Homekit settings missing

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Level 1

15 points

Homekit settings missing

I have recently purchased some Hue lights and the new Hue 2.0 bridge (HomeKit Compatible)

I'm running iOS 10 on my iPhone 6s, and the latest available version of tvOS (9.3.3) on a new 4th Generation Apple TV.

The new Home application functions correctly, allowing direct control of the lights. The Apple TV is working correctly for automation tasks that have been configured in the Home application.

However, I am not able to connect to my lights when I'm not connected to the local WiFi network.

Reading various forums, there should be a HomeKit item in the main settings app, and an option to reset the HomeKit configuration in the privacy settings.

Both of these items are missing on my phone. I have factory reset my phone and used an alternative iCloud account and the settings appear, only to go again when I reconnect my own iCloud account.

When I'm logged in with another account HomeKit appears in first picture under settings, and the option to reset the HomeKit configuration appears in the second.

The only information I can find suggests turning Keychain on and off, no change. I have also factory reset the AppleTV, the problem persists.

My guess is that my HomeKit data has got corrupted in my iCloud account, without the option to reset I am rather stuck.

Any ideas to resolve this issue would be gratefully received!

iPhone 6, null

Posted on Sep 12, 2016 1:26 PM

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Answer 1

zinacef

Level 10

88,732 points

Sep 12, 2016 3:47 PM in response to Stamford_76

See if this might help -- Use HomeKit-enabled accessories with your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support

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Answer 2

Stamford_76 Author

Level 1

15 points

Sep 13, 2016 5:04 AM in response to Stamford_76

Thanks, the pictures half way down that page show exactly the settings I am missing on my phone. If I log in with an alternative iCloud account they appear and I can change the settings as required.

As soon as I log back in with my own AppleID the settings are automatically removed again. There is someone else who has posted in the developers forum about the same problem, but as I don't have a developer account I can't view it to see if they managed to resolve it.

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Answer 3

Stamford_76 Author

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15 points

Sep 13, 2016 5:05 AM in response to Stamford_76

If anyone does have access and can take a look for me the thread is:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7661554?start=0&tstart=0

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Answer 4

zinacef

Level 10

88,732 points

Sep 13, 2016 6:27 AM in response to Stamford_76

As far as I know, though I could be wrong, that one didn't need a developer's account to post there. Give it a try -- https://developer.apple.com/devforums/

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Answer 5

Sep 13, 2016 12:55 PM in response to Stamford_76

Same here on two phones updated today (6 and 6s). There's no Homekit settings and therefor I'm not able to use the Apple TV integration either.

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Answer 6

Sep 13, 2016 9:08 PM in response to Stamford_76

Same here. iPhone 6 and using Phillips Hue Bridge on my Apple TV 4. Can't see HomeKit settings line on the settings screen.

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Answer 7

Stamford_76 Author

Level 1

15 points

Sep 14, 2016 12:04 AM in response to marmarkoni

Ah! I'm glad it isn't just me!

I'm on the verge of creating a new AppleID, but there must be a way of resolving this.

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Answer 8

R-M-B

Level 1

14 points

Sep 14, 2016 5:44 AM in response to Stamford_76

I have the same problem with my iPhone 6S on iOS10 and Philips Hue Bridge connected to HomeKit, the settings to enable remote access are missing...

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Answer 9

zinacef

Level 10

88,732 points

Sep 14, 2016 7:00 AM in response to R-M-B

If everyone in this thread is having issues, the best course of action would be to reach out to Apple Support.

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Answer 10

iMartien

Level 1

5 points

Sep 15, 2016 1:22 AM in response to Stamford_76

Hi,

You're not alone in this..

I've updated to IOS 10 GM, everything worked without problems. I had an other issue with unlocking my mac with my Apple Watch, which required me to logout and login from iCloud on all my devices.

After that, my HomeKit settings disappeared. I still can use the Home app and control my devices, but it doesn't work anymore from outside my house....

