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Apple announced the HomeView, its first smart-home display, and The Verge’s Jennifer Pattison Tuohy tried the device ahead of its scheduled November 13 shipping date. The $299 display combines Apple Home controls, camera feeds, FaceTime and Siri features, though some personal-context capabilities were shown in a demo rather than tested firsthand.
Apple has announced the HomeView, its first smart-home display, and The Verge’s Jennifer Pattison Tuohy has tested the device ahead of its planned November 13 release. The $299, 7-inch touchscreen is designed to control connected-home devices and provide Siri, video-call and cooking features, putting a dedicated screen into Apple’s home ecosystem.
Tuohy described the square Liquid Retina display as bright and responsive, with a small aluminum base that also serves as a speaker. Apple will offer tabletop and wall-mounted versions. The screen can show photos and selectable “faces,” many of which resemble Apple Watch layouts; users swipe between these screens and widgets.
A dedicated Home Widget presents controls from Apple’s Home app. In her hands-on, Tuohy tapped the screen to operate a thermostat and door lock and activate a scene. She also viewed live feeds from HomeKit Secure Video cameras and accessed nearby accessories from a camera view. When she tried to unlock a door, HomeView required authentication with her face or iPhone.
The interface relies on swipes as well as taps: users can move between faces, open widgets and apps, return to the main screen, and bring up a Control Center. The report says the device can also display onboard apps from the user’s phone and has a 12-megapixel camera that can be enabled through Control Center. Apple’s announcement includes preorders, with shipping scheduled to start November 13.
A Dedicated Screen for Apple Home
HomeView gives Apple households a walk-up control point that does not require someone to find and unlock an iPhone before adjusting devices or checking a camera. Its wall-mount option could place common controls in a fixed spot, while the tabletop model is intended for surfaces such as a kitchen counter.
The product also links home controls with other Apple services. The report describes recipe handoff from an iPhone, FaceTime with Center Stage and Siri features that can connect personal information to home routines. If these capabilities work reliably in everyday use, HomeView could make Apple’s smart-home system more useful as a shared household device. The hands-on report, however, covers only a limited set of functions and does not establish how well the system performs over time.
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How HomeView Uses Apple Services
HomeView is framed as a smart-home controller, assistant and household hub, rather than only a screen for voice commands. Its Home Widget brings the controls available in Apple’s Home app to a larger display, while camera feeds and accessory shortcuts place connected devices on the same interface.
The report also describes two features demonstrated by Apple that Tuohy did not independently test. In one, Siri used a message and travel information to estimate when a visitor would arrive and schedule a coffee maker. In another, Siri identified a song mentioned in a friend’s text and began playing it. These examples show what Apple presented, not a full assessment of the feature’s accuracy or availability.
For cooking, a recipe opened on an iPhone can be handed off to HomeView and reformatted into step-by-step instructions with timers. Apple said most recipes using Google formatting should work. Tuohy also saw a FaceTime demonstration in which Center Stage kept participants centered on screen.
““The first thing that struck me about the HomeView was its size.””
— Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge reporter
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Features Still Awaiting Testing
The hands-on report says Tuohy tried only some of HomeView’s features. She did not test the personal-context Siri functions herself; those were shown in demonstrations. The report does not establish how consistently Siri will interpret requests, connect information from messages and calendars, or carry out routines outside those examples.
Apple said most recipes using Google formatting should work with recipe handoff, but the report leaves open how the feature will handle recipes from platforms such as TikTok. Details about longer-term performance, software support, and how the tabletop and wall-mounted versions differ beyond installation are not provided. The cited material also does not specify preorder availability by region.
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Preorders and November Shipping
Apple has opened preorders for HomeView at $299, with shipping scheduled to begin November 13. Buyers and reviewers will get a fuller opportunity to evaluate the device once it is available, including whether the demonstrated Siri features work reliably and how the display fits into day-to-day home use.
Tuohy said she had only sampled a few capabilities and planned to test more. Her later testing may provide further information about recipe compatibility, personal-context requests, smart-home controls and the device’s camera and calling features.
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Key Questions
What is Apple HomeView?
HomeView is Apple’s first smart-home display. It has a 7-inch touchscreen and is designed to provide Apple Home controls, Siri features, camera feeds, apps and video calls.
How much does HomeView cost, and when does it ship?
The source report lists a price of $299, says preorders are open, and gives November 13 as the scheduled start of shipping.
Can HomeView control smart-home devices?
In the hands-on report, Tuohy used its Home Widget to control a thermostat and door lock, activate a scene and access camera feeds and nearby accessories. Door unlocking required authentication with a face or iPhone.
What Siri features were demonstrated?
Apple demonstrated Siri using information from a message to estimate a visitor’s arrival, calculate transit time and schedule a coffee maker. Tuohy reported seeing the demonstration but said she did not test those personal-context features herself.
Does HomeView support recipes and FaceTime?
The report describes handing off a recipe from an iPhone to a step-by-step HomeView display with timers; Apple said most recipes using Google formatting should work. Tuohy also saw a FaceTime demonstration with Center Stage, but the report does not provide a full independent test of either feature.
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