How to Create a Custom Mobile App Integration with Home Assistant API?

Hi everyone,

I’m currently building a custom mobile app that integrates with Home Assistant to provide users with a personalized interface for controlling their smart home devices. I’m using the Home Assistant REST API for communication, but I’ve run into a few challenges while implementing certain features.

Here’s an example of how I’m fetching the states of entities:

javascript

CopyEdit

import axios from 'axios';  

const fetchEntities = async () => {  
  try {  
    const response = await axios.get('http://<home-assistant-url>:8123/api/states', {  
      headers: {  
        Authorization: 'Bearer <your_long_lived_access_token>',  
      },  
    });  
    console.log(response.data);  
  } catch (error) {  
    console.error('Error fetching entity states:', error);  
  }  
};  

fetchEntities();  

So far, I’ve implemented:

  • Authentication using long-lived access tokens.
  • Fetching entity states and displaying them in the app.
  • Triggering actions via API calls to services (e.g., turning on lights).

However, I’m facing the following challenges:

  1. Real-time updates: What’s the best way to implement WebSocket integration for real-time state updates in a mobile app?
  2. Secure access: How can I secure the app’s communication with Home Assistant while still allowing remote access?
  3. Offline functionality: Are there any best practices for caching Home Assistant states and actions to support offline usage in the app?

I recently came across mobile app development company that specialize in smart home integrations, but I’d love to hear from the community:

  • Have you integrated a mobile app with Home Assistant before?
  • How do you handle secure remote access and real-time updates?
  • Are there specific tools or libraries you recommend for improving the performance and functionality of such integrations?

Any insights, tips, or code examples would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

What would your JavaScript page do that the official Android and iOS apps don’t already do? You can already create dashboards for mobile and modify cards as much as you want. Is it just a learning project?