Apple discontinuing support for older Home architecture in February 2026

The original Apple Home architecture will officially lose support in February 2026, giving users additional time to prepare for the change and inevitable discontinuation.

Back in May 2025, Apple announced it would be discontinuing support for the older Apple Home architecture by Fall 2025. The change wasn't entirely unexpected, as iOS 18.4 developer beta updates contained text strings urging users to upgrade to the latest Apple Home architecture.

However, the iPhone maker has now decided to postpone the discontinuation of its original Apple Home architecture. Instead of support ending in the Fall of 2025, Apple's website now states that "support for the previous version of Apple Home will end on February 10, 2026."

As MacRumors points out, Apple has informed users that they need to "update now to avoid interruptions." The company has also included a few additional reasons for upgrading.

Notably, users of the new Home architecture will be able to enjoy "features like guest access, robot vacuum cleaners, and Activity History."

Apple has also included a set of requirements for the new Apple Home architecture. Specifically, users will need an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, HomePod, or Apple Watch running iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, macOS Ventura 13.1, tvOS 16.2, or watchOS 9.2 or later.

Devices running older software versions connected to an updated home will lose access to it until the software is updated. This is because the latest Apple Home architecture was introduced with iOS 16.2.

Back in November 2022, with the launch of iOS 16.2, Apple introduced an updated version of its HomeKit architecture, which delivered significant speed and performance upgrades for HomeKit accessories.

The new and improved HomeKit architecture caused problems for some users, which is why it was withdrawn in December 2022 and reintroduced in February 2023 with the release of iOS 16.4.

The upgrade itself was entirely optional, and many users chose not to upgrade to the latest Home architecture to ensure the continued operation of their existing HomeKit accessories.

On February 10, 2026, however, the older Home architecture (formerly HomeKit) will lose all support, and Apple is encouraging users to upgrade. The company even included instructions on how to do so.

How to update to the latest Apple Home architecture

The company's support document about the discontinuation of the older Home architecture contains a short guide on how to update to the newer version:

• Open the Home app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
• Tap or click the More button.
• Select Home Settings. Users who own multiple homes will need to choose one and then select Home Settings.
• Select Software Update.
• Tap or click Update Now, then follow the in-app prompts.

Apple says that this will update all homes simultaneously, so you won't have to go through the process more than once.