MacRumors: Apple reintroduces updated HomeKit architecture in iOS 16.4

Apple is reintroducing its updated HomeKit architecture in iOS 16.4, MacRumors reports. The company initially released it in iOS 16.2, but withdrew it due to bugs. Apple previously said the new Home version would “return soon.”

MacRumors claims confirmed that the new HomeKit architecture will be reintroduced in iOS 16.4. References to the new HomeKit architecture are said to have appeared in iOS 16.4, among other things in the Project CHIP codebase, which later became known as smart home standard Matter. The first iOS 16.4 beta could be released in the coming week.

Apple announced last year that HomeKit would be updated. This will give the accompanying Home app a new design. The underlying architecture is also changed. Communication between HomeKit devices and Apple devices should be more efficient and reliable after the upgrade, Apple previously claimed. The upgrade remains optional for now.

The HomeKit upgrade was already introduced in iOS 16.2 at the end of December. Users could choose to switch to the new architecture via the Home app, if all connected Apple devices are up to date. However, users suffered from bugs upon initial introduction, which, among other things, caused HomeKit devices to no longer appear in the Home app. Apple subsequently withdrew the upgrade, stating that the new architecture would be re-released “soon.”