tvOS 26 Changes 'HomeKit' References to 'Apple Home' in Settings App - MacRumors
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tvOS 26 Changes 'HomeKit' References to 'Apple Home' in Settings App

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The fifth tvOS 26 beta changed several "HomeKit" references to "Apple Home" in the Settings app on all Apple TV models compatible with the update.

homekit showdown redux
For example, Israeli website The Verifier reported that the "AirPlay and HomeKit" menu on the Apple TV is now labeled "AirPlay and Apple Home."

MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris spotted other examples, such as the one below.

Before:

Your Apple TV won't connect with iCloud and HomeKit until you add a new default user.

After:

Your Apple TV won't connect with iCloud and Apple Home until you add a new default user.

As a refresher, Apple Home refers to Apple's overall smart home app and ecosystem, whereas HomeKit has been the name of the company's underlying smart home accessory framework since 2014. Of the two names, HomeKit sounds more technical.

Does this serve as evidence that Apple is slowly phasing out its HomeKit brand in favor of Apple Home, or did Apple simply realize that Apple Home was the better wording in these instances? It could be the latter, but it would not be surprising if Apple eventually did retire the HomeKit name in favor of the more generic Apple Home for both its smart home app and framework, especially as the company prepares to launch an all-new home hub.

For now, there are still plenty of references to both HomeKit and Apple Home across Apple's website and software platforms. One day, though, perhaps the HomeKit name could be folded into Apple Home entirely for streamlined branding.

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Related Forum: Apple TV and Home Theater

Top Rated Comments

sniffies Avatar
sniffies
9 months ago
Makes sense. Calling it HomeKit is like calling Safari a WebKit.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
turbineseaplane
9 months ago
I watch Apple TV+ on Apple TV on my Apple TV, which also provides Apple Home.

Apple Home is on my Apple TV which is in my home.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
R
rgwebb
9 months ago
The fact that they have been calling their smart home product by the underlying software APIs for over a decade should tell you the amount of care smart home has gotten from Apple. LOL
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
J
Jamie0003
9 months ago

HomeKit should just work with any protocol. That is its biggest downfall.
It works with matter. That’s all it needs to work with going forward
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Justin Cymbal Avatar
Justin Cymbal
9 months ago
That’s probably a good change to be made by Apple (regardless of how trivial it is)

The ‘kit’ tack-on at the end implies the DEVELOPER kit (behind the actual software) which may cause confusion with how Apple typically does their dev-kit naming…. ie WebKit, GameKit etc
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Scrip Avatar
Michael Scrip
9 months ago

I never, not once, got HomeKit to work with even the most basic stuff. Seemed like an absolutely confusing mess.

Curious if others actually got it to work.
I have many HomeKit smart plugs from TP-Link and some Philips Hue lightbulbs. And a TV that is HomeKit compatible too. It all works great. And my Apple TV is the HomeKit hub.

I previously had a bunch of plugs and bulbs from SmartThings before Samsung acquired them. Those never worked great.

But I've always had great luck with HomeKit plugs and bulbs.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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