A focused remote and a dashboard solve different problems

Home Assistant dashboards are intentionally flexible. They can combine lighting, climate, security, media, sensors, and custom cards into one broad surface. Tactra is intentionally narrower: it turns media entities into a remote shaped around repeated control.

Choose Tactra for the remote experience

Tactra is useful when a room has several media roles and you want those roles to behave as one system. It keeps navigation, audio, and playback targets explicit, presents capability-driven controls, and carries the experience across iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac.

Choose a dashboard for custom context

Use a Home Assistant dashboard when the media controls belong beside room lighting, occupancy, climate, scripts, or a highly customized household workflow. Dashboards are also the right place to build and administer many Home Assistant-specific views that Tactra does not reproduce.

Use both without duplicating the source of truth

Both surfaces can use the same Home Assistant entities, scenes, scripts, and services. You do not need to rebuild a reliable Home Assistant automation inside Tactra. Let Home Assistant own the automation and let Tactra provide a more direct launcher or remote.

Frequently asked questions

Does Tactra replace Home Assistant dashboards?

No. Tactra is a focused media remote; dashboards remain ideal for broad custom home views and administration.

When is Tactra the better surface?

Tactra is useful for repeated media actions where explicit navigation, audio, and playback roles should feel like one remote across Apple devices.

Can both use the same Home Assistant entities?

Yes. Home Assistant remains the source of truth, so Tactra and your dashboards can work with the same configured entities and services.

View Tactra on the App Store or browse the other Tactra guides.