Yale

Troubleshooting Apple HomeKit and Yale

This page contains troubleshooting tips for issues you may experience when using the Apple Home App with your Yale smart lock.

Troubleshooting Apple Home App and Yale Smart Lock

Yale supports using the Apple Home App in iOS 12 and above. 

PLEASE NOTE: HomeKit must be configured in the Yale Home App before setting it up in the Apple Home App. Please sequence setup as follows:

  1. First, set up the smart lock in the Yale Home App
  2. Second, configure HomeKit in the Yale Home App
  3. Third, set up the smart lock in Home App

Your Yale Smart Lock needs to be set up from within the Yale Home App. You can set up your Yale Smart Lock in the Apple Home App first, but you also need to download and install the iOS version of the Yale Home App to complete setup and operate your lock.

If you have the latest version of the Yale Home App and you continue to experience issues with HomeKit, it may help to setup HomeKit again.

General Troubleshooting Steps

Many HomeKit-related issues are resolved by performing the troubleshooting steps listed below:

  • Make sure your phone’s OS is on the latest version and that your lock’s firmware is up to date.
  • Stand near your Smart Lock and open the Yale Home App on your iPhone. Check that you can lock and unlock your door using the App. If HomeKit was set up recently, you may see a prompt that confirms HomeKit access is activated.
  • If you were invited to HomeKit and you are having issues, visit the HomeKit Invitation FAQ for help.
  • Power-cycle your iPhone by turning it off and then back on again.
  • Try operating the lock using the Yale Home App on another iOS device.

Specific issues

  • If the Activity Feed in the Yale Home App does not update but updates do happen in the Home App, it is likely that there is no Wi-Fi bridge in place. When a Wi-Fi bridge is present, the Activity Feed updates following each event provided the bridge is online. If the Activity Feed does not update, it means either: 1) The Wi-Fi bridge is offline, or 2) There is no Wi-Fi bridge. The Activity Feed will update again once an Owner connects to the lock over Bluetooth. PLEASE NOTE: An Apple bridge (i.e.: AppleTV, HomePod, etc.) is NOT a Yale Connect Wi-Fi bridge. If the Activity Feed in the Yale Home App is not updating, it is likely that:

    1. You do not have a Yale Connect Wi-Fi bridge.
    2. The majority of your lock events are from HomeKit or they are manual operations.

    PLEASE NOTE: An Apple bridge (i.e.: AppleTV, HomePod, etc.) is NOT a Yale Connect Wi-Fi bridge. If the Activity Feed in the Yale Home App is not updating, it is likely that:

    1. Restart your iPhone.
    2. Disconnect and reconnect HomeKit in the Yale Home App, then:
    • Open the Yale Home App
    • Tap the gear icon from the Lock Circle Screen, then choose “Home Settings”
    • At the bottom of the Home Settings screen, tap Disconnect

    PLEASE NOTE: Other users may need to connect to the lock again before they can use HomeKit

  • Check that all 4 of the device’s batteries are properly seated with the positive (+) ends facing up. Ensure that either: 1) The phone is within Bluetooth range of the lock, or 2) Remote access is correctly set up. 

    For more information about setting up remote access using HomeKit, see Automate and remotely access your HomeKit accessories.

  • If you do not want to receive notifications from HomeKit, disable notifications in HomeKit settings.

  • Check to see that you can successfully operate your Yale Smart Lock using the Home app on your iPhone. If you are unable to do so, try the troubleshooting steps listed earlier in this article before attempting to resolve Apple Watch connectivity. If the troubleshooting above does not work:

    1. Restart both your iPhone and Apple Watch.
    2. Make sure your software is up to date on both devices.
    • iPhone operating system (12.0.0 or higher)
    • Apple Watch operating system (3.1 or higher)

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