# Forcing Homekit to show different icons **URL:** \ **Category:** Questions & Help\ **Created:** [October 14, 2020, 1:20pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/forcing-homekit-to-show-different-icons/35941 "2020-10-14T13:20:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PB2](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/pb2/32/18966_2.png) [@PB2](https://community.homey.app/u/PB2)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 1:20pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/forcing-homekit-to-show-different-icons/35941/1 "2020-10-14T13:20:41Z")
Hi I’d like to install a garage opener by Shelly. I use Homekit to control my Homey. Is it possible to force homekit to see this shelly as gate opener and assign a proper, nice, icon instead of normal switch? ---
**Author:** ![Hannes85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e79b87/32.png) [@Hannes85](https://community.homey.app/u/Hannes85)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 1:49pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/forcing-homekit-to-show-different-icons/35941/2 "2020-10-14T13:49:23Z")
Yes, if the device itself doesn’t allow you to do it directly you can create a virtual device that you present to HomeKit; ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/3X/7/a/7a65dc18412d05086d723cfffdde2fff94c0408c.jpeg) ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/3X/8/8/88a71731ea2717c13f2c3651c066ad0648b592cf.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![PB2](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/pb2/32/18966_2.png) [@PB2](https://community.homey.app/u/PB2)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 1:50pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/forcing-homekit-to-show-different-icons/35941/3 "2020-10-14T13:50:37Z")
Sure but how will I see it in Homekit? as a switch or garage door? ---
**Author:** ![Hannes85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e79b87/32.png) [@Hannes85](https://community.homey.app/u/Hannes85)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 1:52pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/forcing-homekit-to-show-different-icons/35941/4 "2020-10-14T13:52:30Z")
That’s up to you… you can make a virtual device and present it as whatever you prefer ---
**Author:** ![PB2](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/pb2/32/18966_2.png) [@PB2](https://community.homey.app/u/PB2)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 2:17pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/forcing-homekit-to-show-different-icons/35941/5 "2020-10-14T14:17:26Z")
can you help me create this as a virtual device? I see only “light fan or switch” in Homekit app ---
**Author:** ![robertklep](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/robertklep/32/160628_2.png) [@robertklep](https://community.homey.app/u/robertklep)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 2:36pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/forcing-homekit-to-show-different-icons/35941/6 "2020-10-14T14:36:32Z")
If you use the Homeykit app, you’re out of luck: it doesn’t support garage door opener devices. ---
**Author:** ![PB2](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/pb2/32/18966_2.png) [@PB2](https://community.homey.app/u/PB2)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 2:37pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/forcing-homekit-to-show-different-icons/35941/7 "2020-10-14T14:37:56Z")
I use Expermient Homey. It works well, but I want to be able to choose something more for Virtual Device than switch light fan. ---
**Author:** ![PB2](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/pb2/32/18966_2.png) [@PB2](https://community.homey.app/u/PB2)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 4:36pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/forcing-homekit-to-show-different-icons/35941/8 "2020-10-14T16:36:21Z")
@Hannes85 i’ve tried also with Virtual Device experiment, still only 3 opitons. ---
**Author:** ![Hannes85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e79b87/32.png) [@Hannes85](https://community.homey.app/u/Hannes85)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/forcing-homekit-to-show-different-icons/35941/9 "2020-10-14T17:23:27Z")
You need the virtual device app, not the experiment. > **[Virtual Devices](https://homey.app/en-us/app/com.arjankranenburg.virtual/Virtual-Devices/)** > > Virtual Devices to simulate 1 or more real devices ---
**Author:** ![Philipp\_Karl](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/philipp_karl/32/12702_2.png) [@Philipp\_Karl](https://community.homey.app/u/Philipp_Karl)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 6:04am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/forcing-homekit-to-show-different-icons/35941/10 "2020-10-15T06:04:28Z")
hello, the possibility to assign a custom icon should be a native feature in homey, mabe @robertklep in the future will continue tondevelop homeykit? severall time i wrote to the homey support, nothing, meanwile apple has a lot of new categories of devices. with the experimental honekit interface my fibaro rollershuter in homekit are shown as 2 switches!!! reported to homey a half year ago… a homebridge homey app would be the best solutions. best regards philipp ---
**Author:** ![PB2](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/pb2/32/18966_2.png) [@PB2](https://community.homey.app/u/PB2)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 6:30am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/forcing-homekit-to-show-different-icons/35941/11 "2020-10-15T06:30:38Z")
can you elaborate on homebridge home? will it fix my problem? ---
