Apple HomeView: My First Thoughts (and Why I'm Waiting)
Apple finally made the smart home screen I've been waiting for. The HomeView could replace every Google Home in our house. But after looking at the details, my verdict for now is simple: I'm waiting for real-world reviews before I buy one, let alone the three or four it would take to cover our house.
Here's why I'm excited, what worries me, and what would change my mind.
Why I'm interested
We have Google Home speakers around the house, but I stopped adding devices to Google Home a while ago. Setup kept getting harder, and the app layout seemed to change every time I opened it.
Apple Home is where my smart home actually lives now. I love how it's set up, and everyone in the family already uses Apple devices. A screen built for Apple Home is the natural next step to finally retire the Google Homes.
Quick facts
HomeView is a 7-inch smart display that runs Apple Home, Siri and FaceTime. It costs $299 and ships November 13.
| Tabletop | Wall-mounted | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $299 | $299 + mount |
| Audio | 2 drivers in the display, plus a woofer and passive radiators in the base | 2 drivers in the display only |
| Colors | Silver, Starlight, Rose Pink, Space Gray | Space Gray, Silver |
| In the box | Display, base, USB-C cable, power adapter | Display only |
| Mount | Built-in tilting base | Sold separately (Schneider Home): USB-C $59.95, AC wired $79.95, PoE $129.95 (early 2027) |
Screen: 7-inch square display, bright enough for a kitchen and dim enough for a bedroom
Smart home hub: works as a home hub for Apple Home and Matter accessories, so you don't need a HomePod or Apple TV
Family-friendly: recognizes up to six people, each with their own Home Screen
Cameras: shows up to nine camera feeds at once; Center Stage camera for FaceTime
Music: Spatial Audio, plus AirPlay multiroom with HomePod, Apple TV 4K and compatible speakers
Intercom: works with HomePods, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch
Inside: A18 chip, 12MP Center Stage camera, four microphones
Apps: built-in apps only at launch (Home, Music, Podcasts, Calendar, Reminders, FaceTime, Messages, Safari). No App Store.
Needs: an iPhone or iPad on iOS / iPadOS 27.2 or later
Sources: Apple, 9to5Mac, iClarified
What excites me
The wall-mounted version is the one I want. We have a few spots in the house where a screen on the wall would be perfect.
The wall-mounted HomeView, the version I want. Image: Apple
A break from our phones. Once we pick up a phone to turn off a light or check the cameras, we drift off into our own corners and forget what we were doing. A screen on the wall does the one job and gets out of the way.
Something the kids can use. They don't need a phone to run the lights or play music. A shared screen gives them a simple way in. Even people HomeView doesn't recognize can control accessories, set timers and play music, without seeing anyone's personal info.
Built for a family. The kids will want different things than my wife or I do. With up to six profiles, each of us gets our own Home Screen.
Recipes in the kitchen. Following a recipe on a screen while cooking for the family could be really useful. Apple says recipes found in Safari open in a simplified view with a Start Cooking button, you can run multiple timers, and you can hand off a recipe from your iPhone. I want to see how well that works with messy hands and a busy kitchen.
More speakers around the house. I love a good jam session while I'm cleaning the whole house. HomeView supports AirPlay multiroom audio, so it should group with our Sonos speakers the same way our HomePods do. Every room becomes part of the playlist.
HomeView on the kitchen counter, where recipes and timers could really help. Image: Apple
My concerns
The wall mount costs extra, and you get less. $299 is a fair price for the tabletop model. But the wall version is also $299, and the box has just the display: no mount, no USB-C cable, no power adapter. The mounts I'd consider add $60 to $80 more, plus a cable and adapter. So you pay more and lose the speaker base and its bass. That doesn't sit right with me.
Apps. At launch there's no App Store, just Apple's built-in apps. Some third-party audio and video works only through a nearby iPhone. What other apps will come, and will they be ones we actually use? CarPlay is my reference point here: it still doesn't have many of the apps I use every day.
Siri. Will it be as useful as Gemini on our Google Homes? Siri has gotten better, but has it gotten good enough to be the main assistant for the whole house? Answering everyone's random questions, setting timers, playing music and running the smart home all need to just work. The fine print gives me pause: Siri AI on HomeView launches in beta, English only, with daily usage limits on some features and paid "expanded access" coming later.
My verdict: wait
I'm holding off for now. At $300 minimum each, I want to see real-world reviews first. There are still too many open questions about how it'll work day to day.
I know I'd use it. The real question is how much the rest of the family would, and whether that justifies three or four of them around the house.
What would get me to buy:
Reviews that show it's fast and reliable as a home hub
Proof that Siri can hold its own against Gemini as the house assistant
Useful apps beyond Apple's built-ins, or a real App Store
Proof the wall-mounted version sounds good enough without the base
Who should buy it now: if you're all-in on Apple Home and want one screen for the kitchen, the tabletop model at $299 is the easy pick. Everyone else can wait for reviews, like me.
What's next
If I end up buying one, I'll post a hands-on follow-up. Until then, here's how my current setup works:
