As of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, only Apple TV and HomePod are supported as HomeKit hubs, not iPads, which were previously supported.
Apple has traditionally allowed HomePod, Apple TV, and iPad devices to serve as home hubs. With the release of iOS and iPadOS 16 this year, however, iPads will no longer be supported as home hubs.
Apple’s website indicates that the new Home app and associated features in iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 require a home hub, including sharing a home and receiving Home notifications. In conjunction with this, Apple is also clarifying what counts as a home hub, saying: “Only Apple TV and HomePod are supported as home hubs.”
This means, in order to use HomeKit features like control while out of your home, sharing Home access, and setting up automations, you’ll need to have a HomePod, HomePod mini, or Apple TV on your home network.
https://twitter.com/techcrtr/status/1534449437329735681
MacDailyNews Take: iPad never really fit the bill for a HomeKit hub that is meant to always be powered on and connected to the internet (like HomePods and Apple TV units).
We imagine that if Apple ever took another stab at AirPort, such devices would also be supported as HomeKit hubs.
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To MacDailyNews’s point…let’s hope Apple resurrects the Airport line of something similar. That’s a hub I can get onboard with.
I suggested a while ago that Apple’s mystery WiFi device might be something to do with the Matter protocol. A dedicated HomeKit hub does sound increasingly plausible.
Having an iPad as a Hub was a bit strange anyway. Hubs generally don’t move around much from where they are initially setup and placed.