I’ve lost track of when I made the switch to Home Assistant. I think it was sometime around September or October 2025. The reason for this forgetfulness is likely because my HA has been running along without any problems for long enough that it doesn’t come to mind as a topic. Now that it’s in a position where it automates most of the house’s usual routines, with human interaction only happening occasionally to adjust the thermostat or a room’s lighting, it has taken the backseat as a hobby. This was always the goal. As much as I might enjoy perpetually modifying the userside interface, it needs to remain in a mostly stable arrangement for the other people in the house.
The initial screen begins with shortcuts to house-wide lighting automations, though these rarely need to be used. Immediately below is a live feed of the front door’s camera. Tapping this brings up a higher resolution video, as well as recorded motion or doorbell events. This is followed by a few simple sensors for the garage, house climate, and local weather.
Details for the house lights are sorted by floor and room. Each location has its own shortcuts similar to the ones which control the entire house. The ‘bubble cards’ representing the individual lights change color for quick visual reference, and have sliders to change brightness. Tapping their icons brings up more granular controls.
Other tabs provide readouts for a variety of devices: robot vacuum, printer, NAS drives, router, etc.
The top of every page has a bit of empty space to make up for the fact that smartphones today are enormous and users can’t reliably reach the top with their thumb. (Even the developers of mobile operating systems know this. Why else does Android’s settings page begin with so much empty real estate.) I do plan to eventually fill this area in with something useful. The current date, time, and username are the obvious choices, though these strike me as a bit redundant.