Apple has finally released HomeView, a smart home screen it has been working on for years. It was announced on October 13, 2026. In simple words: it's a small touchscreen that sits on your kitchen counter (or hangs on your wall) and lets you control your whole smart home, make video calls, play music, and more. The big question: is it worth $299? Here's everything you need to know, explained simply. Price and release date Price: $299 in the US Pre-orders: open now Arrives in stores: November 13, 2026 Europe: not available at launch. Apple's new Siri isn't ready in Europe yet, so HomeView has to wait too. What you need to set it up: an iPhone with iOS 27.2 or an iPad with iPadOS 27.2. If your phone can't update to that version, you can't set it up. Two versions to choose from Both cost the same $299. 1. Countertop version The screen sits on a round metal base that also holds the speakers You can tilt the screen to get a better view Colors: Silver, Starlight, Rose Pink, Space Gray The power cable matches the color 2. Wall version Just the screen, no speaker base Hangs flat on your wall Colors: Silver and Space Gray The wall mount is sold separately, so budget extra The screen Size: 7 inches, square shape Sharpness: 1088 × 1088 pixels, sharp enough for photos and video calls Brightness: goes very bright for sunny kitchens, and very dim at night so it won't light up your bedroom True Tone: the colors adjust to match the light in your room, so it's easier on the eyes Smart layout: from across the room, it shows big, simple information like the time or weather. Walk closer and it shows more detail. The brain: chip and Siri It runs on the A18 chip, the same chip used in the iPhone 16. That means it should feel fast. It uses Siri AI, Apple's new, smarter Siri. You can ask it questions, find music, and control your home just by talking. If you start a conversation with Siri on HomeView, you can continue it on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch. Have you tried the new Siri yet? Better or still frustrating? What it does for your smart home This is the main job of HomeView: being the control center of your home. Control your devices: turn on lights, lock doors, change the thermostat, set timers. Use your voice or tap the screen. Watch your cameras: see up to 9 security cameras at once on one screen Quick device panel: one tap to reach your most-used devices Works as a home hub: a "home hub" is the device that keeps your automations running and lets you control your home when you're away. HomeView can do this for HomeKit and Matter devices. Quick explainer: HomeKit = Apple's smart home system Matter = a newer standard that lets devices from different brands work together Apple also announced its own smart door lock, security cameras, and video doorbell at the same time, clearly built to work with HomeView. Sound, mics, and camera Speakers Both versions have 2 speakers in the screen The countertop version adds a bass speaker in the base for fuller sound Supports Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos (sound that feels like it surrounds you) It adjusts its sound to fit your room automatically Microphones 4 microphones designed to hear you from across the room Camera 12MP front camera for FaceTime calls Center Stage: the camera follows you as you move, so you stay in the picture while cooking or walking around Safety bonus: HomeView can hear smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and alert you. That's a quietly useful feature, especially if you're not home. Made for the whole family This is the biggest difference from other smart screens. Recognizes up to 6 people by their face Each person gets their own Home Screen with their own apps and widgets Your private info stays private. Your messages and calendar only show up when HomeView sees your face AND your iPhone is nearby and recently unlocked. Both have to match. Shared stuff for everyone: create shared photo albums and music playlists that the whole family (and even guests) can enjoy Apps and everyday use Built-in apps include: Calendar, Reminders, Notes Messages and FaceTime Photos (great as a digital photo frame) Music and Podcasts Find My (find your lost iPhone or AirPods) Other things it can do: Step-by-step recipes, perfect for the kitchen Watch videos from Apple TV and other compatible apps on your iPhone What we still don't know Apple hasn't answered these yet: Is it a Thread border router? (Thread is a fast, low-power way for smart devices to connect. Not confirmed yet.) Will there be third-party apps? No developer tools have been announced, so there's no HomeView App Store for now. How does it work with your HomePod or Apple TV if you already use one as your home hub? When is it coming to Europe? If you find answers to any of these, share them below! And if you get one after November 13, come back and share your setup. Real experiences will help everyone decide.

