Siri AI powers the core experience, which Apple revamped this year in iOS 27. Now, Siri can answer broad questions like Gemini or ChatGPT, and it can provide personalized answers; the same personal context Siri has cataloged on your iPhone is accessible to the HomeView. Ask it to open the recipe your friend Alex messaged about, or add a dentist appointment to the family calendar, and it can handle it.
Apple’s HomeView supports up to six iCloud profiles, and each person can set up a custom view only visible to them once the device’s camera detects their face. Yes, there’s a camera on the HomeView. The computer vision trick where the HomeView displays a custom view for a specific individual when they approach it only works if the person’s iPhone is on the same Wi-Fi network and was recently unlocked. You need an iPhone with Apple Intelligence support (iPhone 15 Pro or newer) to get the most out of the device; you can’t set it up with an iPad.
We have a separate story with more details if you’d like to read more about the HomeView, which is available for preorder now and goes on sale November 13 in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, Singapore, and South Africa. It costs $299.
The Apple Home Collection
One of the biggest problems with Apple’s smart-home presence is its relatively meager HomeKit device ecosystem, especially compared to the many smart home devices that can be controlled by Amazon and Google’s platforms. The Matter standard—which allows supported devices like smart bulbs, smart switches, and smart shades to interact with any connected home platform—has helped expand HomeKit support. But Apple is also nudging the ecosystem along with the “Apple Home Collection.”
This new selection of smart-home hardware designed in collaboration with LG and Schneider Electric includes the LG Indoor Camera Plug-In ($200), LG Outdoor Cam Plug-In ($300), LG Video Doorbell ($250), LG Smart Deadbolt Lock ($350), LG Smart Thermostat ($200), LG Temperature Sensor ($40), Schneider Home Smart Thermostat ($200), and Schneider Home Room Sensor ($40).