After iOS 16 releases later this fall, you'll no longer be able to use an iPad as a smart home hub to control HomeKit devices.
The news comes from iOS developer and MacRumors writer Steve Moser, who investigated the code for iOS 16 Beta 2. He posted his findings in a lengthy Twitter thread (opens in a new tab) that goes over some of the other changes introduced. on Apple devices. .
Changes in iOS 16
MacRumors reports (Opens in a new tab) that when updating an iPad to iOS 16, a new message will appear in the Home app stating "A Home hub is required to take advantage of features such as receiving notification from accessories and letting other people control your homes. You won't be able to see shared homes until those homes are also updated to the latest version of HomeKit. iPad will no longer be supported as a home hub here.
If you go to the iOS 16 preview page (opens in a new tab) and scroll down to the fine print, Apple confirms this by stating that only Apple TV and HomePod devices can be used as hub servers. We reached out to the tech giant and asked if they could explain why they dropped iPad support, but got no response. MacRumors suggests that the change could be related to the new Matter support.
Matter is an upcoming smart home standard being developed by various tech companies, including Apple, Google, and Amazon. It is supposed to be a universal protocol aimed at saving the smart home industry. The standard is expected to launch in the fall of 2022, which is the same release window as iOS 16.
New features and changes
Aside from the iPad being dropped, most of the changes are relatively minor. Moser claims that a large amount of text will be changed. For example, Apple Car Key will now say "Passive entry may be available when your iPhone needs to be charged." Some apps, like Health, will have slightly different icons. It's mostly tertiary stuff, but there are some notable additions.
For starters, Apple Maps will get new routes optimized for e-bikes. There will also be a "game mode", but not much is known beyond that. iOS 16 is natively compatible with Nintendo Switch Pro controllers, so this mode can be plugged into Apple's new game support. Moser also discovered that Apple was working on a 3:2 aspect ratio for the iPhone Camera app that hasn't been activated. He claims that it could be an upcoming addition in a future iPhone.
Remember that this is only a beta version. It is unknown if any of them will be released and when. With the exception of iPads losing support for the home hub; It seems carved in stone. In fact, you can test the new iOS 16 beta for iPhone and iPad by downloading it from Apple's developer website (opens in a new tab). However, unless you are an app developer, we don't recommend it. These early beta versions are buggy and not designed for the device you depend on for communication, work, entertainment, etc. The good news is that public betas (read "more stable") are probably only a few weeks away.
If you want to learn more about creating a smart home, TechRadar has a guide to the best devices for 2022 to get you started.