I've been poking around the Home Hubs screen in the Home app more than usual lately, and with Apple reportedly about to show off its long-delayed home hub, it feels like the right time to ask: what are you all running as your apple homekit hub right now, and what would actually make you switch? My current setup • HomePod mini in the living room acting as the connected hub • Apple TV 4K in the bedroom sitting on standby • Home Assistant running alongside, with my Zigbee network on an SLZB-06M and a handful of sensors exposed to Apple Home through the HomeKit Bridge integration It works well most days. But living with it has shown me exactly where the gaps are. Where my hub setup falls short today • No say in which device is the hub. Apple picks it for you. When my HomePod mini had a Wi-Fi hiccup, remote control and a couple of automations stalled until the Apple TV took over. • Thread is a black box. Both devices are Thread border routers, but the Home app tells me almost nothing about which one my Matter over Thread devices are actually using or how healthy that network is. • No good wall control. I have an old iPad on a kitchen stand, but iPads can't act as a home hub under the newer Home architecture, so it's just a remote with a battery I keep forgetting to charge. • Bridged devices feel second class. My Zigbee sensors show up fine, but there's no glanceable view that pulls everything together in one place. What's been reported about Apple's new hub Nothing is official until Apple announces it, so treat all of this as rumour for now: • A roughly 6 to 7 inch square display • Two versions: a countertop model with a design that reportedly nods to the old iMac G4, and a wall mount version that needs to stay plugged in • A front camera for FaceTime, plus voice and face recognition to show personalised content to whoever walks up • A new Siri AI based operating system with Apple's own apps built in, but no App Store at launch • Price talk in the region of $350 • A new HomePod mini and Apple TV 4K expected alongside it My wishlist • Let me choose the primary hub. Even a simple "prefer this device" toggle would save a lot of head scratching. • Thread border router and Matter controller built in, with real diagnostics. Show me which devices route through what. • Local first. Automations should keep running when the internet drops, full stop. • A wall mount without a dangling cable. Power over Ethernet would be a dream, a tidy in-wall option would be fine. • A proper device dashboard, including Matter and bridged devices, not just Apple widgets. • Privacy controls I can see. Face recognition processed on device and a physical way to kill the camera. • A price that makes sense. If it lands near $350, it has to do a lot more than an Echo Show or Nest Hub to earn a spot on my counter. Over to you • Which device is your HomeKit hub right now: HomePod, HomePod mini, or Apple TV? • Anyone else running Home Assistant or Homebridge alongside Apple Home? How are you bridging things in? • Day one buy, wait for reviews, or skip? • If you could add one feature to Apple's hub, what would it be? Curious to see what everyone's running. Drop your setup below, even if it's just one HomePod mini doing all the heavy lifting. For transparency, I'm on the forum staff team here, but genuinely asking this as someone trying to sort out their own setup!

I've been reworking the cameras around my place over the last few weeks, and it made me realise how differently everyone seems to approach this. Picking a homekit camera sounds simple until you actually try it, and then you find there are really three separate routes with very different trade-offs. So I'm curious: which HomeKit cameras are you running, and how did you get them into Apple Home? Here's how I see the three camps, and where I've landed so far: 1. Native HomeKit cameras These are the ones you scan with the Home app and you're done. No extra hardware, no plugins. • Setup takes minutes and they tend to stay paired • Live view, notifications and automations work out of the box • The catch is choice: the list of native models is short, and outdoor and PoE options are thin I started here with an Aqara Camera Hub G2H Pro in the hallway. It has been the least trouble of anything I own, but I ran out of options quickly once I wanted something outside. 2. HomeKit Secure Video (HKSV) models This is where it gets interesting for recording. Footage is analysed locally on your home hub, then stored end to end encrypted in iCloud. • You need a home hub (Apple TV or HomePod) and an iCloud+ plan • The plan tier sets how many cameras can record, so check that before you buy a fifth camera • Recordings don't count against your iCloud storage • Person, pet, vehicle and package detection, plus activity zones, are handled in the Home app What I like is having one timeline in one app. What I don't like is that recording tops out at 1080p even on a higher resolution camera, and clips sometimes take a while to load when I'm away from home. 3. Bridge-based setups (Homebridge, Scrypted, RTSP) This is the route for cameras that were never meant to work with HomeKit. If the camera exposes an RTSP or ONVIF stream, you can usually bring it in. • Opens up far more hardware, including PoE and proper outdoor cameras • Scrypted can add HKSV support to cameras that don't have it natively • Homebridge with a camera plugin works well for live view and motion alerts • The trade-off is that you are now running a server, so updates, codecs and stream settings become your job My outdoor camera is a Reolink E1 Outdoor Pro coming in over RTSP through Scrypted. It took an evening of fiddling with stream settings before it loaded quickly, but it has been steady since. What I'd love to hear from you • Which cameras are you running, and which of the three routes are they on? • If you use HKSV, how reliable are the notifications and the detection? • For the bridge crowd: Homebridge or Scrypted, and what hardware is it running on? • Any camera you regretted buying, and why? • Has anyone mixed all three in one home without it turning into a mess? For transparency, I'm on the forum team here, but I'm asking this one as someone still trying to sort out their own setup.

