HomeKit New HomeKit architecture vs future iOS updates

[nabla]

Hello all,

our "Home" only consists of a couple of HomePod and HomePod mini. They were set up from the Home app on my iPhone and so far, we did not upgrade the Home architecture.

Would upgrading to the new Home architecture imply that I will need to do future iOS updates – major versions as well as minor patches – on my iPhone right away after launch...
* to be able to use our HomePods for playing music or radio streams?
* to be able to configure any changes in our setup?

Usually I would hold off from updating iOS for quite some time until the first bugfix versions are out..

 

[Itinj24]

Hello all,

our "Home" only consists of a couple of HomePod and HomePod mini. They were set up from the Home app on my iPhone and so far, we did not upgrade the Home architecture.

Would upgrading to the new Home architecture imply that I will need to do future iOS updates – major versions as well as minor patches – on my iPhone right away after launch...
* to be able to use our HomePods for playing music or radio streams?
* to be able to configure any changes in our setup?

Usually I would hold off from updating iOS for quite some time until the first bugfix versions are out..

Nah. Just needs the minimum required iOS 16.2 (initial new Architecture release) / 16.4 (re-release of new Architecture) updates. Anything after that shouldn’t matter.

 

[waw74]

the architecture only applies to homekit, specifically how homekit device communication is handled.
Airplay is not really homekit, but they kinda stuck it in the home app.

previously every controller would talk to the devices individually. So launch home on your phone, it would poll all of your light bulbs. Launch it on your Mac, and it would again poll all of your devices even though your phone had just done it moments before. This could take time, depending on your setup, as it could have to poll every single bulb in your house one by one. The new architecture lets one of your home hubs act as a "main controller". so that hub maintains the current status of all of your devices, so now your phone and Mac just ask that hub, and it has all the info for your entire system.

So if you don't have homekit devices, there's little to no reason to do the update.
If you update the architecture, it will also prevent older versions of Mac and iPads from accessing your home. Basically any OS older than around Fall of 2022 can not run the new architecture.