**Author:** ![robertklep](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/robertklep/32/160628_2.png) [@robertklep](https://community.homey.app/u/robertklep)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 6:32am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/forcing-homekit-to-show-different-icons/35941/12 "2020-10-15T06:32:11Z")
> [@Philipp\_Karl](#): > > the possibility to assign a custom icon should be a native feature in homey, mabe @robertklep in the future will continue tondevelop homeykit? He won’t. Also, you can’t assign _any_ icons in Homekit, but I think what you mean is the ability to control which type of Homekit device a Homey device will be exposed as. That will be quite difficult, because Homekit has a rigid set of device types that have a rigid set of capabilities. So you couldn’t assign a device type “garage door opener” to a Homey device if that device doesn’t have the required capabilities needed for that device type. ---
**Author:** ![PB2](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/pb2/32/18966_2.png) [@PB2](https://community.homey.app/u/PB2)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 6:37am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/forcing-homekit-to-show-different-icons/35941/13 "2020-10-15T06:37:49Z")
OH, that’s a bummer… So I am forced to have switches for gates and so on. ---
**Author:** ![Szergely](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/szergely/32/24419_2.png) [@Szergely](https://community.homey.app/u/Szergely)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 7:23am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/forcing-homekit-to-show-different-icons/35941/14 "2020-10-15T07:23:55Z")
Which virtual device did you use to support the Garage door opener? I could not find any within the virtual app. ---
**Author:** ![Hannes85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e79b87/32.png) [@Hannes85](https://community.homey.app/u/Hannes85)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 7:44am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/forcing-homekit-to-show-different-icons/35941/15 "2020-10-15T07:44:26Z")
Hi! I have to do one step back and echo @robertklep; It depends on the actionable items that you present to HomeKit. HomeKit then decides what it can be used for. The screenshots from my earlier posts are contact sensors which simply show a on/off (non-actionable). HomeKit translates this to doors/windows and their accompanying icons. If you present a item that allows you to slide up and down to open or close, it presents it as window coverings/ sunshades. A simple on/off button itself will only have the 3 capabilities that were discussed before by the topic owner. ---
**Author:** ![Rafael\_Machado](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/rafael_machado/32/37790_2.png) [@Rafael\_Machado](https://community.homey.app/u/Rafael_Machado)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 9:40pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/forcing-homekit-to-show-different-icons/35941/16 "2021-03-16T21:40:58Z")
@Hannes85, can you please let me know which device type and action type you picked in VD in order to present it to HomeKit as a garage door like in the iOS screenshots you posted above? ---
**Author:** ![Hannes85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e79b87/32.png) [@Hannes85](https://community.homey.app/u/Hannes85)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 9:59pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/forcing-homekit-to-show-different-icons/35941/17 "2021-03-16T21:59:25Z")
Its just a contact sensor. You declare it as garage door in HomeKit itself; ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/3X/c/5/c525be545d93d49adf963a581e565430e348abb5.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Rafael\_Machado](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/rafael_machado/32/37790_2.png) [@Rafael\_Machado](https://community.homey.app/u/Rafael_Machado)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 10:32pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/forcing-homekit-to-show-different-icons/35941/18 "2021-03-16T22:32:03Z")
@Hannes85 But how do you create specifically a “contact sensor” in VD app on Homey? I can’t find that option. If I select device class type as sensor then function as door/window, it doesn’t show up in HomeKit. I’ve tried basically every device class in VD and almost all functions per device class but I could not get what you showed me in the screenshot you sent 😭 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/3X/1/2/125f85b4242185af0dc70295e596703f02209836.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Hannes85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e79b87/32.png) [@Hannes85](https://community.homey.app/u/Hannes85)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 10:49pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/forcing-homekit-to-show-different-icons/35941/19 "2021-03-16T22:49:14Z")
So the contact sensor that I showed in this example is not a virtual device, it’s a Aqara contact sensor (non-actionable) that is presented to HomeKit through the Homeykit app. I don’t have contact sensors that I need to first create a virtual device for before presenting it to HomeKit. Also, there is no way to present a actionable (virtual) device to HomeKit and let it show up as garage door. ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/3X/a/4/a45a9d0688968e971479ab8d7d2d7f880c2ac2d3.jpeg) ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/3X/a/2/a2c59766b0aee12a3e80a1f7065ee54a5a92a460.jpeg)