Set up and manage devices

A device becomes useful when Homie knows what it is, where it lives, and whether it belongs to a member or the household.

Use this when adding a phone, wall tablet, kitchen screen, microphone node, or when a device behaves like the wrong person or room.

This is a practical page. It focuses on the controls a normal household member needs, not on how Homie is built.

Start from device settings or the device setup prompt on the device itself. Claim the device, name it, choose its room, and attach a member only when it is a personal phone.

- Open Homie on the device while it is on the home network or through the trusted home link.

- Choose what kind of device it is: shared screen, personal mobile, microphone, or another household surface.

- Give it a clear name such as Kitchen iPad or Jonas phone.

- Choose a room or location for shared devices.

- For a personal phone, attach it to the right household member.

- Turn on announce-here or microphone permissions only where you want Homie to speak or listen.

- Delete old devices that are no longer used.

Use these controls when you want to correct Homie, reduce noise, or make the home match how the household actually works.

- Friendly device name and room.

- Whether the device is a personal mobile or shared household surface.

- Which member owns a personal phone.

- Whether Homie may speak on that device.

- Idle timing for shared screens.

- Whether an old device should be removed.

Homie should stay honest about what changed. If an action needs a trusted device, a claimed member, or an approval, it should say so before pretending the work is done.

- It will not show private member memory on a shared screen.

- It will not assume a phone is personal until it is claimed by a member.

- It will not keep a deleted device in the active device list.

- It will not use microphone or camera features when the device permission is missing.

Shared devices are for household context. Personal devices are for member context. That single choice changes what Homie should be willing to show.

If a shared tablet is accidentally claimed as a member phone, fix the owner field before using it for private chats.

After making an operational change, do one small check. It is the easiest way to catch a wrong member, wrong device, stale link, or missing permission while the context is still fresh.

- Open the device list and confirm the name, room, and owner are correct.

- Ask Homie from that device what it can see.

- For a phone, open personal Homie and confirm the correct member name appears.

Start with the setup or identity question first. Most confusion in Homie comes from not knowing which device, person, room, or skill is in play.

- Name devices by room and purpose.

- Avoid using one shared tablet as a personal phone.

- Clean up old devices after replacing phones.

Most Homie issues come from setup, identity, or approval state. Work through these checks before assuming Homie ignored the request.

- Check whether the device is trusted, claimed, and named correctly.

- Open the relevant settings or Skills card and confirm setup is complete.

- Try the same request with the exact device, member, room, or skill name.

Good to know: Most operational changes take effect right away on the home system, but connected accounts and devices may need a refresh or reconnect.

- Name devices by room and purpose.

- Avoid using one shared tablet as a personal phone.

- Clean up old devices after replacing phones.

- This is the kitchen iPad.

- This phone belongs to Maya.

- Stop announcing on this device.