Hi all, this is a genuine discussion question, not an announcement. Nothing to sell and no links to follow. iOS 27 has been out for a few weeks now, and HomeKit Secure Video got more attention in this release than it has in years. I've read plenty of feature lists, but feature lists don't tell you how it holds up on a real front porch with a real camera. So I'd like to hear from people who are living with it. The redesigned camera experience The Home app now handles recordings differently. Clips it considers important are pulled to the top, and related alerts are bundled into one notification that updates as things happen. Does the new layout make it faster to find the clip you want, or are you scrubbing more than before? Are the "important" clips actually the important ones? Has the notification bundling cut the noise, or have you missed something because of it? 4K cameras The 1080p cap on HomeKit Secure Video is finally gone, as long as the camera supports it. Is anyone actually recording in 4K yet? Which camera, and did it need a firmware update first? Can you see a real difference on faces and number plates, or only when you zoom in? Any impact on your Wi-Fi, upload speed, or how smoothly clips load? Apple Intelligence summaries and natural-language search This is the part I'm most curious about. The Home app can now describe what happened in a clip before you open it, and you can search recordings by typing what you're looking for. How accurate are the summaries? Useful, or confidently wrong? Has natural-language search found things for you that scrolling would not have? What did you search for? Did your iPhone, home hub, or iCloud+ plan stop you from turning any of this on? What I'd love to know Your camera model and home hub (Apple TV or HomePod) The one change you'd keep and the one you'd undo Anything that broke or got worse after updating Short replies are welcome. "Nothing changed for me" is a useful answer too, especially if you can say what setup you're on. Thanks in advance. I'll be reading and replying in the thread.

There's been a lot of discussion lately about what's holding Apple's smart home platform back. The community complaints are surprisingly consistent. Poll options: list itemSiri reliability — "When I yell 'HEY SIRI,' I just want a damn response" list itemCamera support — Most good security cameras don't support HomeKit Secure Video, forcing users to juggle multiple apps list itemHome hub reliability — Hubs failing to consistently serve as home hubs, causing accessories to show "No Response" list itemDevice compatibility — Still too many devices that require workarounds to work with Apple Home list itemAutomation depth — "We haven't seen any new automations. We haven't seen any new conditions. We haven't seen any real new product categories come to HomeKit in a few years" I'm curious which one is the real dealbreaker for people. For me, it's the hub reliability I can work around Siri being dumb, but if the hub itself can't stay connected, nothing else matters. What's yours, and why?

I've integrated about a dozen non-native devices into Apple Home over the past two years, and the honest answer is: it works, but only if you go in with realistic expectations. The core principle is simple: a non-HomeKit device can be added to Apple Home only if it has a supported plugin, integration, API, hub, Matter bridge, or some indirect control method. If the device is completely closed, no API, no third-party control, no plugin, it can't be bridged no matter what software you use. For most people, Homebridge is the starting point. It's an open-source Node.js server that runs locally on your network and presents non-certified devices to the Home app as if they were native accessories. The plugin library is genuinely large Eufy cameras, Xiaomi robot vacuums, Tuya-based smart plugs, Nest thermostats, LIFX bulbs, Broadlink IR blasters, and hundreds more. Here's what nobody tells you before you start: The mDNS problem will eat your afternoon. If you're running Homebridge in Docker with the default bridge network, multicast traffic is silently blocked. iOS never sees the accessory. The Home app shows nothing. No error, no log entry just absence. You need host networking or macvlan. Zigbee and Z-Wave devices need their own hubs. A Raspberry Pi running Homebridge won't magically make Zigbee devices work. They need a Zigbee coordinator (like a Conbee II or Hubitat) or a bridge that speaks their protocol. Once it works, don't touch it. The most common advice from long-term users: "Once it is stable I just don't bother with updates. I have to reboot the system maybe once every six months". Every major iOS update is a gamble. Matter is changing the game slowly. Some newer devices now support Matter natively, which means direct integration without a bridge. But "Matter-compatible" doesn't always mean what you think, especially with Thread devices across multiple ecosystems. My verdict: Homebridge is the path of least resistance for most non-native devices. But go in knowing you're building a small server that needs maintenance, not installing a plug-and-play solution. The community plugins are your lifeline stick to ones with high download counts and recent update dates

