A redesign of the Home app architecture to make it faster and more reliable, which originally appeared in iOS 16.2 in December but was retired at the end of that month, will reappear in the upcoming iOS 16.4 update.
The feature, as we reported at the time, introduced a new option in the Home app: Under Home Settings > Software Update, users would find a message saying Home Upgrade Available. However, Apple subsequently released a statement saying it was “aware of an issue that may affect users’ ability to share the Home within the Home app,” removed the upgrade option, and noted the removal of it in a support document.
Oddly enough, the removal didn’t affect users who had already chosen to upgrade, perhaps because they had safely avoided the biggest issue at the time: Before Apple reported the sharing issue, several people had complained that their devices were stuck in an update or configuration state. Others noted that invitations to share their homes with other users had failed or that HomeKit Secure Video recording had stopped working.
It seems that Apple is pleased that the problem is no longer a concern. MacRumors says it “can confirm” the upgrade option will return in iOS 16.4, based on code references discovered by Nicolás Álvarez. We don’t know when iOS 16.4 will launch; Apple has not yet released a beta of the update. But MacRumors speculates that the beta could arrive “as early as this week”.
Check out our iOS 16 super guide for all the latest information on Apple’s upcoming iOS updates.
