t that. It was that your homehub(s) automatically updated.

The only way to resolve the Philips Hue setup in my home was to do the automations on the Macbook Air in the Home app there. The Air is updated to macOS 12.6.1. (Monterey). So I will keep that status on the Air until iOS and ipadOS have been corrected.

I created and automation for 11:00 PM that turned off all my lights, closed the garage door, and locked the doors. My Automations stopped working if I renamed them after creating them. If I left the name as it was when the automation was created, it would work. I did also create this automation as a shortcut that did work.

NOTE: It is my understanding the Regular Automations are hosted in the App on my phone, but Automations that are converted to Shortcuts are then controlled by the Hubs. Please let me know if that is not correct.

What actually solved my problem with the original automation was I went into my Apple TV 4K, which was also operating as a hub and followed these steps:

Settings

Airplay and HomeKit

Home Hub

Disabled

Rebooted the Apple TV 4K (not sure if I needed to do this, but why not...)

Settings

Airplay and HomeKit

Home Hub

Connected (to my home name)

I thought about deleting the entire Home App and Accessories, but that seemed extreme until I tried this approach.

I just did this today, so I hope it keeps working in real-time, but the testing I did makes me hopeful...

iPhone 13 Pro IOS: 16.1.2

Apple TV 4K (64GB, 2021): 16.1

HomePod Mini (2020): 16.1

I am having the same issue. ToD automations are not working with my Wemo outdoor switches. Sunset/sunrise work, but setting a simple on and/or off time is never triggered. Was hoping 16.2 would fix the issue. It didn’t. I updated my Apple TV and HomePod as well as my phone and iPad this eve. After recreating new automations with just an individual switch as well as a couple scenes that contain switches there is no change. ToD automations don’t work. WTF?

-Tom

This is the simple solution I've mentioned several times here as having worked for me. The reboot isn't required. The problem comes in when you edit an automation, it reverts to not functioning, and the home hub disable/connect is required to make it work again. I am wondering if this is still required in the most recent round of updates released by Apple today.

I’ve tried the “simple solution” you suggested (several times actually). I just now removed my HomePod entirely and now only have one (new) AppleTV as my hub. This time I reset that Apple TV and set it up again. The Home app shows the AppleTV as the only connected hub. I then created a simple ToD automation for the switch. It won’t trigger at the configured time despite working fine when I test it in the automation, or manually control the switch.

Btw, I have a Sunset daily automation using two of these same types of switches that has worked flawlessly for weeks. I had a turn off at midnight ToD automation that stopped working (it worked for several days), which is what started this for me…

Hey folks it definitely works to set up automation tied to SCENES instead. No resets required. Also scenes is actually better because you can set a bunch of lights to do a thing with a single automation. It’s only annoying if your automation is a single light. I will probably

use just scenes moving forward because it’s easier to edit, too!

Good luck !!

This is not my experience. My original issue was, and continues to be, an automation with scenes. Two switches both in a “Xmas lights On” and “Xmas lights Off” scene. On scene is triggered at sunset and works great. Off scene is triggered at midnight, stopped working, and does not work no matter what I’ve tried thus far.

pbenag01 wrote:

What do you mean by "edit an automation"? Changing the Name of the Automation, Adding/Deleting Accessories, Change Timing, or something else?

I mean, making any change to the automation after you've created it. For instance, an automation that turns on a switch a half hour before sunset and turns it off two hours later. It works if left alone. But change the turn-off to three hours, and it stops working. Disable and re-enable the home hub and it works again, with the new settings. I don't know why this solution is working for me (and others), but some find it doesn't.

Thomas Easterday wrote:

I’ve tried the “simple solution” you suggested (several times actually). I just now removed my HomePod entirely and now only have one (new) AppleTV as my hub. This time I reset that Apple TV and set it up again. The Home app shows the AppleTV as the only connected hub. I then created a simple ToD automation for the switch. It won’t trigger at the configured time despite working fine when I test it in the automation, or manually control the switch.

Btw, I have a Sunset daily automation using two of these same types of switches that has worked flawlessly for weeks. I had a turn off at midnight ToD automation that stopped working (it worked for several days), which is what started this for me…

Try changing the order of your steps. Disable and re-enable the home hub after you create the automation and see if that works.

iOS 16.2 now and still issues noticed of automations that are working half, others refusing to launch at certain time, automation that are triggerd by devices changes not always working etc. I’m now converting every automation and devices to home assistant, and started to build the automations in home assistent instead.

Within home assistent I created a HomeKit bridge so I can still use everything in Apple home as a “dumb” switch.

So extremely disappointed in Apple because of this.

And singing out, singing in, deleting app, reinstalling app and whatsoever tricks we can invent to solve it. Sorry guys, but that’s not a solution…

Same issue, same inconsistencies. In my case I achieve a state of relatively good operations when I make sure that my Apple TV 4K 2017 is NOT the connected hub. Any HomePod works, but nothing will run reliably on the appletv. I have since disabled it as a hub.

This is interesting. For a week or so I’ve been running 16.2 on my HomePods but not my appletv. It seems like HomeKit defaults to homehubs that are running on the latest version so I think my homehub has been exclusively set to my HomePods for that time.

And since, my automations have been working fine.

I’m not sure if my appletv has updated yet. I’ll check. It’s not currently my homehub though.

Yesterday I installed 16.2 on iphones, ipads, and one HP mini: it did not fix my issue, but my problem is very unique from what ithers have reported in that only my Thread devices failed to respond (“updating, no response”). All my timers/automations work fine so my Home system is great as long as I do not want to use my Thread devices (Eve/Wemo/Nanoleaf). I have tried all suggestions from this forum and even did factory resets on my Thread devices and reinstalled them, but they fail to respond. So I guess I will just box up my 11 Thread devices for storage and just be pleases that my other 36 non-thread devices are all working fine. It is disappointing that everything — thread devices included — worked flawlessly under iOS 15 and trouble only came when I installled 16. Anyone else having issues with just Thread-capable devices?

Well, I tried changing the order of steps and it still didn’t work. I then unplugged the AppleTV and left it off, so now the HomePod is the only hub and voila it appears to be working now! Will be interesting to see it it keeps working when the AppleTV is turned back on but I ran out of time. Will try that later. I also still have my unedited xmas light off at midnight automation there so will be interesting to see if that works tonight…