Button Controller and HomeKit

[holocron]

My apologies if I am repeating a topic and couldn't find it.

I have a 4 button Pico set up with Button Controller to assign actions to each of those buttons. However, if I add the Pico the HomeKit none of the assignments come through--which makes sense to me.

Is there a way to bring those buttons with assigned actions to HomeKit?

[jtp10181]

That actions will always stay on HE. What you need is to get the buttons sent over to HK so they can be "pushed". How are you sharing it to HK? Via the system integration? Please show a screenshot of how you have it setup in the integration.

(I am also honestly not sure if buttons even work right via the system HK integration)

[holocron]

I'm sending by system HomeKit integration.

I think I will need to make a virtual switch, which then runs a rule to set the variable state which the Pico buttons change.

[jtp10181]

I think this explains it

@gopher.ny

@cknickl

Issue I have with buttons is it comes through as a “unconfigured” button and wants me to setup the push, hold, double tap through HomeKit vs just executing the already setup automations.

That's what HomeKit buttons are. Apple wants hooks to set up their own automations as opposed to providing an interface to emit events that are handled elsewhere. Home app doesn't provide a programming interface or a UI to directly do what you're describing.

So you can probably share the button device but it sounds like HK wont send the push events back to HE, you can only program them for HK automations. I guess it is designed for a HK compatible button paired directly to HK where physical button presses or virtual would both run the same HK automations.

So yeah, easiest would be a virtual switch with an auto-off setting so it acts like a button. OR if you really want a "button" you could probably tie it to a virtual switch in HK, hide the switch and show only the button on your dashboard.

[neerav.modi]

I have shared a mixed button/switch device, but can't get activate the configured button in the Home App. How is anyone actually getting the button to press? I have tapped, pressed, held, did everything on every part of the tile - it only opens the Accessory Settings.

@jtp10181

if you really want a "button" you could probably tie it to a virtual switch in HK, hide the switch and show only the button on your dashboard.

This is EXACTLY what I am trying to do. It's all set up, I just can't trigger the button press.