Apple code hints at HomeView chatbot apps

Apple has not announced chatbot apps for HomeView, and Claude and ChatGPT are not confirmed as HomeView chatbots, but code in the iOS 27.3 beta contains a flag for a Conversational Apps category, a grouping for chatbot-style software, hinting Apple is preparing the ground for potential chatbots on HomeView. The researcher pdfu also pointed to an apparently unused flag in HomeView software as a hint a chatbot app may arrive.

HomeView supports Siri AI, with voice as the main interface and Siri AI at the center, Ilounge and Tech Times say. Siri AI shipped with iOS 27 last month, and the devices depend on it, Tech Times reports.

9to5Mac reports Apple has supported conversational apps on CarPlay since iOS 26.4, with the category including AI chatbot apps, and that Siri AI joins CarPlay starting with iOS 27. The iPhone software update is in beta ahead of an official September launch. Meta AI works there alongside ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Grok as third-party chatbot apps, though Meta AI remains in limited testing and the iPhone app may display a not-supported message when opened.

The device has a 7-inch Liquid Retina Display. Tech Times describes a floating screen mounted on a speaker base, a design it compares to the iMac G4, and reports HomeView runs on the Apple A18 chip. A wall-mounted model with a square base may also arrive, and the speaker base version comes in pink, starlight, silver, and space gray while the wall-mounted model offers silver or space gray. It works with Apple Podcasts, Apple Music, and Apple TV, and it includes new faces with Snoopy.

The device includes FaceTime with a Center Stage Camera. A nearby iPhone may let users show widgets from third-party apps, and HomeView runs Apple’s own apps without an App Store.

HomeView supports facial recognition for as many as six users in a home, and each user receives a personal Home Screen. Personal content appears when a paired iPad or iPhone is unlocked or when the device identifies the user, and the owner verifies identity with an iPhone to view personal data.

The device includes anti-spoofing protection allowing three spoof attempts per profile, active in HomeView software 27.2. Apple is developing a lockout cooldown system where the first lockout clears immediately but a second or third lockout extends the timer, resembling iPhone wrong-passcode behavior.

9to5Mac says Apple has reportedly partnered with appliance makers including LG on smart home accessories such as thermostats, door locks, and doorbells. The outlet also says people should be able to see content from across the room, though it leaves out display size, speaker specifications, camera details, and price.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple’s home hub will carry the name HomeView, based on a 9to5Mac summary, but Apple has not confirmed the name or the product. Tech Times says the hub would sit next to the HomePod lineup. Apple has said it will hold a Welcome home event on Oct. 13. The Next Web sets it for Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 9 a.m. Eastern in Tribeca, New York, while 9to5Mac lists a 2 p.m. London start.

Apple marketing executive Greg Joswiak shared an X teaser video with an embroidered rainbow Apple logo and wrote, “Welcome home. October 13.” On Oct. 8, Gurman said on X that Apple had sent invitations for the New York event, citing Android Authority. Apple invited the press to an Apple Experience, a format it also used in 2026 for the MacBook Neo launch, and T3 calls a launch video online uncertain.

The Next Web reports Gurman said on his Power On podcast that Apple planned to launch its home devices by the end of 2024.

Ilounge reports HomeView will be available Nov. 13 at $299, while Tech Times says pricing remains unclear and shipping is likely in mid-November. 9to5Mac and other outlets reviewed for the story do not list a price. The timing traces to Mark Gurman’s Bloomberg reporting, and Apple has not shared its own release date. 9to5Mac expects mid-November shipping after Apple announces the device at its Welcome Home event.