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Apple announced HomeView, a $299 smart home display with a 7-inch touchscreen, Siri, Home app controls and a built-in camera. The Verge tried the device and watched demonstrations of personal-context requests, recipe handoff and FaceTime, but said it could test only some features itself. Preorders are open, with shipping scheduled to begin Nov. 13.
Apple has announced the $299 HomeView, its first smart home display, and The Verge has published a hands-on report describing a 7-inch touchscreen built for household controls, Siri requests and video calling, following earlier reports about HomeView. The device is available to preorder, with shipping scheduled to begin Nov. 13; several of its more ambitious Siri features were demonstrated rather than independently tested by the reporter.
The Verge’s Jennifer Pattison Tuohy described HomeView as smaller than expected, with a bright, responsive square Liquid Retina screen above a compact aluminum base that functions as a speaker. Apple offers tabletop and wall-mounted versions. The display can show photos and selectable “faces,” many resembling Apple Watch designs, and its camera can be switched on through Control Center.
A dedicated Home Widget brings controls from Apple’s Home app to the larger screen, part of Apple’s broader smart home push. In the hands-on, Tuohy used it to control a thermostat, operate a door lock and activate a scene. The device required authentication by face or iPhone before allowing the reporter to unlock a door. Swiping to another view provided access to live feeds from HomeKit Secure Video cameras, with nearby accessories available from a camera view—an area that connects to Apple’s reported work on a smart home camera.
The report also describes features shown in demonstrations, including Siri retrieving information from messages and calendars to estimate an arrival time and schedule a coffee maker. In another demo, Siri identified a song mentioned in a friend’s text and began playing Bad Bunny after about eight seconds. Tuohy watched a FaceTime call using Center Stage, and tried handing a recipe from an iPhone to HomeView, where it was reformatted with step-by-step instructions and timers. The report says Apple expects most recipes using Google formatting to work.
A New Screen for Apple Home
HomeView puts Apple’s smart home controls on a shared, walk-up display, rather than requiring a household member to find and unlock an iPhone. The reporter’s tests show how that could work for quick tasks: checking a camera, changing a thermostat setting or starting a scene. Requiring authentication for the tested door-unlock action also shows that some controls may involve an extra security step.
The larger proposition is Siri’s claimed ability to connect personal information with home actions. In the demo, the assistant combined a message about a flight with a transit estimate, then used that information to schedule a coffee maker. If it works reliably beyond demonstrations, this could make HomeView more than a fixed Home app screen. The report, however, does not establish how consistently those requests work in everyday use.
At $299, HomeView enters a category where usability, compatibility and privacy matter as much as screen quality. Its value will depend on how well the features perform across common household routines and whether people want a stationary display alongside their phones and existing smart speakers.
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How HomeView Uses Apple Devices
HomeView is designed around Apple’s existing Home app and connected accessories, rather than presenting a separate set of smart home controls. The Home Widget is described in the report as a larger-screen version of the Home app, offering the controls available on iPhone. Camera feeds depend on HomeKit Secure Video, and the door-lock test prompted authentication through face recognition or an iPhone.
The device also links to iPhone features: recipes can be transferred using Handoff, while its onboard apps automatically populate from the user’s phone, according to the report. That approach ties the display to Apple’s ecosystem. The hands-on did not establish the range of supported third-party services or explain how the product compares in daily use with other smart displays.
““The first thing that struck me about the HomeView was its size. It’s much smaller than I expected.””
— The Verge reporter Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
smart home display with touchscreen
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Features Awaiting Full Testing
The hands-on covered only a subset of HomeView’s features. Tuohy explicitly said she had not tried the personal-context Siri requests herself, and the report does not provide independent testing of their accuracy, reliability or response across different accounts and situations. The airport-arrival exchange and song search were demonstrations.
It is also not yet clear how well recipe handoff will handle material outside the formats Apple says it supports, including recipes from social video platforms. The report does not detail battery or power requirements, privacy settings for personal information and the camera, compatibility beyond the Apple Home ecosystem, or whether all features will be available at launch. Those points require confirmation from Apple or testing of retail units.
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Preorders Before November Shipping
HomeView is available to preorder for $299, and Apple’s stated shipping date is Nov. 13. The next useful evidence will come from testing the shipping device: whether Siri can reliably combine messages, schedules and home controls; how well recipe handoff works across sources; and how the display handles camera access and authentication in regular household use. The Verge said it had tried only a few features and hoped to test more.
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Key Questions
What is Apple HomeView?
It is Apple’s 7-inch smart home display, designed for Home app controls, Siri requests, photos, video feeds and other household uses.
How much does HomeView cost, and when does it ship?
The announced price is $299. Preorders are open, and shipping is scheduled to begin Nov. 13.
Can HomeView control smart home devices?
In The Verge’s hands-on, its Home Widget controlled a thermostat, a door lock and a scene. The lock required authentication by face or iPhone before it could be unlocked.
Did the hands-on verify Siri’s personal-context features?
No. The reporter watched a demo in which Siri used information from a message and estimated travel time to schedule a coffee maker, but said she did not test that feature herself.
Can HomeView display recipes from an iPhone?
The report describes transferring a recipe using Handoff and displaying steps with timers. Apple says most recipes using Google formatting should work, but broader compatibility remains to be tested.
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