Level 1

43 points

HomeKit remote access not always working

I've had a couple HomeKit accessories for quite a while now (Phillips Hue lights, Sensi thermostat), and at first they worked pretty well. Lately, the automation's that I have set up, and remote access quits working after a couple days. I have a 4th Generation Apple TV set up as the home hub. I have made sure that:

The Apple TV is connected to the Internet and on the same Wi-Fi network as my other iOS devices during set up.

Updated with the latest version of tvOS, iOS.

I can control my accessories in the Home app on my iOS device (using WiFi).

On my Apple TV, in Settings > Accounts > iCloud, it shows HomeKit as Connected.

But when I disable WiFi on my iPhone, the HomeKit app shows my accessories (and Phillips Hue hub) as "No Response". To fix this I usually get on the Apple TV and log out, then log back into iCloud and it will start working again - for a couple days. Then the automation's quit working, and I check again for a remote connection where I get "No Response". I can always turn the accessories (lights) on and off using WiFi in my home, but remote access and automation's are gone. Any ideas?

BTW I always put the Apple TV to sleep when I'm done with it and the remote access and automation's have worked fine for months at a time without issues (and without me turning on the Apple TV).

Apple TV, tvOS 10.2.2

Posted on Aug 4, 2017 7:07 AM

Top-ranking reply

homersdonut

Level 1

4 points

Posted on Oct 4, 2018 4:14 PM

So after almost a year of banging my head against the wall and countless restores, removing and re-adding all my accessories. I decided to call again and be adamant it was an iCloud issue. Passed me up 3 tiers of support in the first 20 minutes of the call. Spent almost 2 hours on the phone with Mason. Long story short, he was awesome and actually put effort into figuring it out. Low and behold, it was a “block” on my AppleID. He literally “unchecked” the block at his end and almost instantly I was able to send invites, and after about 10 minutes, AppleTV was recognized as the hub again and I could control everything remotely. So if anyone has also been banging their head against the wall for almost a year, call in and tell them to check that. Kudos to Mason and his excellent customer service for actually making the effort to look into it and ask his peers. Last time it was an endless loop of being passed off by support for 3 weeks until I got frustrated and gave up. Persistence pays off I guess. I knew it wasn’t at my end. Hope this helps anyone else having the same problem! Good luck!

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114 replies

Mar 11, 2018 10:34 PM in response to homersdonut

I’m losing faith in Apple every day. They never use to treat their customers like this.

Apr 4, 2018 4:34 PM in response to ottoharsh

I just hope they fix this issue because it ***** when you’ve invested so much. I’ll keep you posted if I get a solution.

Apr 4, 2018 4:53 PM in response to ottoharsh

That’s what I have been doing for years. Has not affected my situation, just FYI, but give it a try.

Apr 4, 2018 10:04 PM in response to Googull-2

Interesting. Although, I haven’t had anything like that happen to me. I even tried just setting up HomeKit with the HomePod alone, so I still think it’s an Apple ID or iCloud thing.

Apr 11, 2018 10:34 AM in response to tommy0349

Did you ever find a solution for this? Or did Apple help you find one? I’m still working with Apple to find a solution.

Apr 11, 2018 10:52 AM in response to krazygreekguy

No luck with Apple support. They have no idea what to do. They were telling me I need to be in WiFi for remote access to work???

Apr 11, 2018 4:59 PM in response to ottoharsh

That’s what my setup has always been. I haven’t tried connecting my Apple TV 4K via WiFi though. Maybe I’ll try that later just to try it

Apr 25, 2018 10:39 PM in response to krazygreekguy

I feel the same way. I have begun looking for a new system that will use my existing equipment and have security. Apple has totally let us down.

May 18, 2018 7:45 AM in response to homersdonut

I here ya. I was in the same boat. I try to get HomeKit devices that also work with google or Alexa just in case like my situation where HomeKit wasn’t working for a long time

Oct 24, 2018 8:33 AM in response to MrEmanLOL

Mine accessories constantly say updating now when I’m away from my house. This is just like no response because I can’t do anything with them when it’s stuck on updating.

MrKastro

Level 1

14 points

Mar 12, 2019 6:16 AM in response to damiangfinch

-Add my setup to this thread!!!

Said all frustrated HomeKit users.

Here I am experiencing all symptoms described.

Mar 17, 2019 11:05 AM in response to Leo95se

Looking into the the Wink system to replace this HomeKit garbage. And best of all, it works with Nest which is still the best smart thermostat of the 4 I’ve used.

anosic

Level 1

4 points

Nov 4, 2017 8:18 PM in response to tommy0349

So my issues started when the iOS 11 came out! What I ended up doing was update my phone (iPhone 7+) and my ATV4. Then I went to my iPhone and opened HomeKit and hit the location arrow in the left hand corner and scrolled down and removed home. Then I had to re-install my devices which were the lutron bridge, chamberlain garage door and my Augusta lock. My ATV4 was made my hub and now everything works perfectly weather I am home on my WiFi or away I can control my devices!

I hope this helps and good luck!

MTGMan2

Level 1

8 points

Dec 1, 2017 8:21 AM in response to motiv8_me

I have the same issue. I have done all the steps to fix it. I've have had mixed results with some devices working remotely and others not, so my Homekit is working remotely but not will all the devices, which is puzzling, because they do work when I am on my home network, most of the time. My (ecobee4) sometimes will show responding in Homekit, until I access the ecobee app, and then sometimes it starts working. I've read one other thread about having to wipe the Apple TV and setup as new. I think I'm going to try doing that this weekend. The kick is that it was working perfectly a while ago, then just stopped. I'm assuming some updates broke it. FYI I have 7 Hue lights, MyQ Garage door bridge, Leviton light switch and the ecobee4. The Leviton light switch has been a bear to get working. I think I'm going to scrap that unit, since it only works with siri. All my other devices I can use my Google Home, and Alexa to control as well as SIri, but the Leviton light switch only works with Siri, and it isn't even doing that any more for more that a few hours. Then homekit won't even control it, or the Leviton app

MTGMan2

Level 1

8 points

Dec 2, 2017 11:26 AM in response to MTGMan2

I wanted to share my update. This morning, I reset my AppleTV, and set it up again from scratch. I did the Reset and Update. When asked to set it up, I used my Phone to complete the setup with my user ID. I still noticed that not all my devices were responding in my homekit app, but the native app for the Ecobee was working. So I went to the Ecobee, and reconnected to the network, again, using my phone to complete the connection. My devices started working in the Homekit app. I was then able to shut off my wifi on my phone, and still control ALL my devices. However, I did remove the Leviton device from the Leviton app, which in-turn, removed it from my Homekit. For now, I'm going to leave that device removed from my system to see if my system stays stable. My suggestion, if you are having issues, would be to first do a complete reset of the AppleTV (which is acting as my hub) Keep in mind, I did have to reconnect my devices which were still having an issue, but after doing so it seems like it has been working for the past few hours. Good Luck.

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HomeKit remote access not always working