I've seen this question come up quite a few times, and the answers online seem to be all over the place. Some people say Nest cameras work with Apple Home, while others say they don't. So, what's the real answer? From what I've found, Nest cameras do not support Apple HomeKit natively. If you buy a Nest Cam or Nest Doorbell today, you won't be able to scan a HomeKit code and have it appeared in the Apple Home app. That said, plenty of people are successfully using Nest cameras with Apple Home by using a bridge or software solution. Some of the most common options are: Starling Home Hub for a simple plug and play experience. Homebridge if you don't mind a bit of setup. Scrypted for users who want advanced camera features and low latency. For those already running one of these solutions: Which method are you using? How reliable has it been? Are live streams fast and responsive? Does two-way audio work well? If you're using HomeKit Secure Video, which Nest camera model are you using? I'm also curious whether anyone has switched between Starling, Homebridge, and Scrypted. Was the change worth it? It seems like the biggest point of confusion is that people assume Matter has solved this problem. From what I understand, Matter still doesn't support security cameras, so a bridge is still required if you want to view Nest cameras inside Apple Home. Find more: How to add Nest cameras with Apple HomeKit I'd love to hear some real-world experiences before recommending one solution over another. Which setup has worked best for you?

I've been researching Yale smart locks recently, and one thing keeps coming up. There seems to be a lot of confusion about which Yale Assure locks actually work with Apple Home. Some people say the Yale Assure Lock supports HomeKit, while others say it doesn't. After digging into it, it looks like both answers can be correct depending on the model. From what I understand: Yale Assure Lock 2 supports Apple Home out of the box through Bluetooth. Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus also supports Apple Home Key, so you can unlock your door with your iPhone or Apple Watch. Older first-generation Yale Assure locks usually need a compatible HomeKit module, such as the Yale iM1 module. If they have a Zigbee or Z-Wave module instead, they won't appear in Apple Home. That seems to be where most of the confusion comes from. Many listings simply say "Yale Assure Lock" without mentioning the generation or included module. For those who own one: Which Yale model are you using? Was pairing with Apple Home straightforward? Have you experienced any connection or reliability issues? If you were buying today, would you choose the Assure Lock 2, the Assure Lock 2 Plus, or a different HomeKit-compatible lock altogether? I think this could be a useful thread for anyone shopping for a Yale lock, especially since older models are still widely available online and can be easy to confuse with the newer versions. I'd love to hear everyone's real-world experiences before I make a decision.

If you're planning to add unsupported smart home devices to Apple Home, one of the first decisions you'll make is whether to build your own Homebridge server or buy a pre-built bridge. Both options let you run Homebridge and connect non-HomeKit devices to Apple Home. The biggest differences are the amount of setup, ongoing maintenance, and overall convenience. This guide explains the pros and cons of each approach so you can decide which one fits your needs. Quick Comparison Feature DIY Homebridge Pre-Built Bridge Initial Cost Usually lower if you already own compatible hardware Higher upfront cost Setup Requires installation and configuration Ready to use out of the box Maintenance You manage updates and troubleshooting Usually simpler to maintain Flexibility Excellent Good Technical Knowledge Recommended Minimal What Is a DIY Homebridge Server? A DIY Homebridge server is hardware that you configure yourself to run Homebridge. Common choices include: Raspberry Pi Mini PC Intel NUC Thin client NAS Always-on Linux computer You install the operating system, Homebridge, plugins, and future updates yourself. Pros Lower cost if you already have suitable hardware Complete control over your operating system and plugins Easy to expand with Home Assistant, Docker, Zigbee2MQTT, MQTT, or Node-RED Great for users who enjoy learning and customizing Cons Initial setup takes more time You are responsible for backups and recovery Hardware compatibility varies Troubleshooting requires some technical knowledge What Is a Pre-Built Homebridge Bridge? A pre-built bridge includes compatible hardware with Homebridge already installed like ATHBridge. Most of the initial configuration is complete, so you can begin adding plugins and devices almost immediately. Pros Quick and easy setup No operating system installation required Hardware has already been tested for compatibility Good choice for beginners Less time spent troubleshooting Cons Higher purchase price Hardware upgrades may be more limited Less flexibility than a fully custom build Performance For most homes, performance differences are small. Even entry-level hardware can comfortably run Homebridge with dozens of plugins and many HomeKit accessories. If you also plan to run services such as Home Assistant, Zigbee2MQTT, Z-Wave JS, Frigate, MQTT, Docker containers, or Node-RED, a more powerful mini PC may provide a better long-term experience. Reliability Reliability depends more on good hardware and regular maintenance than whether your system is DIY or pre-built. To improve stability: Use a quality power supply. Choose reliable storage such as an SSD whenever possible. Create regular Homebridge backups. Update plugins carefully instead of updating everything at once. Consider using a UPS if power outages are common. Which Option Should You Choose? Choose DIY if you: Enjoy learning and experimenting Already own compatible hardware Want maximum flexibility Plan to run multiple smart home services Choose a Pre-Built Bridge if you: Want the easiest possible setup Prefer spending your time using your smart home instead of configuring it Want a ready-to-use solution Are new to Homebridge Frequently Asked Questions Is DIY still cheaper? In many cases, yes. If you already own compatible hardware, building your own Homebridge server is usually the more affordable option. If you need to purchase everything from scratch, the price difference becomes much smaller. Does a pre-built bridge perform better? Not necessarily. Performance depends on the hardware specifications rather than whether the device is pre-built or assembled yourself. Can I migrate from DIY to a pre-built bridge later? Yes. Homebridge includes backup and restore features that make moving your configuration between compatible systems straightforward. Does Matter replace Homebridge? Not yet. Matter has improved compatibility between smart home ecosystems, but many devices and advanced integrations still depend on Homebridge plugins or Home Assistant. Final Thoughts There is no single answer that works for everyone. A DIY Homebridge server is ideal if you enjoy customization, already have suitable hardware, and want complete control over your smart home. A pre-built bridge is a better fit if you want a simple installation, less maintenance, and a faster path to getting your devices into Apple Home. I'm especially interested in hearing from people with larger Apple Home setups. Are you still running a DIY Homebridge server? Have you moved to a pre-built bridge? Has Matter reduced your need for Homebridge, or do you still rely on plugins? If you were starting from scratch today, which route would you choose and why? I'd love to hear some real-world experiences the successes, the frustrations, and any lessons learned that could help someone deciding between DIY hardware and a pre-built solution.

