The leaks were right: Apple's $299 HomeView has no App Store and runs on Siri AI. Here's what that means for Spotify, Google Calendar and your smart home.
Apple's HomeView smart display is official, and the pre-launch leaks were right: it has no App Store. The $299 hub runs a small set of Apple apps and is built to be controlled by Siri AI, Apple's more conversational assistant.
For your home, that means:
HomeView uses an A18 chip and a 7-inch screen, recognizes up to six family members, and shows up to nine camera feeds. It ships November 13 in the US, the UK and Canada, but not the EU. Apple is reportedly already working on a larger version with a rotating screen, not expected before 2027.
Apple HomeView has a touchscreen, but you can’t add a single app to it. When Apple announced the $299 smart home hub on October 13, it confirmed what leaks had said days earlier: there’s no App Store, just a handful of Apple’s own apps, and you’re meant to talk to Siri rather than tap.
That choice decides whether HomeView fits your home. If your family runs on Spotify, Google Calendar or Alexa-only gadgets, a Siri-first screen with no outside apps is a real limitation. If you live inside Apple’s world, with an iPhone, Apple Music and HomeKit gear, it may be exactly the simple kitchen screen you’ve wanted.
Apple designed HomeView as a screen you glance at and speak to, not a tablet. Ahead of launch, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple avoided the rumored name “HomePad” for this reason, because it didn’t want buyers expecting an iPad. The “View” part of the name signals a display controlled mostly by voice.
In practice, that means no Spotify app and no Google Calendar at launch. Spotify can still play through AirPlay from your phone, and an early hands-on noted you can only reach a Google calendar through the web browser. Apple TV is the only mainstream video service on the device for now.
Instead of apps, Apple wants HomeView to pull in your smart home accessories through Siri and the Home app, and to borrow information from your iPhone.
Siri AI is the upgraded, more conversational Siri. On HomeView you can ask follow-up questions, get broader general answers and find music by describing it. General questions work on the device itself.
The more personal tricks need an iPhone or iPad that supports Apple Intelligence. With one paired, Siri can find details in your Messages, look up appointments in Calendar and use Reminders. A conversation started on your iPhone can carry over to the hub in the kitchen.
Two limits to know about. Siri AI launches as a beta, in English only. And Apple says some AI features that run on its servers will have daily usage caps, with paid access to more planned later.
Apple’s new HomeView smart home hub won’t have an App Store. It will run a limited set of Apple apps, with Siri and connected accessories at the center of the experience — not third-party apps. More in Power On: https://t.co/8X27fWDnDC
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) October 11, 2026
Both HomeView models cost $299 in the US and run on Apple’s A18 chip. That chip also contains a walled-off section, which Apple calls Secure Exclaves, that handles camera and microphone data apart from the rest of the system.
The wall version has a hidden cost. The mount isn’t included: a USB-C power mount costs $59.95 and a hardwired AC mount costs $79.95, so the cheapest wall setup is $358.95.
HomeView is built for families. Its camera recognizes up to six people and shows each one their own widgets, calendar and suggestions. It can show up to nine security camera feeds at once, act as an intercom to other HomeView and HomePod speakers, and help locate a misplaced iPhone through Find My.
The value depends on what you already own. To get the most from it, you’ll want accessories that work with Apple Home or Matter, the common standard many smart home brands support. Apple is also launching its own Apple Home Collection with LG and Schneider Electric, covering cameras, a doorbell, a lock and thermostats, but those had no release date when HomeView was announced.
Gurman’s pre-launch reporting framed HomeView as Apple’s attempt to catch up after a decade of losing the smart home to Amazon and Google, and as another reason to stick with an iPhone. The no-apps design supports both goals.
If you’re choosing between HomeView and an Amazon Echo Show or Google Nest Hub, the deciding question is simple. Do the people in your home mostly use iPhones? Android users can’t get much from HomeView, while iPhone households that already use Echo as a hub now have an Apple-made option to switch to.
Preorders opened on October 13 and HomeView arrives on November 13, matching the mid-November window reported before launch. Apple has confirmed it for the US, the UK and Canada, among other countries. It isn’t coming to the European Union yet, because Siri AI isn’t available there.
Apple is reportedly already planning a step up. According to Gurman, a higher-end HomeView with a screen of about 9 inches on a robotic arm is in development. It would turn a full 360 degrees to face whoever is speaking. Motor problems mean it isn’t expected before 2027 or 2028, and no name is official.
No. HomeView has no App Store and runs only a small set of Apple apps, though you can stream music from apps like Spotify to it with AirPlay.
Basic Siri AI questions work without one, but personal features like reading your Messages and Calendar need a paired iPhone or iPad that supports Apple Intelligence.
Apple announced it on October 13, and it ships and goes on sale in stores on November 13.
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