# HomeWatch — Controller for HomeKit

> HomeKit controller for Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. (iPhone/iPad app by Peter Vogels.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/homewatch/id1622801480 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Peter Vogels](https://appshunter.io/developer/1622801482)
- Category: Utilities, Lifestyle
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.75/5 from 4 App Store ratings · 5 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 17+
- Requires: iOS 15.6 · 64 MB
- Languages: Dutch, English, German
- Released: 2022-05-27
- Data updated: 2026-07-07
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/homewatch/id1622801480/reviews.md

## What is HomeWatch?

I made an app for my Apple Watch to see a glanceable status of our home and to control our HomeKit devices. It worked so well on the watch, that I expanded it to a dashboard app for all our Apple devices. I have now added a configuration interface to make it compatible with any HomeKit enabled home setup. I hope some of you will find it useful.

HOME VIEW

The circle / grid with icons on the home view shows a color coded status of the rooms of the home: red when a door is open, yellow when a window is open, orange when the heating is on, cyan when lights are on and green when nothing is on.

On the iPhone, iPad, tvOS and Mac the app also shows the time, date, cameras, feeds, events, reminders, a website and weather information. When there is rain, it will show a rain graph.

ROOM VIEWS

When a room is selected, the circle layout will show the scenes you can control in that room. The grid layout also shows the devices that can be controlled in that room. Additionally the room view has an information section. To the right it can show any characteristics from your devices.  Below is a detail view that can show a camera view, a website, a temperature, humidity and climate history graphs.

WIDGETS

Fully customisable lock-screen and home-screen widgets. Tap / Clicking a widget item to go directly to a room view, execute a scene or launch any url-scheme. Customisable complications on the Watch can have actions to go directly to a room view and execute any scene.

MENU BAR ITEMS

On the Mac any HomeKit characteristic can be added to the menu bar and is kept up to date.

CUSTOMISATION

The interface can be fully customised. The user can add their own background images and icons from the photo library. Customise gradient overlays, icons, fonts, colours and more. Make it your own…

## Key features

- Glanceable room status with color-coded indicators
- Control scenes and devices within rooms
- View camera feeds, weather, and website content
- Customizable home and lock-screen widgets
- Menu bar items for Mac with real-time updates
- Extensive interface customization options

## Recent user reviews (5 of 5)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/homewatch/id1622801480/reviews.md

### 5/5 — It does something special

*2025-05-06*

No other app lets you make a HomeKit dashboard anywhere near as powerful as this.  It can do so much. Apps for all of the apple ecosystem is terrific !

### 5/5 — Great

*2025-02-03*

Nice improvements!

### 2/5 — Looks OK but has some fundamental flaws

*2024-04-17*

A basic dashboard (it's free so let's not get too critical here) but the MacOS version could do with fixing a few fundamental flaws. 1. It doesn't remember its window placement/size etc - as it's a "dashboard" it really needs to reopen the way it was last setup. 2. I don't know where it's getting it's location data from but it's dead wrong. Pressing "current location" button seems to do nothing and doesn't correct the issue. 3. Dashboard layout is not customisable eg you can't move or remove weather, time etc. Only the "Homekit" part has any customisation. 4. the Light/Dark and "accent colour" options only change the settings screens NOT the dashboard!!! Huh?!?!?!

### 5/5 — Best way to watch Homekit on Apple TV!

*2023-02-25*

I use this app mainly on my Apple TV's. Love that it updates info on it's own. It's turned into the best way to keep an eye on my Homekit stuff! Really appreciate the weather improvements on the last update.
Thanks!

### 3/5 — Nice idea, but clunky

*2022-12-08*

Like the idea of pulling weather an calenda data together, but this feels like a 0.5 verrsion
- Interface is unintuitive, not obvious how to switch between different views
- woudl be much higher value if it could track Hoemkit accessory historical data alongside the rest eg show thermostat data and weather together

## Frequently asked questions about HomeWatch

### What is HomeWatch?

HomeWatch is a free utility app designed to monitor and control your HomeKit-enabled smart home devices. It provides glanceable status updates and allows for direct control of scenes and individual devices across various Apple platforms.

### What devices does HomeWatch support?

HomeWatch is available for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, and Apple TV. It leverages the Apple ecosystem to provide a consistent experience across your devices.

### How does HomeWatch display room status?

The app uses a color-coded system on its home view to indicate the status of rooms. For example, red signifies an open door, yellow an open window, and green indicates that all is clear.

