Matthias Hochgatterer developed the best HomeKit app for power users before Apple ever delivered its own home app. The latest version of the third-party HomeKit management app called Home + 5 offers a redesign and new ways to customize and organize complex smart home configurations.

Home + for iPhone and iPad has a brand new look familiar to HomeKit users from the built-in Home app. Here is Hochgatterer's design approach in version 5.0:

In Home + 5, the usability and appearance of the app is very similar to Apple's Home app. Why? Because most of the people are already using the Home app. You should feel right at home when you switch to Home +.

One thing I really like about the Home app is the interface for controlling accessories. You can seamlessly turn on devices, dim lights and close blinds. Apple did a great job designing these user interfaces. I'm really happy that Home + now has the same controls.

The app continues to outperform the built-in home app in terms of customization with device icons and features with advanced automations.

Brand new in Home + 5 are new ways to organize and maintain all of the customizations that power users invest in HomeKit:

• Automation Folders - You can group automations into folders for a better overview. If you're an advanced user of HomeKit and have a lot of automations, you know the automation screen gets confusing really quickly.
• Backups - You can save your home configuration in a backup. A backup contains information on accessories, groups, rooms, zones, scenes and automations. A backup is useful as HomeKit can be buggy. When you need to reset your HomeKit configuration, you know how painful it is to manually restore accessories, rooms, and automations. A backup can help you with this.
• Smart Groups - Home + 5 automatically groups similar accessories into a Smart Group and displays them at the top of the screen. With Smart Groups you can dim all lights in a specific room, close all blinds in a zone, or turn off all lights in your house.
• Favorites - You can finally see all of your favorite accessories, scenes, cameras and sensors on one screen. This makes a great dashboard.
• And more - This update includes a lot more improvements like the new and faster watchOS app, icons for rooms, and settings sharing.

Home + for iPhone and iPad is available as a single purchase from the App Store for $ 14.99. No subscriptions or in-app purchases. Version 5.0 is a free update for all previous Home + customers.

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