If you’re experiencing issues adding Matter devices (especially Thread devices) using the Aqara Home app, you may want to try our newly released workaround method.
Background:
By default, the Aqara Home app uses the Matter Commissioning API, which turns your iPhone into a Matter Commissioner to discover and add Matter devices. This method requires:
Your phone to be connected to your home Wi-Fi network
Your phone to be close to the device
Scanning the Matter QR code for pairing
However, we’ve recently received reports that on iOS 18.4 and 18.5, this method may occasionally fail.
To solve this, we’ve introduced an alternative method where the Aqara Hub M3 acts as the Matter Commissioner. In this case, the Aqara app assists the hub by providing the pairing code and instructions, improving the success rate of onboarding.
Requirements:
Aqara Home app version ≥ 5.2.8
An Aqara Hub M3 is required and firmware version ≥ 4.3.7
Wi-Fi router must support IPv6 and mDNS / local discovery
Your phone and Hub M3 must be connected to the same local network
Steps:
Open the Aqara Home app, and start the Add Matter Device process
Scan or manually enter the Matter pairing code
If pairing fails, you’ll see a screen with further options
Tap “Add via Matter Controller”
Follow the on-screen instructions — the Hub M3 will attempt to discover nearby Matter devices via Bluetooth or LAN
Finally, I had been struggling to add U200 to the M3 for the past week. This solved the problem and finally binded U200 to M3 matter. Saved me a trip to the service center.
Thanks for share the workaround.
I’m my case the problem is happening with Aqara M100 trying to add Aquara U200 via matter. It tried this workaroud but it seems is not working. Should it work with Aqara M100 also?
At the moment, the workaround is only supported on the Aqara Hub M3. Unfortunately, the M100 does not support this method yet.
If you’re using the M100, you’ll still need to first add the device to Apple Home, and then share it with the Aqara Home app via the “Share Home” workaround. Alternatively, we recommend waiting until the release of iOS 18.6 and trying again then, as further improvements are expected.
Let us know if you need help with the sharing steps!
Thanks for sharing but unfortunately it doesn’t work for me. Been trying to connect my U200 lite to my M3 hub for days now and I am having no luck. I have even tried pairing directly to apple’s homekit and even HomeAssistant but even there I get no success I am at my wit’s end
Is your M3 updated to firmware version ≥ 4.3.7? I only managed to get it to pair via M3 directly as per the steps given above after updating the firmware.
I guess I’m not the only one, and that doesn’t help at all, but I want to say that the problem is clearly with Aqara in this case. I can easily add the M110 via Matter to HomeKit Home, but the Aqara app in the latest versions of the app and the iPhone 16 system cannot add it. And I’m trying to replace an old Aqara Hub with this one because it broke for no apparent reason.
I think you are referring to the Hub M100. You can try upgrading the Aqara Home app to the latest version, then turn on Bluetooth and scan the Aqara QR code on the manual in the Aqara Home app (follow the prompts to put the device into pairing mode before scanning to add it).
I tried, 1h, all the possibilities. Of course BT always on and tried to scan every qr… etc from the latest version of Aqara app on the iPhone. Reading QRs was instantaneous “no recognised” and from the manual qr, the same, impossible to add. Tried also manually. The only think that made me admit the device was not totally broken was the adding the the Apple Home app was immediate. But for nothing, as you need to add the dozens of device I have through the Aqara app
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I am at my wit’s end