Apple HomeKit system does not recognize that I am home

Question

Apple HomeKit system does not recognize that I am home

I have a brand new “apple home kit” set up, which mostly seems nice, except that the devices keep responding to me, in my home, as if I am an intruder (that is, I am sitting at my kitchen table with my iPhone in my hand, and every minute or so I get a notification on the phone announcing essentially “OMG! There’s someone in your kitchen!”).

From what I can see on the net, the most common diagnosis of the problem here is something to do with location services. Yet, I’ve set all the location related settings I can find and the problem persists.

I’m going to enumerate what I’m aware of, and maybe someone will know what is wrong?

Settings app > Privacy and Security > location Services

‘Location services’ turned on
Share my location > Find my iPhone is on
Share my location > My location “This device and cellular Apple Watches” (“this device” being the iPhone)
Share my location > Share my location : on
Two ‘home” entries in the list (this is odd. Don’t know if that is normal)
- Home #1 > Allow location access: “When I share”
- Home #1 > Precise location: on
- Home #2 > Allow location services: When using the app
- Home #2 > Precise location: on

Contacts app

Home address is indeed my home address. Clicking on it brings up the maps app showing the right location

Home app

Home settings > People [shows the same me as the contacts app]
Home settings > People > me > Cameras > Stream and view recordings
Home settings > Cameras and doorbells > Receive activity notifications when: any time, people: off
Home settings > location services: on
Home settings > safety and security: check in > [the same me from the contacts app]
(room A) > occupancy sensor > Status and Notifications > activity notifications: on
(room A) > occupancy sensor > Status and Notifications > receive activity notifications when: any time, people off
(room B) > (camera) > Status notifications > activity notifications: on
(room B) > (camera) > Status notifications > receive activity notifications when: any time, people off
(room B) > (camera) > recording options: Streaming & recording > when home: off
(room B) > (camera) > recording options: Streaming & recording > when away: stream & allow recording
(room B) > (camera) > Select activity zones… (none)

Somewhere in all this, I’d expect that when I’m home, the system would recognize it and stop sending me “occupancy” notifications, and not record video with the camera.

Notes: iPhone is running the latest iOS 17, home pod mini is brand new and is running whatever the latest software there is

iPhone 11, iOS 17

Posted on Oct 22, 2023 1:07 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

柏大衛 (David) Author

Level 1

5 points

Oct 28, 2023 9:22 AM in response to phoreohhphore

phoreohhphore, that seems like it was the problem, or at least part of it. I had no idea about the stuff under Privacy > location services > system services.

Not only was my “significant locations” turned off, but I noticed there was a “HomeKit” item buried here as well which I also had turned off.

I turned that off and it seems better behaved. I’ll report back in a few days, but it seems very promising!

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Answer 2

Oct 26, 2023 5:00 PM in response to 柏大衛 (David)

Ok so this is that pretty common issue people are having with where HomeKit thinks there home is, showing it in an incorrect spot.

It seems this has been a problem for people for a while but only showed up for me in the last day with iOS 17.1. When I check a home automation that uses location is set my home location about 500m away even though its correct in contacts.

I found a fix for now:

Privacy > location > system > significant locations Clear history. Reboot phone. Go back to Home and open automations that use your home locations and check where it thinks home is, mine fixed itself.

BUT! Now thats its fixed I restarted the Home Hub that was being used, and it switched to another Home Hub in my house. As soon as it did it thinks I'm not home again so something to do with the address storing on the home hub too. Did the fix above again and it worked again.

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Answer 3

Nov 4, 2023 3:16 AM in response to 柏大衛 (David)

To follow up, setting those settings seems to have helped the camera. For other sensors, I needed to remove them and re-add them to the apple home app. But, when I did that after I turned on the settings mentioned above, it all worked for me!

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Answer 4

Oct 23, 2023 1:55 PM in response to 柏大衛 (David)

Hi 柏大衛 (David),

We recommend that you try the steps here: If your HomeKit or Matter accessory isn't responding in the Home app - Apple Support

"If accessories from one manufacturer aren't responding

Check if your smart home accessories are responding in the Home app after each step.

Turn on Bluetooth in the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad, or in System Settings on your Mac.
Restart any accessories that aren't responding. You may have to take the batteries out of your accessory and put them back in.
Check the manufacturer's app to see if accessories that aren't responding in the Home app need a firmware update. If the accessories aren't responding in the manufacturer's app, you may need to reset them.
Restart any third-party bridges and all home hubs (HomePod, HomePod mini, and Apple TV) by unplugging then plugging them back into power.
Remove accessories that aren't responding from the Home app. Select an accessory, scroll down to accessory settings, and select Remove Accessory. If you don't see the option to remove the accessory in the Home app, it must be removed through the manufacturer's app. After you remove the accessories, follow the manufacturer's instructions to reset them and add them to the Home app again.

If your accessories still aren't responding, contact the manufacturer for support.

If accessories from several manufacturers aren't responding

Check if your smart home accessories are responding in the Home app after each step.

Update your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to the latest software.
Close the Home app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac and reopen it.
Make sure your iPhone, iPad, or Mac is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your accessories. To control your accessories remotely, you must set up a home hub.
Turn on Bluetooth in the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad, or in System Settings on your Mac.
Restart any accessories that aren't responding. You may have to take the batteries out of your accessory and put them back in.
Check the manufacturer's app to see if accessories that aren't responding in the Home app need a firmware update. If the accessories aren't responding in the manufacturer's app, you may need to reset them.
If your accessories still aren't responding in the Home app, restart your devices:
1. Unplug your modem and router, then plug them back into power.
2. Unplug any third-party bridges and all home hubs (HomePod, HomePod mini, and Apple TV), then plug them back into power.
3. Restart accessories that aren't responding. You may have to take the batteries out of your accessory and put them back in.
4. Restart your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
Check VPN and third-party security software to resolve potential network connectivity issues."

We recommend the steps above because they will show you what to do if your HomeKit accessories aren't responding in the Home app.

If you’re still experiencing the same issue, we recommend that you contact Apple Support directly so that they can work with you to find a solution. You can reach them by clicking here: Apple Support or calling the most local number in your region: Contact Apple for support and service. Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Communities. Cheers!

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Apple HomeKit system does not recognize that I am home

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