re: Latest AppleTV Update Bricks HomeKit, Error -71163, Beware

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33 points

re: Latest AppleTV Update Bricks HomeKit, Error -71163, Beware

Updated 4th Gen Apple TV to latest TVOS but then noticed the lights didn't go on as usual in the evening via HomeKit. Looked in the settings of Apple TV and there was a red "1" asking to "Finish setting up Airplay2 and HomeKit". I proceeded as instructed, held phone close to the Apple TV, it attempted it's "setting up" process, but then gave a "Setup Failed (-71163) error. Tried a couple times, restarting both devices, with same result.

After that dead end on the Apple TV, when "Home" is opened on iphone, I now see the spinning wheel of death with "Loading Accessories and Scenes" beneath. I've been here before, it means a COMPLETE RESET of HomeKit. That is if the reset option ever shows up – it can take an hour or more. Why? I waited, the "Reset Home Configuration..." finally showed, but when "Reset Configuration" was selected, NOTHING HAPPENS! Another dead end. For now, my HomeKit has been bricked.

It's a real bugger when you have more than one home with HomeKit devices. Trashing everything will lose all other home(s) and you can't add everything back in at that location until physically there again. So if your lights were going on/off at the cabin, well, you're stuck.

Every HomeKit device (every bulb, switch, thermostat, camera... EVERYTHING) has to be manually added one by one. Every device has to be renamed. You then have to try and assemble the rooms and groupings, and you then have to completely rebuild all routines for lights and such. And if you added any family members to control HomeKit lights or other, they have to be re-invited/added as well.

A very time consuming and tedious process if you've never had to do it. I complained before about it but it seems nothing has changed. Hard to believe Apple doesn't think of any kind of backup or restore for HomeKit settings! Is starting from scratch really the best solution when there are issues like this?

Wish I wouldn't have updated the Apple TV at all today. Things had been working smoothly. Now, complete shutdown of everything HomeKit with really nothing else to try at this time.

Apple TV (4th generation)

Posted on Oct 16, 2019 5:00 PM

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Answer 1

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Nomad2112 Author

Level 1

33 points

Oct 17, 2019 1:29 PM in response to Nomad2112

Signed out of iCloud on phone, then back in. Opened Home app, "Loading Accessories and Scenes" appeared... waited about an hour, the "Reset Home Configuration..." option appeared, this time it worked and I was presented with a new, empty, Home app orange screen with no home or accessories.

I set up house #1 from scratch. When it came to "Automation", it hub is required. I use an Apple TV for this. The AppleTV still had the red "1" in the settings, needing to finish setting up Airplay 2, this time placing the phone on top of Apple TV, the updating process worked. Once that was finished, automations could be written as usual. If you have another home (i.e. a vacation home) you'll need to go to it in person, and re-setup everything there as well.

This is the 3rd time I've had to rebuild the Home app from scratch. The architecture of the Home app doesn't feel sturdy – if it runs into a problem, the only option is to reset everything and begin from scratch. The Home app would be better if it recognized issues and offered a solution like restoring to a backup. At this time, there is no restore option. I do have the "Home" checked in iCloud options. Not sure what the Home iCloud check box is doing since there's no restore to backup option.

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Answer 2

Nomad2112 Author

Level 1

33 points

Oct 16, 2019 7:14 PM in response to Nomad2112

Decided to try the sign out then back in to iCloud approach on the iPhone. Afterwards, when the Home app was opened, the "Loading Accessories and Scenes" screen immediately popped up. It's been 20 minutes... I've seen it take an hour or more for the reset option to show up. Resetting the Home app data should be engineered into the HomeKit system.

It's obvious the Home app data is getting corrupted somewhere in the flow: on the phone, iCloud, or TV hub. When this happens, the Home app should recognize the issue immediately (it shouldn't be an hour+ wait time), and there should be an option to restore the Home data from an iCloud backup. Instead of having to completely rebuild your HomeKit ecosystem from the ground up. How is this not thought of?

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Answer 3

Nov 1, 2019 7:59 PM in response to Nomad2112

This happened to me and is a blight on an otherwise fantastic product. Please fix your product or remove your broken systems, people, and promises.

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re: Latest AppleTV Update Bricks HomeKit, Error -71163, Beware

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