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Apple has announced HomeView, a $299 smart home display with a 7-inch touchscreen, Siri AI and controls for compatible home devices. A hands-on report found its screen and walk-up controls promising, while several Siri features were shown in demos rather than tested independently. Preorders are open, with shipping scheduled to start November 13.
Apple has announced HomeView, its first smart home display, and a hands-on report by The Verge describes a $299 device with a 7-inch touchscreen for controlling connected devices, viewing camera feeds and using Siri. For more on the launch, see Apple’s smart home event. The display is available to preorder, with shipping set to begin November 13; some of its most ambitious Siri functions were demonstrated but not tested by the reporter.
The Verge’s Jennifer Pattison Tuohy reported that HomeView’s square Liquid Retina display was bright and responsive during her hands-on session. The device has a small aluminum base that also serves as a speaker, and Apple is offering both tabletop and wall-mounted versions. Its selectable screen faces include options resembling Apple Watch faces, alongside a dedicated Home Widget for controlling devices linked through Apple’s Home app, much like the hub discussed in Apple’s smart home hub coverage.
In the tested smart home controls, the reporter could operate a thermostat and door lock, activate a scene and view live feeds from HomeKit Secure Video cameras. Attempting to unlock a door prompted authentication with a face or iPhone. The interface relies heavily on swipes: users can move among faces and features, reach onboard apps and open a Control Center. The reporter also said the 12-megapixel camera can be enabled from Control Center.
Other capabilities were presented in demonstrations. Apple showed Siri drawing on messages and calendar information to answer a question about a visitor’s arrival, estimate travel time and schedule a coffee maker to switch on. A separate demo involved finding a song mentioned in a text; the report says playback began after about eight seconds. The reporter also saw FaceTime with Center Stage and a recipe transferred from an iPhone using Handoff, then reformatted with step-by-step instructions and timers.
A New Screen for Apple Home
HomeView gives Apple households a dedicated, shared screen for controls that otherwise sit in the Home app on a phone. A wall-mounted display or kitchen-counter device could make routine actions—checking a camera, adjusting a thermostat or activating a scene—available without first locating and unlocking an iPhone. The hands-on report suggests this walk-up use is a central part of the product’s design.
The larger potential change is Siri’s proposed connection between personal information and home routines. If it can reliably use information from messages or calendars to take actions, users may be able to ask for a result rather than manually combine several apps and controls. But the report saw demonstrations of those interactions, not a full independent test, so their practical reliability remains unestablished.
For buyers, the price and scope matter: HomeView costs $299 and is intended to serve as a display, assistant and home hub. The hands-on account offers an early look at the interface, but it does not establish how the device will perform across a full range of homes, accessories or everyday use.
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How HomeView Fits Apple’s Home App
HomeView’s Home Widget is described in the report as a larger-screen version of the Apple Home app, offering the same controls for supported devices. The display also presents camera feeds and lets users tap through to nearby accessories, such as a garage door. That setup makes the device a household interface for Apple’s existing smart home ecosystem rather than a standalone replacement for individual accessories.
The report was based on a limited hands-on session following Apple’s announcement. The journalist tested some touch controls and observed several Siri and FaceTime demonstrations, but said she had only tried a few features and was looking forward to testing more. The distinction matters: the display’s physical design and basic controls were experienced directly, while the broader personal-context features were presented by Apple.
“The screen almost entirely hides the small aluminum base that acts as a speaker.”
— The Verge reporter Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, describing the display
smart home touchscreen control panel
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What the Hands-On Could Not Verify
The report does not establish how accurately or consistently Siri will use messages, calendars and other personal context in normal use. The arrival-and-coffee routine and song search were demonstrations, not independent tests, and the reporter said she had not tried the personal-context feature herself. The eight-second song result is one observed demo, not a broader measure of response speed.
It also remains unclear how well recipe handoff will work with content outside the formats Apple says it supports. Apple said most recipes using Google formatting should work, while the reporter raised questions about recipes from TikTok. The report did not provide battery or power details, a full compatibility list, or findings from long-term use.
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Preorders Ahead of November Shipping
Apple has opened preorders for HomeView at $299 and says shipping will begin November 13. The next substantive test will come from broader access to the device, which can show whether the demonstrated Siri features and recipe handoff work reliably beyond a controlled presentation.
The Verge reporter said she expects to test more of HomeView’s features. Until longer-term reviews and customer use provide more evidence, the device’s everyday performance, practical compatibility and the consistency of its personal-context interactions remain open questions.
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Key Questions
What is Apple HomeView?
HomeView is Apple’s announced smart home display, with a 7-inch touchscreen, Siri and controls for devices linked through the Apple Home app.
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 planned start of shipping.
What smart home features were tested?
The Verge reporter used the display to control a thermostat and door lock, activate a scene and view HomeKit Secure Video camera feeds. A door-unlock attempt required authentication with a face or iPhone.
Did the reporter verify Siri’s personal-context features?
No. The report says the reporter watched a demonstration of Siri using a message to answer a visitor-arrival question and schedule a coffee maker, but did not test that feature herself.
Can HomeView display recipes from an iPhone?
The report describes an iPhone recipe transferred using Handoff and reformatted into onscreen steps with timers. Apple said most recipes using Google formatting should work; support for sources such as TikTok was not established.
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