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To add another property in Apple’s Home app, open Home, tap Add, choose Add New Home, enter a name, and tap Save. To create your first home, open the Home app and follow its setup assistant.
The right procedure depends on what you mean by “add a home”: a separate property needs a new home, while a bedroom or garage usually needs a room. Inviting someone to use an existing setup is a separate sharing process.
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| What you want to do | What to choose |
|---|---|
| Set up Apple Home for the first time | Open Home and complete the setup assistant |
| Add a vacation property, apartment, office, or other separate location | Add New Home |
| Add a bedroom, garage, patio, or other area within the same property | Add a Room to the existing home |
| Use someone else’s existing Apple Home | Accept an invitation from the home’s owner |
Apple describes a home as a separate physical space, such as a main residence and a small office. Creating another home does not move or copy accessories from an existing one.
Apple’s iPhone instructions provide the current documented path for adding additional homes. Menu names can vary slightly by device and software version.
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Create your first home
If you have never configured Apple Home, open the Home app on your iPhone or iPad and follow the onscreen setup assistant. The initial setup creates a home before you add rooms and accessories.
- Open Home.
- Follow the setup prompts to create and name your home.
- Add rooms when prompted, or do so later.
- Pair lights, locks, cameras, thermostats, and other compatible accessories separately.
The first-home setup process is documented in Apple’s Home app guide.
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Add another home on iPhone
- Open the Home app.
- Tap the Add button.
- Tap Add New Home.
- Enter a name for the property. Choose wallpaper if the option appears.
- Tap Save.
The new location is now a separate, named home in Apple Home. To switch locations, open Home, tap the More button, and select the home you want.
Switch to the correct home before pairing an accessory. Otherwise, a newly added device may be assigned to the wrong property.
Add accessories to the new home
Adding a home creates the location container only. It does not automatically add lights, cameras, locks, thermostats, or other devices.
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- Power on the accessory and make sure it has the required network connection.
- Switch to the intended home in the Home app.
- Tap Home at the bottom left, then tap Add Accessory. Apple also documents using the top Add button and choosing Add Accessory.
- Scan the setup code or follow the onscreen pairing instructions.
- Assign the accessory to the appropriate room.
Some Matter accessories that were previously paired through another app may require the manufacturer’s app to generate a pairing code. Apple’s setup guidance also identifies a home hub as required for Matter-enabled accessories in Apple Home; compatibility can depend on the accessory, controller, network, and software.
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Add a room instead of another home
Create a room when the area is part of the same property. For example, Bedroom, Garage, and Patio should normally be rooms inside your existing home, not separate homes.
- Home: a physical property or location.
- Room: an area within that property.
- Accessory: a device assigned to a room.
- People: users invited to control the home.
- Home hub: an Apple device that enables selected remote and automation features.
Using this hierarchy keeps each property’s accessories, rooms, and permissions organized.
Adding a person is different
If you want a spouse, family member, tenant, or colleague to access an existing home, do not create a duplicate home. The home owner or administrator should send an invitation.
- Open Home.
- Tap or click Add.
- Choose Add People.
- Select a contact or enter the person’s Apple Account email address.
- Choose the available role, such as Resident or Guest, and send the invitation.
On the latest Home architecture, a supported home hub is required for sharing control. Residents can receive local and, where enabled, remote access. Guests have more limited access, including restrictions around certain security-related accessories and schedules. See Apple’s home-sharing instructions for current role availability.
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- Your favorite music and content – Play music, audiobooks, and podcasts from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and others or via Bluetooth throughout your home.
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If you were invited to someone else’s home, accept the invitation instead of creating a duplicate. In Home, go to More > Home Settings > View under invitations.
Do you need a home hub?
No home hub is listed as a prerequisite for simply creating and naming a home. A hub becomes important for advanced features such as remote access, automations, HomeKit Secure Video, sharing control, and some Matter setups.
Apple’s current Home architecture documentation lists Apple TV 4K or later and HomePod as supported home-hub categories. An iPad can still run the Home app and control accessories, but Apple says iPad is not supported as a home hub on the latest Home architecture. Check Apple’s current architecture guidance if your household has older devices.
Hardware is optional for the narrow task of creating a home. If you later need a hub, a HomePod mini is the straightforward Apple option for a smaller setup; Apple TV 4K makes more sense if you also want a streaming box; a full-size HomePod is primarily a speaker choice as well as a hub.
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“Add New Home” is missing
Apple’s normal iPhone path is Home > Add > Add New Home, but a missing control does not have one confirmed universal cause. Try these steps:
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- Return to the Home app’s main screen.
- Tap the More or Add control and check which home is selected.
- Update iOS, iPadOS, or macOS.
- Confirm that you are signed in to the intended Apple Account.
- Check whether you are a shared user rather than the home owner or administrator.
- If you are trying to join an existing home, ask its owner to send an invitation.
The accessory was added to the wrong home
Switch to the intended property before choosing Add Accessory. If the device is already assigned incorrectly, open its settings and use the available room or home reassignment controls. If the current interface does not offer a move option, remove and re-pair the accessory while the correct home is selected.
“Home Hub Required” appears
Set up or check a supported home hub, confirm that it is connected to the network, and restart the active hub. Apple also recommends trying setup from an iPhone or iPad signed in to the Apple Account used to establish the home. VPNs and third-party security software can interfere with discovery or communication. See Apple’s Home Hub Required troubleshooting.
An invitation was not received
Update the relevant iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and HomePod devices. Confirm that both people are signed in to iCloud with Home enabled, and that two-factor authentication and iCloud Keychain are enabled where required. Check the invitee’s Home app for a pending invitation, and confirm that neither person has blocked the other’s phone number or Apple Account.
Also check the home hub, Wi-Fi connection, VPN, and third-party security software. Apple provides additional requirements and troubleshooting for invitations in its home-sharing support article.
Older devices stop working after an architecture upgrade
Apple warns that devices that are not updated may lose access after a home is upgraded to the new Home architecture. Update compatible devices before upgrading, and check Apple’s requirements if your household includes older iPads, Apple TVs, HomePods, or mobile devices.
iPad and Mac notes
The iPhone procedure is the clearest documented route for creating an additional home. The Home app is also available on iPad, but do not assume every iPhone label appears in exactly the same position. On Mac, Home can manage homes and accessories, while settings and sharing may use menu paths such as Edit > Edit Home. Apple’s Mac Home guide documents those controls.
When instructions differ between devices, identify the selected home first, then look for the equivalent Add, Home Settings, or accessory controls.
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