Plans, Purchases and Activated Categories
Home Kat Bridge separates whether a device category is enabled from whether it is activated by a purchase.
- An enabled category can discover devices, connect to its account or cloud service, and be configured in Home Kat Bridge.
- An activated category can add its configured accessories to HomeKit.
This lets you prepare any category before deciding which ones to activate. An enabled category that is not activated shows a yellow status indicator and does not add its accessories to HomeKit. Disabling a category stops its discovery and device communication. To use with HomeKit, a device category needs to be both enabled and activated.
Available plans
Subscription plans are available with six-month and annual billing:
- One Category activates one category chosen by you.
- Two Categories activates two categories chosen by you.
- All Categories activates every current and future category without requiring a selection.
The App Store may show an introductory trial for an eligible subscription. Alternatievly the Golden Ticket is a one-time lifetime purchase and activates every current and future category.
Open Settings > General > Activate Device Categories or simply press Try Now on any of the device category settings pages to compare plans, buy or restore access, and see the categories currently activated. If you have a one or two category plan, General Settings allows you to change the active categories.
Choosing activated categories
Stop the Home Kat Bridge server before changing the activated category choices. With a One Category or Two Categories plan, press Try Now for the category you wish to activate or use the category pickers in Settings > General, then restart the bridge when the choices are correct. The All Categories plan and Golden Ticket activate every category automatically, so they do not show category pickers.
When an activated category is replaced or removed, its accessories are removed from the main HomeKit bridge. Home Kat Bridge retains their supported room, scene and automation assignments so they can be restored if that category is activated again and its accessories return.
Plan changes use a predictable category order:
- Upgrading from one to two categories retains the existing activated category and leaves the second choice available.
- Downgrading from two to one category retains the first category in the app's canonical order; you can change it while the server is stopped.
- Moving from All Categories to a one- or two-category plan clears the category choices so that you can specify the categories to activate.
Restore and manage purchases
Use Restore Purchases when a plan or Golden Ticket bought with the current Apple Account is not recognised by the app. An internet connection is required. Subscription renewals and cancellations are managed by Apple through Manage Subscriptions.
If both a Golden Ticket and a subscription are active, all categories remain activated, but the subscription is unnecessary. Home Kat Bridge displays a warning in General Settings; cancel the subscription through Apple to prevent another renewal.