Control Your Home

Apple’s HomeKit technology is designed for convenience. When you add smart devices like lights, motion sensors, door locks, and security cameras, you can activate them from your phone or with a Siri request. So it just makes sense to be able to do that from your wrist. The Home app lets you control HomeKit-enabled home automation accessories you own.

Accessories and scenes that you mark as Favorites in the Home app on your other Apple devices also appear in the Home app on your watch. You can then control them with a tap or by using Siri.

Control Lights and Accessories Using the Home App

Open the Home app to view your accessories. A row of shortcut icons appears at the top, depending on the types of things in your home, and devices themselves show up as large buttons (Figure 117). Scroll down to access devices you’ve marked as favorites, rooms, and scenes.

Figure 117: A quick look at the Home app tells me how many lights are on, including the Front Porch.
Figure 117: A quick look at the Home app tells me how many lights are on, including the Front Porch.

For instance, my shortcuts show (from left to right) that four devices are currently not responding; my home’s temperature is currently 71° and there are three other temperature sensors; and that four lights are on. Tapping one brings up those devices.

To turn a device on or off, tap its button. If it has additional controls, such as a degree of brightness or color, tap the More button and use the Digital Crown or your finger to adjust the setting (Figure 118).

Figure 118: Tap the accessory button to turn it on or off (left), or access its settings for more precise controls (right).
Figure 118: Tap the accessory button to turn it on or off (left), or access its settings for more precise controls (right).

For HomeKit-enabled cameras, tap the camera to view its video feed.

Broadcast Using the Intercom Feature

The Home app is also the place to broadcast your voice to devices and speakers throughout your house using the Intercom feature. Instead of bellowing that dinner is ready (or it’s time to leave, or there’s a particularly large spider that needs to be escorted outside by a brave family member), do the following:

  1. Open the Home app.

  2. Scroll up to view the Intercom button, which is normally tucked away at the top of the app’s screen under the name of your home.

    Or, if you want to direct the message to a specific room, tap the name of the room first. The Intercom button appears only if the room has a device that can broadcast the message, such as a HomePod or HomePod mini.

  3. Tap the Intercom button and speak your message (Figure 119).

  4. Tap Done to send and play the message.

Figure 119: Tap the Intercom button (left) and record a message (right) to broadcast the audio throughout the house.
Figure 119: Tap the Intercom button (left) and record a message (right) to broadcast the audio throughout the house.

You can also send an intercom message by activating Siri on the watch and saying, “Hey Siri, intercom ‘your message.’” Or say, “Hey Siri, intercom the name of room ‘your message,’” as in “Hey Siri, intercom the living room Welcome home.” [Editor’s note: We assume no responsibility for turning intercom into a verb.]

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