Set up your devices
Connect Apple Home or Home Assistant, then teach Maestro where you point to control each device.
Paint your devices
Sweep your arm toward a device for about 15 seconds from the spot where you use it. The watch guides you with taps.
Point
Point your arm at the device. Check the selected device on your watch.
Snap
Snap your fingers to control it. You can use a finger tap instead by changing the trigger in Settings.
Move between rooms
Maestro uses pointing direction and nearby Bluetooth signals to recognize rooms you have set up.
Apple Home
Control supported accessories and scenes from your existing home. Allow Home access when you set up Maestro.
Home Assistant
Connect your own server. There is nothing extra to install on Home Assistant.
Correct a selection
If Maestro picks the wrong device or room, select the right one. It uses that correction for future selections.
Locks need confirmation
Locks and garage doors require a tap on the watch to confirm the action after a gesture.
Free to try
Use one device in one room for free. Unlimited is a one-time purchase for more devices and rooms, webhooks, and extra styles.
Recognition runs on your watch
No Maestro account is needed. The app has no advertising or analytics SDKs. Support reports are sent only when you choose to send them. Privacy details.
The beta, in their words
From the launch thread on r/homeassistant.
"We're one step closer to a magic wand."u/tcumby
"I laughed so hard when I switched on/off my first device, so much joy, I felt like a kid again. This is absolutely brilliant!!!"u/Pidpaed
"Mighty wizard! thy wondrous sorcery doth leave me utterly spellbound!"u/Vicingtosh
"This is black magic levels of clever, thank you again for sharing!"u/Chairboy
"I fully intend to use this around friends and completely refuse to acknowledge or explain what is going on."u/woffls
"Sorcery. Burn him at the stake! (Awesome. Absolutely delicious)"u/Pijuli
"It's efficient, it's local and on-device, and it's old vs new tech."u/rmbarrett
Common questions
Setup, controls, and troubleshooting.
Getting started
Which Apple Watch do I need?
Apple Watch Series 5 or later, including SE and Ultra. Maestro needs a compass, which Series 4 does not have.
Where is my Apple TV or HomePod?
Apple Home does not expose Apple TV or HomePod controls to Maestro. Supported third-party HomeKit TVs can appear. With Home Assistant, media players are available through your configured integrations.
Can I use it without snapping?
Yes. Open Settings on the watch and change Trigger to Tap. Tap your fingers together while pointing at the device. Tap works on either wrist.
The watch app will not install.
Open the Watch app on your iPhone and install Maestro from Available Apps. If it stays pending, restart both devices and check the watch has free storage. If that does not help, reinstall Maestro on the iPhone.
How do I open or pause Maestro quickly?
Add the Maestro complication to your watch face or its widget to your Smart Stack. You can also use the Open Maestro shortcut with the Action button or Control Center.
For a hand gesture, go to Watch Settings → Accessibility → AssistiveTouch → Hand Gestures. Assign Double Clench to Open Maestro and set Activation Gesture to None.
To pause and resume scanning, create a shortcut with the watch app's Maestro “Toggle scanning” action and assign it to a gesture. To keep Maestro visible longer, change Settings → General → Return to Clock → Maestro.
How does it affect battery life?
Gesture detection uses the watch’s motion sensors. Maestro reduces activity when your arm is down and uses short Bluetooth scans for room detection. Battery use depends on how long you keep it running.
Painting & aiming
How do I paint a device?
Stand where you usually control it. Select the device on the paint page and sweep your arm toward it, moving a little to either side. If you use it from another spot, paint it again there. You can correct a wrong selection on the watch.
What do the hand colors mean?
The hand on the control screen is a status light. Gray on black: resting, nothing under your aim. Orange on black: mid-aim, still deciding. Green on black: it has a device in mind. The whole screen floods your accent color and the hand goes dark: target locked and ready for a gesture.
The selected device is shown on the watch. Check it before snapping.
It selected the wrong device.
Paint the device again from the spot where you use it. If the watch offers the device you meant as an alternative, tap it to correct the selection. Check that the current room is right too.
Can other movements trigger it?
Maestro checks your pointing position and motion before accepting a gesture, but false triggers are possible. Pause scanning when you do not want gestures to control your devices.
Can I run a scene?
Yes. Select a scene on the paint page and point at a memorable spot, such as a doorway. Point there and snap to run it.
Home Assistant
Can I choose which Home Assistant entities appear?
Create a maestro label in Home Assistant and apply it to the entities or devices you want. If anything has that label, Maestro shows only labeled items. Without the label, it shows supported entities assigned to areas.
Some Home Assistant devices are missing.
Check that the entity has a supported domain and belongs to an Area. Maestro supports lights, switches, fans, covers, media players, locks, climate, scenes, scripts, buttons, and input_booleans. If you use the maestro label, check that the missing device or entity has it.
Can I run a Home Assistant script?
Yes. Select and paint the script as you would a device. Point there and snap to run it.
Safety & privacy
How are locks and garage doors handled?
A gesture selects the action. You must then tap the confirmation button on the watch to carry it out.
What happens when I leave home?
Maestro uses the Bluetooth signals learned at home to pause gestures when it detects you are away. Remote control from the iPhone depends on your Apple Home or Home Assistant connection.
Where does my data go?
Pointing recognition runs on the watch, with model backups sent to your paired iPhone. Commands use Apple Home, your Home Assistant server, or a webhook URL you configure. If you send a support report, your message and any included diagnostics go to our support server. See the privacy policy for details.
Price & looks
What is free, and what does Unlimited add?
One device in one room is free. Maestro Unlimited is a one-time purchase that adds more devices and rooms, webhooks, and extra styles. Your local price is shown in the app before purchase.
Can I change how it looks?
Unlimited includes five color schemes, eight snap effects, and eight iPhone app icons. Choose them under Style on the iPhone. The free version includes Lavender and three effects.
Other controls
How is this different from Siri?
Maestro lets you point at the device you want to control instead of speaking its name. It works with Apple Home or Home Assistant.