HomeKit Location based automations fail to run

[rayward]

I’m up to date with all the OSes (iOS 16.5.1 etc), but my location-based automations will not run. I have confirmed location services are turned on wherever I can think, and I deleted and recreated all the automations on my iPhone. Still don’t work.

I even created the simplest automation possible - turn on a smart plug at sunset - and even that won’t work.

Anyone have any ideas? I am at a complete loss.

 

[dmfresco]

After suffering and much head scratching, I finally figured out why our location based automations were failing. Our solution is probably specific to anyone, like us, who have August locks. The short answer is that we were not using the WIFI bridge for August, which prior to iOS 16 did not seem to matter. However, at some point, and with no fanfare or documentation, the connection between August and HomeKit started to rely on that WIFI bridge and not just Bluetooth. Once I added the August WIFI bridge, eureka! It's worked like a charm since then.

 

[twistedpixel8]

I’m up to date with all the OSes (iOS 16.5.1 etc), but my location-based automations will not run. I have confirmed location services are turned on wherever I can think, and I deleted and recreated all the automations on my iPhone. Still don’t work.

I even created the simplest automation possible - turn on a smart plug at sunset - and even that won’t work.

Anyone have any ideas? I am at a complete loss.

Only thing that worked for me when it was just complete chaos with automations was to back it all up with Controller (third party app) and then nuke the whole setup.

You will need to recreate any automations that were in the shortcut format as they can’t be backed up because Apple decided not to expose them to third party devs.

It’s been relatively stable since then.

 

[rayward]

SOLUTION:

I have figured out my own problem.

I was stewing on it after my post, so I decided to go over the same tracks as I had done numerous times before, and check that location services were turned on for everything. iPhone, iPad...check. HomePods...check. Apple TVs...che...wait a minute!

On the Apple TVs, location services were "On". In the past I have never gone beyond that screen into that specific menu to see if there were any additional settings under the hood. Well, there are. And one controls HomeKit's access to location services, and that was set to "Never".

A recent update - I believe it was when I converted to the new architecture (before it was pulled for being broken) - must've switched this to "Never" which is why location services have worked only sporadically since. I guess they would work occasionally when HomeKit was using a HomePod as the hub, but most of the time it uses an Apple TV (which I prefer) and thus the problem.

I changed the HomeKit setting to "Always" and it works fine now. I feel equal parts stupid and angry. Stupid for not looking more thoroughly in the past; and angry because why the **** is that setting even there and why would Apple reset it with an update?