Choosing your preferred Home Hub in iOS 18 can be a bit tricky

As we reported in June, iOS 18 and tvOS 18 add an option that finally lets users choose an Apple TV or HomePod as their preferred Home Hub for remotely controlling HomeKit and Matter accessories. These updates are now publicly available, but choosing your preferred Home Hub can be a bit tricky.

Selecting a specific Home Hub in iOS 18

The Home app already had the option to use an Apple TV or HomePod as a Home Hub. However, the system would randomly choose a device to act as the hub, frustrating users. This is because the Home app would sometimes choose an older device with a slower wireless connection over a newer model or an Apple TV connected to a wired network.

iOS 18 and tvOS 18 address this issue by adding a new toggle in the Home app to disable automatic Home Hub selection. Once disabled, you can select a specific HomePod or Apple TV to act as a hub. Theoretically, the feature should be visible to users once all of their devices are updated to the latest software.

However, many users have reported inconsistencies or errors with the new option. In a post on Reddit, some users say they still don’t have the option to set a specific hub. Others say the solution was to restart all Apple TVs and HomePods connected to their account.

“I definitely don’t have that option, even after updating everything,” said one user. “Restart all HomePod minis and Apple TVs. I was finally able to choose the hub I wanted as the default,” another person replied.

Users should be able to set up a specific hub by opening the Home app in iOS 18, then tapping the three-dot button and selecting Home Settings. Then, go to the Home Hubs & Bridges menu.

In addition to this feature, the Home app in iOS 18 will also gain support for robot vacuum cleaners – although Apple says the feature will be added later in the year via a future software update.

Have you managed to set up a specific hub in the Home app with iOS 18? Let us know in the comments section below.

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