HomePanel – Support

HomePanel turns an iPad into a wall or desk panel: Apple Home accessories and scenes, family calendar, waste collection dates, Apple Music and doorbell at a glance. On iPhone (including iPhone Duo) HomePanel has its own interface.

Contact

Please send questions, bug reports or ideas by email to info [at] patrickrathjen [dot] com – ideally with your device model, iPadOS or iOS version and a short description or screenshot.

FAQ

The app shows no accessories.

HomePanel uses the accessories from the Home app. Check under Settings › Apps › HomePanel that access to “Home” is allowed, and that the right home is selected in HomePanel's settings.

How do I set up the waste collection calendar?

In HomePanel: Settings › Familie › Abfallkalender › “Online-Abfuhrkalender einrichten …”. Enter your town or postal code, pick your waste service, then street and bins. If your waste service isn't supported directly, enter the calendar address (ICS or “webcal”) from its website.

The waste collection reminder doesn't arrive.

Check under Settings › Notifications › HomePanel that notifications are allowed, and in HomePanel that a time is selected under “Erinnern”.

The iPad should run permanently as a panel.

Keep it on power, enable “Bildschirm eingeschaltet lassen” (keep screen on) in HomePanel and optionally use Guided Access (Settings › Accessibility). A PIN-based parental lock is available in HomePanel's settings.

Privacy

HomePanel has no account, no server of its own and no tracking. Details in the HomePanel privacy policy.

Last updated: October 2026