HomeSnap - The Big API Update
I wanted to share a huge update to the free app HomeSnap.
I was recently making some large changes to my HomeKit home and was really struggling to see what old accessories were in what scene with how HomeKit works. So, I decided that HomeSnap should no longer just a snapshot-and-diff tool. It now captures live HomeKit activity and offers a private web dashboard you can pull up from any browser on your Wi-Fi. With a documented API you can plug that into any AI assistant you want as well.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/homesnap-home-backups-logs/id6761507152
My favorite features:
LIVE EVENT LOG!
- New "Event Log" tab. Subscribes to HomeKit characteristic notifications and captures every state change in real time.
- "Lite" mode (default) captures the events that matter: lights, locks, doors, sensors, button presses. Skips noisy ambient readings.
- "Full" mode captures every notify-able characteristic when you want the complete picture.
- Filter by room, category, or accessory. Search the log. Export to Markdown.
ALWAYS-ON MODE: Dedicate an old iPhone or iPad or Mac for continuous HomeKit logging. Always-On Mode keeps the screen awake while the app is open.
WEB DASHBOARD (LAN-ONLY)
- Turn on "Local Web Dashboard" in Settings and open the displayed address on any laptop or phone on the same Wi-Fi.
- Events stream over WebSocket. Sub-100ms latency from "lightbulb turned on" to "dashboard shows it."
- Optional password (HTTP Basic Auth). Discoverable via Bonjour at `http://homesnap.local:8080\` with an IP-address fallback shown alongside.
- Downloadable JSON, Markdown summary, change history, and event log directly from the dashboard.
- Strictly read-only and local-network only. Nothing leaves your home.
The app is still FREE. Still read-only. Still on-device. The new Event Log and Web Dashboard transmit no HomeKit data off the device. The optional Notify by Pingie integration remains the only feature that contacts an external server, and only when you explicitly enable it.