Oliver Haslam on June 14, 2024, 2:35 pm

iOS 18 Will Finally Fix The Biggest Apple HomeKit Hub Problem

Apple showed off iOS 18 at the WWDC opening keynote earlier this week and while there were plenty of improvements shared, not everything got some stage time.

Now that the update is available in early beta we’re learning more about what it has to offer — including one change that could make HomeKit smart homes much more reliable.

Apple’s HomeKit system has proven popular and both HomePods and Apple TVs can act as hubs so you can control your smart appliances away from home and run automation.

But some people with multiple devices have found that the system can sometimes automatically switch hubs of its own accord, and that can be problematic if one is perhaps further away from a WiFi access point and less reliable as a result.

Now, people on Reddit have noticed that iOS 18 beta 1 allows people to choose a preferred Home Hub, preventing HomeKit from choosing which hub it uses all on its own. The theory here is that users could choose to force HomeKit to use a wired-in Apple TV 4K as a Home Hub rather than let HomeKit select a HomePod that’s in a far-flung corner of their home and on an unstable WiFi connection.

Apple’s iOS 18 is currently in developer beta and will be released in public beta next month. The final release is expected to be released to the public this fall, likely in September.