How to add a home to the new Home app in iOS 10

Apple's Home app should be somewhat familiar if you've used HomeKit accessories before. Many of the accessories' apps (Philips Hue, iDevices, etc.) are built on Apple's HomeKit framework; the same goes for Apple's Home app. If you need help setting up a new home in the app, here's how!

• Rename a Home
• Invite others to join your Home
• Accept an invite
• Change your Home wallpaper
• Add notes to your Home
• Remove a Home

How to rename a Home

Home will automatically create a home for you called My Home. If you'd like to change the name, follow these steps:

1. Launch the Home app from your Home screen.

2. Tap Get Started.

   

3. Tap the arrowhead in the top left corner of the screen.
4. Tap in the text field under Name.

5. Type in the name of your Home.

   

How to invite people to join a Home

If there are other members of your home to whom you'd like to give control of your HomeKit accessories, here's how:

1. Launch the Home app from your Home screen.
2. Tap the arrowhead in the top left corner of the screen.
3. Tap Invite…

4. Type in the person's contact information and tap to select.

   

5. Tap Send Invite. If the invite was sent successfully, you'll see the person's contact information appear in the People portion of the menu.

   

The person will have to accept your invite to be added to your Home.

How to accept an invitation to join a Home

If you're receiving an invite (or need to help someone with an invite you've sent), here's how you accept an invitation:

Note: You (or whomever you're inviting) should see a push notification for the invitation. Tap on the notification and tap to accept the invitation. If you don't see the invitation, follow along.

1. Launch Settings.
2. Tap Follow Ups.
3. Tap View to view your pending invitation.

4. Tap Accept.

   

How to personalize your Home wallpaper

If you have multiple locations to control with the Home app (or you just want to customize the app's look and feel), you can change the Home wallpaper. Here's how:

1. Launch the Home app from your Home screen.
2. Tap the arrowhead in the top left corner of the screen.
3. Scroll down to Home Wallpaper and tap Take Photo… to take a brand new photo or Choose from Existing to pick a photo from your library.

4. Tap Set to set your new wallpaper once you've adjusted the photo to your liking by panning and zooming.

   

How to add notes to a Home

The Home app provides a handy little field for storing notes that are viewable by anyone who's received a home invite. If you have a HomeKit-controlled rental property, for example, you can leave notes for your tenants in this field. How do you add notes to your home? Follow along:

1. Launch the Home app from your Home screen.
2. Tap the arrowhead in the top left corner of the screen.
3. Scroll down to Home Notes and tap in the text field.
4. Tap Done.

How to remove a home

1. Launch the Home app from your Home screen.
2. Tap the arrowhead in the top left corner of the screen.
3. Scroll down to the bottom of this menu until you see Remove Home.
4. Tap Remove Home.
5. Tap Delete to confirm.

Note: When you remove a Home, you're also removing the corresponding data synced to iCloud. Invited guests will lose access to your HomeKit accessories and customizations will be erased.

Questions, confusion, or quizzical expressions?

That covers everything you need to know about adding a Home in the Home app. If you've any questions, let me know in the comments below. Happy to help!