I kept searching “does Ring work with HomeKit” because I wanted to use my Ring doorbell with Apple Home. I couldn’t find a native HomeKit option for my Ring setup, so I started looking at other ways to connect it. Here are a few methods I tried. Homebridge Homebridge was the first option I tried. I already had a Raspberry Pi, so it was a good place to start. I installed the Ring plugin and connected it to Apple Home. The setup took a little time, but once everything was connected, I could see my Ring device in the Home app. The main downside for me was not having HomeKit Secure Video. Home Assistant I also tried Home Assistant because I was already using it for other smart home devices. I connected Ring to Home Assistant and then used HomeKit Bridge to bring it into Apple Home. It worked for basic use, but the Ring integration still relies on Ring’s cloud connection. HomeKit Secure Video isn’t supported through the Home Assistant HomeKit Bridge either. Scrypted Then I looked at Scrypted. It supports HomeKit Secure Video, which made it an interesting option for using cameras with Apple Home. The setup was a little more involved than the other options, but it’s worth looking at if HomeKit Secure Video is important to you. For me, there still isn’t one simple solution that does everything. These workarounds gave me a few different ways to bring Ring and Apple Home together. Has anyone here found another good way to use Ring with Apple Home? I’d like to know what worked for you.

If you're wondering whether you can connect Amazon Alexa with Apple HomeKit, the short answer is yes, but not directly. Alexa doesn't natively control Apple HomeKit devices. However, there are several methods that let you use both ecosystems together. Below are the most common options. Method 1: Add Devices to Both Alexa and Apple Home This is the easiest solution if your smart device supports both platforms. Steps Set up the device using the manufacturer's app. Add the device to Apple Home using the Home app. Open the Alexa app. Enable the manufacturer's Alexa Skill. Link your account and discover devices. Your device will now appear in both Apple Home and Alexa, allowing you to control it with Siri or Alexa independently. Best for: Philips Hue, TP-Link Kasa, Meross, Ecobee, SwitchBot, and other devices that officially support both ecosystems. Method 2: Use Matter If your smart device supports Matter, you can share it between Apple Home and Alexa using Matter's Multi-Admin feature. Steps Add the Matter device to Apple Home. Generate the Matter pairing code (or Multi-Admin code). Open the Alexa app. Add a new Matter device. Scan the Matter code. Finish the setup. The same device can now be controlled from both Apple Home and Alexa. Best for: New Matter-compatible smart home devices. Method 3: Use Homebridge If you have HomeKit devices that Alexa cannot see, Homebridge can expose many of them to Alexa. What you'll need A computer, Raspberry Pi, or dedicated Homebridge server Homebridge installed The appropriate Alexa/Homebridge plugin Your Apple Home hub (HomePod or Apple TV if required by your setup) Basic Setup Install Homebridge. Install the Alexa integration plugin. Link your Amazon account. Select which HomeKit accessories you want Alexa to access. Discover devices from the Alexa app. After setup, Alexa will be able to control many of your HomeKit accessories using voice commands. Which Method Should You Use? Situation Recommended Method Device supports both Alexa and HomeKit Add it to both platforms separately Device supports Matter Use Matter Multi-Admin HomeKit-only accessories Use Homebridge Mixed smart home with many brands Homebridge + Matter where available Things to Keep in Mind Alexa cannot directly control Apple Home itself. Not every HomeKit accessory can be exposed through Homebridge. Matter support depends on the device manufacturer. Homebridge requires a device that stays powered on 24/7.