Tried this to resolve it: http://www.imore.com/did-your-homekit-home-disappear-heres-how-reset-homekit-syn c but that doenst help...

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Answer 11

Stamford_76 Author

Level 1

15 points

Sep 15, 2016 2:42 AM in response to iMartien

Small update.

I called Apple Support and spent about five minutes explaining the issue to their very helpful telephone support. After carefully explaining the issue the customer service agent spent about 15 minutes talking to a senior technician.

They suggested the the issue was due to Keychain sync not being enabled in my AppleID account. It was and that seemed to be the end of the help available. It would be fair to say that whilst they were helpful I got the impression that the volume of HomeKit questions they handle are very low.

Resorting to additional Googling on the train this morning I came across this Apple document:

Automate and remotely access your HomeKit accessories - Apple Support

Which has the following line;

On Apple TV (4th generation): Set up two-factor authentication for your Apple ID. Then go to Settings > Accounts > iCloud and check that you're connected under HomeKit.
You can check the status of your home hub in the Home app on your iOS device. Open the Home app and tap [the arrow] in the upper-left corner. Then look under Home Hubs to see if your home hub is connected.

That seems like a very specific requirement. I have just enabled two factor now.

I'm going to try again with that enabled tonight. I'm starting to wonder if the settings are not shown unless a hub is correctly configured and active. In the same way as the automation tab does not allow automations to be set unless a hub is available?

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Answer 12

Sep 15, 2016 3:15 AM in response to Stamford_76

Solved!

I already had 2-factor on my account. I think that what I did differently this time was:

Logged out of my iCloud-account on my Apple TV, and logged back in again.
Made sure I logged in with my <icloudname>@mac.com (same as on my phone) and not my <icloudname>@me.com. They should be the same (as well as @icloud.com, etc), but I think I was logged in with @me.com before so worth noting I made that change.
Now using Swedish language on my Apple-TV, since I'm using my account with a Swedish credit card connected. Setting English language when you are not in US/UK will disable some features like Siri, which makes no sense at all but that's how Apple decided it should be. Might be connected to my HomeKit issue.
The Apple TV showed up on my Iphone HomeKit app first, and after that was connected I also had the new Homekit-setting on the Apple TV (mentioned above) which didn't show up until I had launched the Iphone app.

Also, I lied, it's not fully solved. I still don't have HomeKit listed under my iPhone "Settings". But everything I wanted to do is now up and running, so it's OK.

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Answer 13

Stamford_76 Author

Level 1

15 points

Sep 15, 2016 8:44 AM in response to HelloAndreas

Me too!

Turning on two factor and a reboot was all that was required.

The HomeKit settings don't appear in 'Settings' anymore because they have been moved to inside the app. Clicking the button on the top left now takes you to the same place, and now my AppleTV is working correctly it shows as the Active Home Hub. Likewise, the Reset Homesite Settings appears at the bottom of the screen should it not be able to connect.

The online help just hasn't caught up with those changes yet. It is a shame that the information I got form Apple on the phone was out of date too.

Anyway, everything is working. Hooray.

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Answer 14

Sep 15, 2016 8:46 AM in response to Stamford_76

yup, this worked for me too. i had to turn on two factor authentication,then logged out of my iPhone and Apple TV iCloud accounts, and logged back in on both and it worked. Reboot may be required as well. Good luck to everyone!

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Answer 15

R-M-B

Level 1

14 points

Sep 15, 2016 9:29 AM in response to HelloAndreas

It is working fine for me too!

I had already two-factor authentication enabled and did logout and login several times on my Apple Tv 4 but that didn't help.

I had to delete my Apple Tv as a thrusted device while logged in on https://appleid.apple.com/account/manage

After my Apple Tv was deleted I had to login again on my Apple Tv and also I had to type the two-factor authentication code again. After that my Apple Tv started automatically working as a hub!

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