If you’re using HomeKit with an iPad as a hub, have a portfolio ready.

iOS 16 will add new features that will greatly improve the user experience, but will also remove other features that may have been useful to some people so far. As they discovered in Macrumors, Latest iOS 16 beta rules out iPad as control center use accessories connected to HomeKit while away from home.

To control HomeKit-enrolled smart devices when you are away from home, you need to have what Apple calls an “accessory hub”.. In other words, a kind of hub or bridge that allows you to always store accessories online and synchronize them in the user’s iCloud account. Thus, the owner can, for example, close the curtains outside the house. Also set automations based on your location (turn on the lights when you arrive, close the curtains when you leave, etc.). There are several Apple devices that can do this very well.. Among them is the iPad.

The user only needs to activate the option in the system settings and leave the iPad at home (turned on and connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the rest of the accessories). After that, you will be able to control smart devices from your iPhone, Apple Watch or Mac, however, with the new update, this will no longer be possible. “Accessory Center” will be limited to just three Apple products and the iPad will no longer be one of themas Apple guarantees in the second iOS 16 beta.

Required center home to take advantage of features such as receiving notifications from accessories and allowing other users to control your home. You won’t be able to see shared homes until those homes are also updated to the latest version of HomeKit. iPad will no longer be supported as a home hub.

Says Apple in a message that appears in the iOS 16 Beta 2 Home app.

Apple kills iPad but keeps HomePod and Apple TV

iOS 16, yes, retains the ability to use other devices as a central accessory. They, in particular, HomePod, HomePod mini, or Apple TV (in any of its variants). These products are of particular importance because center, given that they are not intended for transportation, but in most cases are stored at home. Both HomePod and Apple TV also keep Wi-Fi active when they are in sleep mode.

On the other hand, despite the bad news that the iPad is not being used as a control center, the Casa app has been updated with several new features in iOS 16. It now has a more minimalistic and intuitive design and allows, among other things, connect Matter compatible accessories. Remember that iPadOS 16 and iOS 16 will finally be available in the fall.