Adding a robotic vacuum to Apple Home (formerly HomeKit) has long been a requested feature, and with iOS 18.4, it’s finally possible. While support is still evolving, some robot vacuums now integrate with Apple Home via Matter, a universal smart home standard. If you want to control your robot vacuum with Siri or the Home app, follow this guide to get everything set up.
What You Need Before Starting
Before adding your robot vacuum to Apple Home, make sure you have the following:
- A Matter-certified robot vacuum: Currently, models from SwitchBot, Eufy, Roborock, and Ecovacs are receiving updates to support Apple Home via Matter 1.4.
- An iPhone or iPad running iOS/iPadOS 18.4: Older versions will not support robot vacuums in the Home app.
- A Matter hub: This can be a HomePod, HomePod mini, or Apple TV.
- The manufacturer’s app: This is required for initial setup and room mapping.
Once you have all the necessary devices and software updates installed, you can proceed with the setup.
Step 1: Pair the Robot Vacuum with Apple Home
Time needed: 1 minute
- Open the Home app on your iPhone.
- Tap Add Accessory.
- Scan the Matter pairing code from the robot vacuum or enter it manually.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the pairing process.
- Assign the vacuum to a specific room in your Home app.
- Name the vacuum for easy voice control with Siri (e.g., “Living Room Vacuum”).
Step 2: Adjust Settings and Automations
Once added, your robot vacuum will appear under the “Other” category in the Home app. You can customize its settings by doing the following:
- Start a cleaning session: Tap the vacuum icon and press the play button.
- Enable automations: You can include the vacuum in custom scenes (e.g., “Good Morning” to start vacuuming when you wake up).
- Receive notifications: Get alerts when the vacuum starts or completes cleaning.
Step 3: Control the Vacuum with Siri
Using Siri, you can control your robot vacuum with voice commands such as:
- “Hey Siri, start vacuuming.”
- “Hey Siri, vacuum and mop the kitchen.”
- “Hey Siri, stop cleaning.”
- “Hey Siri, send the vacuum back to the dock.”
This has been reported to be troublesome, though, so be prepared for some awkward mishaps.
NOTE
Step 4: Configure Room Cleaning (Workaround)
Currently, Apple Home does not allow direct room selection within the Home app. To specify rooms:
- Open the manufacturer’s app (e.g., Ecovacs, Roborock, or Eufy).
- Set up room mapping and divide your home into zones.
- Create custom cleaning schedules for specific rooms.
- When starting a cleaning session via Apple Home, the vacuum will follow the preset instructions.
This limitation may be improved in future updates, but for now, the workaround ensures you can still clean specific areas.
Troubleshooting Tips
- Is the vacuum not appearing in the Home app? Ensure it is Matter-certified and that iOS 18.4 is installed.
- “Not Supported” error? Check if your device is running an older iOS version.
- Are rooms not syncing? Room mapping must be configured in the manufacturer’s app.
- Is your vacuum not responding to Siri? Restart your Matter hub and ensure it’s connected to the same network.