Unable to re-authenticate after Home Assistant reinstall – app stuck on “Retry now” on iPhone and iPad

[markussingerforhomeassistant]

iOS device model, OS version, and app version

Device 1

• iPhone 17 Pro Max
• iOS 26.5.2
• Home Assistant Companion App 2026.7.2, build 2026.2446

Device 2

• iPad Pro 11-inch, 4th generation
• iPadOS 26.6
• Home Assistant Companion App 2026.7.2, build 2026.2446

Home Assistant Core version

Home Assistant Core 2026.7.4
Home Assistant OS 18.2
Supervisor 2026.07.5

Describe the bug

Home Assistant was completely reinstalled on the same Raspberry Pi.

Both the iPhone and iPad Companion Apps were previously connected to the old Home Assistant installation. After the new installation, both apps are permanently stuck on:

Unable to connect to Home Assistant
Retrying in 60 seconds

The error screen only provides the button “Retry now”. There is no troubleshooting button, settings button, server selection, logout, or re-authentication option.

The apps appear to keep using refresh tokens from the previous Home Assistant installation. The new Home Assistant server rejects these tokens, but the Companion Apps do not start a new authentication flow.

Home Assistant server logs

The server repeatedly records failed authentication requests from both devices.

Examples:

Requested URL: '/auth/token'
Home Assistant/2026.7.2
Alamofire/5.12.0

and:

Requested URL: '/api/websocket'
Home Assistant/2026.7.2
Mobile/HomeAssistant

The iPad is separately identified on the local network, so the issue has been reproduced independently on two Apple devices.

Steps to reproduce

1. Connect the Home Assistant Companion App to an existing Home Assistant installation.
2. Completely reinstall or rebuild Home Assistant so that the old refresh tokens are no longer valid.
3. Open the previously configured Companion App.
4. The app attempts to use the old token.
5. Home Assistant rejects the request to /auth/token.
6. The app remains permanently on the “Unable to connect” screen with only “Retry now”.
7. No re-authentication or server reset flow is offered.

Troubleshooting already performed

• Confirmed that Home Assistant is reachable through Safari on the same iPhone and iPad.
• Confirmed that login through Safari works with the new Home Assistant user account.
• Confirmed that local and external access to Home Assistant work.
• Completely deleted the Companion App from the iPhone.
• Restarted the iPhone.
• Reinstalled the Companion App.
• Updated the Companion App from 2026.7.1 to 2026.7.2.
• The issue remains unchanged.
• The same issue occurs independently on the iPad.
• The server logs confirm that both apps reach Home Assistant but submit invalid authentication credentials.

Expected behavior

When the stored refresh token is rejected, the Companion App should:

• automatically start the Home Assistant authentication flow, or
• show a re-authentication button, or
• provide a way to remove/reset the saved server configuration.

Deleting and reinstalling the app should also provide a reliable method to clear the invalid saved credentials.

Actual behavior

The app continuously retries the invalid credentials and provides no way to leave the error screen.

Impact

This prevents use of the Home Assistant Companion App on both available Apple devices.

It also blocks:

• registering the devices with the mobile_app integration,
• Home Assistant push notifications,
• importing Apple Thread credentials into Home Assistant,
• commissioning a Matter-over-Thread smoke detector.

Additional context

The Home Assistant mobile_app integration currently has no registered devices because neither Apple device can complete authentication after the Home Assistant reinstall.

The issue appears to be related to stale credentials retained in the Apple Keychain or app configuration and a re-authentication flow that is not triggered when /auth/token rejects the old refresh token.

[markussingerforhomeassistant]

I found a working workaround. On the connection error screen, I tapped “Open App Settings”, removed the old Home Assistant server entry, and added the server again. Authentication then worked immediately, and the iPhone was successfully registered through the mobile_app integration.

Deleting and reinstalling the app had not cleared the old server configuration. The app should ideally offer this server-reset or re-authentication option more prominently when a stored refresh token is rejected.

[sxdjt]

Hi @markussingerforhomeassistant - where did you find "Open App Settings"? I am on iOS latest and using the current release version from the App Store.

[markussingerforhomeassistant]

Hi, the “Open App Settings” link was not initially visible on my error screen either.

While I was on the “Unable to connect” screen, I swiped with three fingers. After that, the error screen changed and showed “Open App Settings” below “Retry now”.

I then opened the app settings, removed the old Home Assistant server entry, added the server again, and authentication worked immediately.

I believe it was a three-finger upward swipe, but I also tried different three-finger swipe directions, so I cannot confirm the exact direction with complete certainty. I was using the current App Store release, not TestFlight.

[bgoncal]

Open settings can be found:

• Swiping up using 3 fingers
• In the empty/error state
• Through Shortcuts app using action "Open app settings"

[sxdjt]

YES! THANK! YOU! @markussingerforhomeassistant and @bgoncal!!

[aburzynski]

This "workaround" does not work for me. although I can access the hidden app settings using the three-finger gesture.

Environment:

Home Assistant Companion App 2026.7.2, build 2026.2446
iOS 26.5.2
Home Assistant is reachable from Safari on the same iPhone
The user can log in successfully through Safari

What I tested:

Opened the hidden app settings using the three-finger gesture.
Removed the saved Home Assistant server.
Also tried the full “App Reset” action.
Removed the corresponding iPhone device from the Mobile App integration in Home Assistant.
Added the server again and entered the correct username and password when the login window appeared.

Observed result:

Immediately after “App Reset”, the server list is empty.
If I close the app without adding anything and then reopen it, the old server automatically reappears.
Home Assistant continues to log invalid authentication attempts from the iPhone to both /auth/token and /api/websocket.
Even when the login window opens and valid credentials are entered, the app continues attempting authentication with the invalid stored credentials instead of completing a fresh authentication flow.
The app is still unusable, although browser login works normally.

This seems important because the reset/removal workaround is therefore not reliable in all cases. In my case, “App Reset” clears the visible server list only temporarily; the previous server and authentication state return after restarting the app.

Could the users for whom the workaround succeeded clarify the exact sequence they used and whether the old server remained deleted after fully closing and reopening the app?

[Alohajr]

Thanks, @markussingerforhomeassistant ! I deleted server, re-added, and it's working fine.