So I finally got my Aqara U400 working reliably in HomeKit after weeks of it constantly showing "Not Responding." I tried a bunch of stuff that didn't work, then a few things that actually did. Figured I'd write this down in case anyone else is dealing with the same frustration. The Hardware Stuff First When I opened it up, I found the internal data cable was slightly pressing against the deadbolt. Nothing crazy, but enough that it was straining a bit. I gently tucked it away and that helped with responsiveness. Some people in the Aqara forums actually chiseled a tiny channel inside the door pocket to give the cable more room — didn't need to go that far, but worth knowing if you're desperate. Also verify the tailpiece is centered. Open your battery cover, remove the battery, manually turn the knob. If it's grinding or sticking, the tailpiece might be off-center in the deadbolt hole. Loosening the mounting plate screws and adjusting its position fixed that for me. And make sure the deadbolt isn't rubbing against your door's strike plate. Obvious but it happens. The Calibration Loop If your Aqara Home app keeps saying "Unknown" status and asking you to recalibrate constantly: Easy way: Open Aqara Home app > Settings > Door Lock Calibration > close the door (keep it unlocked) > tap Start. Let it map the orientation. Offline way (if your WiFi is being weird): Remove battery cover, press Set button once, press 5 on the keypad, follow the voice prompts. This actually worked better for me than the app method. The Big One: "No Response" in HomeKit This is what was killing me. The lock works fine in the Aqara app but HomeKit just spins forever. The fix that actually worked: I completely unaired the lock and re-added it in a specific order. Remove it from HomeKit entirely Scan the Matter QR code directly in the Apple Home app FIRST (let it join Thread natively) Wait like 5-10 minutes for it to stabilize THEN go back and add it as a secondary bridge through the Aqara app (generate a new pairing code in HomeKit settings, copy it to Aqara Home, bridge to Hub M3) Sounds complicated but the order matters. HomeKit direct first, Aqara app second. That sequence fixed it for me. Also — and this might sound weird — I disabled my 5GHz WiFi band temporarily during setup. Just 2.4GHz + the Thread network. Once it was stable, I turned 5GHz back on. I have a UniFi network and apparently that was interfering. Keep the lock within like 3-5 meters of your Thread Border Router or Hub M3. Weak mesh signals cause constant dropping. UWB Unlock on Approach Not Working? Don't use HomeKit's auto-lock toggle. Turn that OFF and instead use the Aqara Home app's auto-lock feature. HomeKit's timer apparently doesn't know when the door is still open, so it'll lock while you're approaching. The Aqara app version is better. Also make sure "Unlock on Approach" is toggled ON in your Apple Wallet for the digital key. Sounds obvious but I forgot to check. Nuclear Option: Hard Reset If the firmware is completely stuck: Remove the rear battery cover Press and hold the Reset key for 5 seconds Verify your admin password when it asks on the keypad Lock clears everything Used this once when the firmware locked up. Worked. Quick Note: Aqara U50 If you're looking at the Aqara U50 (the Zigbee variant), just be aware some U50 models are hybrid Zigbee + Matter. Double-check yours actually supports native Matter/Thread in HomeKit or you might need a hub bridge. The U400 doesn't have this problem, it's just Matter/Thread. Anyway that's what worked for me. Is anyone else dealing with this? Curious what fixed it for you guys or if you found other solutions I'm missing. Sources: https://store-support.aqara.com/products/smart-lock-u400 https://eu.manuals.plus/aqara/u400-uwb-smart-lock-manual