< HomeKat Help

iOS Tips

On an iPhone, Home Kat Bridge can be used to setup the devices configuration, before starting a server on another machine, it can connect remotely to a

Home Kat Bridge must remain frontmost and the device must not sleep, power off or lose the wi-fi network. If you want to run the bridge to share devices with HomeKit, use only a spare device dedicated to the app, keep it connected to power and Wi-Fi, and leave it in your home. It doesn't need a SIM card.

Home Kat Bridge starts its HomeKit server and device discovery only while Guided Access is active. If you leave the app or end Guided Access, the server stops and its accessories become unavailable until the app is active in Guided Access again.

Set up Guided Access

Apple provides full Guided Access instructions. The basic setup is:

1. Open the iPhone or iPad Settings app.
2. Go to Accessibility > Guided Access and switch Guided Access on.
3. Open Passcode Settings, select Set Guided Access Passcode, and choose a passcode you will remember. A passcode is recommended even if Face ID or Touch ID is also enabled.
4. Set Display Auto-Lock to Never.
5. Return to Accessibility, open Accessibility Shortcut, and make sure Guided Access is selected.

If triple-clicking the side button is difficult, you can optionally assign the accessibility shortcut to Back Tap under Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap.

Start Home Kat Bridge

1. Open Home Kat Bridge and leave it on screen.
2. Triple-click the side button, or the top button on an iPad with that layout. If configured, you can instead use the selected Back Tap gesture.
3. Select Guided Access if the shortcut menu asks which accessibility feature to use.
4. Select Start if iOS displays the Guided Access setup screen.

Home Kat Bridge detects the change and starts the server automatically. You can then pair the bridge with HomeKit or control its devices. The large power button cannot start the iOS server without Guided Access; selecting it displays the Guided Access instructions.

Screen dimming

To protect the display, Home Kat Bridge places a dark overlay over the app after a period without a touch. The default delay is ten seconds. In Settings > General > Screen, choose a longer delay or Never, and choose whether the status bar should be hidden while dimmed.

Tap the darkened screen once to restore it. The app disables normal idle sleep while active, but Guided Access and a Never display auto-lock setting provide the reliable dedicated-server arrangement.

Screen dimming changes only the display; the HomeKit server continues running.

End Guided Access

Triple-click the side or top button, authenticate with the Guided Access passcode, then select End. If you assigned Back Tap, you can use that shortcut instead.

Ending Guided Access stops the local Home Kat Bridge server. Accessories remain in the Home app but are shown as unavailable until Guided Access is started again. The large power button displays a reminder to end Guided Access when you ask it to stop the server.

End Guided Access before switching apps, changing system settings or completing an App Store purchase. Return to Home Kat Bridge and start Guided Access again afterward.

Daily use

• Keep the device connected to a reliable charger and avoid using a switched outlet that an automation might turn off.
• Keep Wi-Fi enabled and do not move the device between guest and private networks.
• Do not force-quit Home Kat Bridge. After an iOS update or device restart, open the app and start Guided Access again.
• Check the Home page after a restart. The server indicator should be green and display a running time.
• If iOS reports a local-network problem, allow Local Network access for Home Kat Bridge in the system Settings app, then reopen the app.

A second iPhone or iPad using the same iCloud account may detect the active server and open in remote-monitoring mode. It can view status and the remote Event Log without taking over the HomeKit server. The dedicated device must still remain at home and in Guided Access.