Creating Triggers On iOS

Triggers activate Scenes based on the state change (turning on, turning off, etc.) of a product, your location, the presence of people in your home, or when a HomeKit™ compatible sensor detects a change.

If you’re running iOS 11.2 or later, an Apple Home Hub is required to create Triggers. A Home Hub can be an Apple TV 4K, Apple TV 4th Generation, HomePod™, or iPad^® running iOS 10 or later.

Some users may have existing triggers created before the Home Hub requirement was introduced. For users running iOS 11.2 and later who don’t have a Home Hub, existing Triggers can only be deleted, and no longer edited or created.

For users running iOS 11.1 and older, only product and location Triggers can be created. A Home Hub is required for remote activation of Triggers. Without a Home Hub, the iOS device must be connected to the same Wi-Fi^® network for the Trigger to activate. More information on using a Home Hub can be found on the Apple support site. Click Here

Note: The administrator of the iCloud^® account is the only person that can create Triggers, unless additional users have been given “Allow Editing” capabilities in the Apple Home app. All other shared users cannot create Triggers.

Trigger Types: 

Product Trigger: Allows a status change (turning ON, turning OFF, etc.) in a product to activate a Scene. An example of a product Trigger would be: turning off your “Bedroom Lamp” will trigger your “Goodnight” scene, or when “Main Thermostat” ambient temperature is above 65°, it will trigger your “I Am Home” scene.

Location Trigger: Use the location of your iOS device to determine when you arrive or leave set locations and activate a Scene when that action occurs. An example of a location Trigger would be: When leaving work, activate my “Coming Home” scene. Note: When your iOS device is not connected to your home Wi-Fi network, a Home Hub is required to activate the Trigger. 

Home Trigger: Allows your Home Hub, to determine when you or other users in your home arrive or leave. An example of a Home Trigger would be: When the last user leaves home, activate my “Going To Work” scene.

Sensor Trigger: Uses a HomeKit compatible sensor to activate a Scene. An example of a sensor Trigger would be: when my motion sensor detects motion, activate my “I’m Home” scene. 

Creating A Trigger:

1. From the home dashboard, tap "Triggers."

2. Tap the "+" in the upper right-hand corner or if this is your first Trigger, tap "Create a Trigger."

3. Select the Trigger type and continue to the steps below for creating each Trigger.

Product Trigger: 

1. Select “Another Product.”
2. Choose the product that will be used to activate the Scene.
3. Choose the state of the product — ON, OFF, Ambient Temperature reading, etc. — then tap “Next.”
4. Choose the Scene to be activated and tap “Next." If you need to make a new Scene, select “Create New” at the bottom.
5. If you’d like to customize* the Trigger, choose the option(s) below then tap “Next” or choose “Skip” to continue without customizing.
   1. Activate Times: Day time, Night Time or Custom Range.
   2. End Time: Automatically ends the Scene after a period of time (Thermostat settings will remain unchanged).
   3. People: I’m Home, I’m Not Home, Anyone Is Home, No One Is Home.
6. Tap “Next” to review the Trigger, then tap “Done.”    

Location Trigger:

1. Select “Another Location.”
2. Choose when the Trigger activates — “When Arriving” or “When Leaving” — then tap “Next.”
3. The map will default to your current location, but you can use the search field to find and set a different location. Pinching in or out on the map allows you to customize the distance from the set location that the phone will use to trigger the Scene. Tap “Next”.
4. Choose the Scene to be activated. If you need to make a new Scene, select “Create New” at the bottom.
5. If you’d like to customize* the Trigger, choose the option(s) below then tap “Next” or choose “Skip” to continue without customizing.
   1. Activate Times: Day time, Night Time or Custom Range.
   2. End Time: Automatically ends the Scene after a period of time (Thermostat settings will remain unchanged).
   3. People: I’m Home, I’m Not Home, Anyone Is Home, No One Is Home.
6. Tap “Next” to review the Trigger, then tap “Done.”

Home Trigger*: 

1. Select “Arriving Home” or “Leaving Home.”
2. Choose when the Trigger activates.
3. Choose the Scene to be activated. If you need to make a new Scene, select “Create New” at the bottom.
4. If you’d like to customize* the Trigger, choose the option(s) below then tap “Next” or choose “Skip” to continue without customizing.
   1. Activate Times: Day time, Night Time or Custom Range.
   2. End Time: Automatically ends the Scene after a period of time (Thermostat settings will remain unchanged).
5. Tap “Next” to review the Trigger, then tap “Done.”

Sensor Trigger*:

1. Select “A Sensor.”
2. Choose when the Trigger activates, tap “Next”
3. Set the activation threshold, tap “Next”.
4. Choose the Scene to be activated. If you need to make a new Scene, select “Create New” at the bottom.
5. If you’d like to customize* the Trigger, choose the option(s) below, then tap “Next” or choose “Skip” to continue without customizing.
   1. Activate Times: Day time, Night Time or Custom Range.
   2. End Time: Automatically ends the Scene after a period of time (Thermostat settings will remain unchanged).
   3. People: I’m Home, I’m Not Home, Anyone Is Home, No One Is Home.
6. Tap “Next” to review the Trigger, then tap “Done.” 

*For these Triggers and customizations, a Home Hub running the latest OS is required. A Home Hub can be: Apple TV 4K, Apple TV 4th Generation running tvOS 11, HomePod™, or iPad^® running iOS 11 and later.