Create, run and change routines

Build a routine

Choose Routines. On the web, select New routine or choose a template’s Use this. On iPhone or Android, open the routine editor from Routines. Give the routine a clear name and check that the correct home is selected.

1. Open Routines. On the web, select New routine or a template’s Use this.New routine
2. On iPhone or Android, open the routine editor from Routines.
3. Enter a clear name and check the correct home.
4. Use When, Only if, and Do to configure the routine.
5. Select the actual device, room, or whole house and choose its supported action.
6. Save the routine.Save

When can use a spoken phrase, a schedule, sunrise or sunset, someone coming or going, or Motion detected from a camera that reports it. Only if can use a time range, days, daylight or darkness, and home presence. A time range can use both times or neither. Set action order carefully, because a later failure does not undo earlier actions.

Run and inspect a routine

Manual running is separate from automatic triggers. On the web, Run now deliberately runs the routine even if its conditions are not met, so review what it will do before you press it. The enable switch controls automatic triggers, and turning it off does not remove Run now. On iPhone or Android, a pinned routine opens with a tap and runs with a deliberate hold.

1. On the web, choose Run now only after you have reviewed the routine.Run now
2. On iPhone or Android, open a pinned routine with a tap and run it with a deliberate hold.
3. Check the last result and details instead of assuming a requested action completed.

Edit, disable, or remove a routine

Open the routine’s edit action, change its fields, and Save again. Use the separate Remove or Delete confirmation to remove the routine. Turning off the enable switch disables automatic triggers, but it does not remove Run now.

• A partner can restrict configuration.
• Local describes eligible steps, not a promise that the hub has received and can execute them.
• Do not assume every routine works without internet.

What you should see afterwards

After you save, the routine should appear in Routines with the name you entered. If the routine is enabled and its conditions are met, it can run automatically. If you run it manually, check the last result and details to confirm what happened.

If something does not work

• If a routine does not trigger, check the When and Only if settings, including time, days, daylight or darkness, and home presence.
• If sunrise or sunset seems wrong, check the home’s saved location and timezone.
• If a presence condition does not work, confirm that you have a real presence source.
• If an action does not happen, check that the device, room, or whole house supports that action.
• If the routine stops partway through, review the action order and the last result details.