It’s well over three years since the launch of a new Apple Home architecture to make HomeKit more reliable and to support the Matter standard.

Still, not everyone has yet updated, and if you’re among them, you now have less than a week to do so before your smart home stops working …

Apple first announced a significant change to how the Apple Home app works back in 2022 with the introduction of iOS 16.2 – though some problems with it saw Apple pull the changes and reintroduce them in iOS 16.4.

The change delegated more tasks to the HomeKit hub, making it more reliable. The hub can be a HomePod, HomePod mini or Apple TV. Thread-enabled Matter accessories require a Thread-enabled home hub, such as HomePod mini or Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) – or a third-party border router.

Updating to the new standard was initially optional, but the company last year revealed that it would become a requirement. If you are still running HomeKit on the old architecture, it will cease to function when that is withdrawn.

The original deadline was the fall of last year, but Apple subsequently pushed it to February 10, 2026. That means anyone who hasn’t yet updated needs to do so within the next few days.

If you’re not sure whether or not you’ve done so, follow the instructions below. If all is well, you will see a message telling you “This home and all accessories are up to date.”

1. Open the Home app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
2. Tap or click the More button.
3. Select Home Settings. If you own multiple homes, choose one, then select Home Settings.
4. Select Software Update.
5. Tap or click Update Now, then follow the prompts.

Further information is available in an Apple support document.

• Apple TV 4k (3rd generation)
• HomePod mini
• Mac Pro-style Mac mini casing
• Wireless CarPlay adapter
• NordVPN – privacy-first VPN with no logs and independent audits to verify
• Official iPhone cases: iPhone 17 | iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max | iPhone Air

Image: 9to5Mac/Apple/Sincerely Media