### Can I customize the look of HomeWatch?

Yes, HomeWatch offers extensive customization. You can personalize the interface with your own background images, icons, gradient overlays, fonts, and colors to make it uniquely yours.

### Does HomeWatch have ads?

No, HomeWatch does not contain advertisements. As a free application, it aims to provide a clean and uninterrupted user experience for managing your smart home.

### What kind of information can I see on the iPhone, iPad, tvOS, and Mac versions?

Beyond HomeKit device control, these versions can display the time, date, camera feeds, events, reminders, websites, and weather information, including a rain graph when applicable.

### How often is HomeWatch updated?

The app was last updated on September 12, 2025, with version 1.14. This indicates a commitment to ongoing development and improvements for users.

### Is HomeWatch suitable for all ages?

HomeWatch has an age rating of 17+. This is likely due to the complexity of smart home management and the potential for advanced configuration options.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.16 — 2026-07-02

1.16
- Fixed a bug where chart views could incorrectly display the Tado login screen when no Tado thermostat was configured.

### 1.15 — 2026-05-20

1.15
- More Flexible Layout System
    - In landscape mode, any view can now be placed on either the left or right side of the screen.
    - Added more size options for Time and Status views.
    - Added new Detail View layout options:
        - Show up to 3 Detail Views per screen.
        - Choose which items appear in the tab bar.
        - Select the default item shown when the view appears.
        - Option to hide Detail Views in portrait mode.
        - Option to hide the fullscreen toggle.
        - Option to hide tab bar icons.
- Custom JSON Detail Views
    - Added support for JSON URLs, allowing custom information to be shown in Detail Views.
    - Use a .json URL, or a .php URL that returns JSON data.
    - Display custom information using card, list, or scroll layouts.
    - Each Detail View can use its own custom URL.
    - Examples are available in the Settings menu.
- Added a new Now Playing Detail View for Apple Music.
- Various enhancements and fixes.

### 1.14 — 2025-09-12

1.14
- Updated for iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and watchOS 26.
- Various enhancements and fixes.

### 1.13 — 2025-06-25

1.13
- Several updates to feeds, sync reliability, and the custom reader view.
- New animated swipe-from-left gesture from any view to go back to the previous view on iPhone and iPad.
- Various enhancements and fixes.

### 1.12 — 2025-05-05

1.12
- Feed Support
    - Added support for RSS, Atom, and JSON feeds.
    - Add feeds via URL or OPML file.
    - Optionally sync feeds and feed items between devices.
    - Custom Reader view.
    - Filter feed items by feed or category. 
    - Filters and some other options are only available when feed view is toggled fullscreen.
    - Long-Press / Click an image to view it larger.
    - Long-Press / Click item to toggle read state.
    - Long-Press / Click the hide read items tabbar button to set the currently listed items to read. 
    - Press the Back / Menu button or swipe right on the tv remote in a feed scroll view to return to the views tab bar.
- Language support
    - Now available in English, German and Dutch.
- Layouts customization 
    - Optionally hide time, status and detail views. 
    - Support for up to 3 detail views.
    - Choose for each detail view which tabs to show, and show or hide the fullscreen button.
- Information Web view
    - Uses the Reader view from feeds on tvOS or URL's with a .md extension.
    - Fixed scrolling on tvOS.
    - Press the Back / Menu button or swipe to the right on the tv remote in to return to the views tab bar.
- Charts updates
    - Updated Tado integration for new authorization flow. Set up once, tokens sync across devices.
    - Auto-updating charts can now sync via iCloud. 
    - For example keep one device on, like an Apple TV or an always-on Mac with HomeWatch running in the menu bar.
- Authentication
    -  Use FaceTime authentication to restrict access to settings or the Home view from a Room view.
- Themes
    - New default light theme when appearance is set to “Light” in the settings menu.
    - This will only take effect after a “Reset Home Setup” or a “Reset Theme” in the Theme Editor.
- Calendar
    - Now using the latest edit event and reminders views from my calendar app What = Next.
    - Support for location based reminders.
- Various enhancements and fixes

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## More apps by Peter Vogels

- [What = Next](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/what-next/id6737338593)

All apps by Peter Vogels: https://appshunter.io/developer/1622801482

## Related topics

[controller for homekit](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/controller-for-homekit)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-07.*
