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Apple announced HomeView, its first smart home display, and The Verge’s Jennifer Pattison Tuohy tested the device ahead of its planned Nov. 13 shipping date. The $299 display brings Apple Home controls, camera feeds, FaceTime and Siri features to a walk-up touchscreen, though some advertised AI functions were shown in demos rather than tested firsthand.
Apple has announced HomeView, its first smart home display, and The Verge’s Jennifer Pattison Tuohy has tested the $299, 7-inch device, which puts Apple Home controls, Siri and household features on a screen designed for shared spaces. Apple says it is available to preorder and is scheduled to start shipping Nov. 13.
The square touchscreen is a Liquid Retina display set above a small aluminum speaker base. Tuohy described the unit as smaller than expected, with the screen taking up most of the front. Apple is offering both tabletop and wall-mounted versions. The report found the screen bright and responsive, and said users can switch among dozens of display faces, many resembling Apple Watch faces.
A dedicated Home Widget draws controls from Apple’s Home app. In her hands-on, Tuohy tapped the display to manage a thermostat and door lock and activate a scene. Swiping to a camera view brought up live feeds from HomeKit Secure Video; selecting a feed also showed nearby accessories. When she tried to unlock a door, HomeView required authentication with her face or iPhone.
The interface relies on swipes and taps: users can move between faces and features, open widgets for deeper controls, reach onboard apps and access a control center. Apps populate from the user’s phone, according to the report. The display also has a 12-megapixel camera that can be enabled from the control center, and Tuohy saw a FaceTime demonstration using Center Stage to keep callers framed.
HomeView brings Apple’s existing smart-home controls into a stationary, walk-up display, rather than requiring someone to find and unlock an iPhone. That could make everyday actions—checking a camera, adjusting a thermostat or starting a scene—easier for people sharing a home. Its wall-mounted option also positions the device as a dedicated household control point.
The report’s most ambitious examples connect Siri to personal information and home routines. In a demonstration, Siri used a message about a visitor’s flight, estimated travel time and set a coffee maker to turn on before the visitor arrived. If that capability works reliably in regular use, it could link personal context with smart-home actions. But the example was a demo, not a feature Tuohy independently tested, so its everyday performance remains unverified.
At $299, HomeView enters a category where customers may weigh a dedicated display against using phones or other smart speakers. The report describes a mix of home control, video calling and cooking guidance; whether that combination justifies the price will depend on the device’s reliability and usefulness across daily routines.
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Apple HomeView Features on Display
HomeView’s main smart-home interface is described as a larger-screen version of the Apple Home app, with controls designed for quick interaction. Tuohy reported that a user could swipe to view camera feeds and tap into accessories associated with them. The device’s access check when attempting to unlock a door shows that at least some sensitive actions can call for additional authentication.
The hands-on also covered features beyond home control. A recipe opened on an iPhone can be handed off to HomeView, where it is reformatted into a step-by-step view with timers built into individual steps. Apple said most recipes using Google formatting should work, according to the report; Tuohy said she had questions about how recipes from TikTok would be handled. In another demo, Siri identified a song a friend had sent by text and began playing Bad Bunny after about eight seconds.
The report distinguishes these demonstrations from features the journalist personally tried. Tuohy tested touch controls and the door-unlock authentication prompt, but said she did not personally test Siri’s use of messages and calendar information. She described the guided cooking, song search and personal-context examples as demonstrations she saw.
““The first thing that struck me about the HomeView was its size. It’s much smaller than I expected.””
— Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge
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Siri Performance Awaits Testing
The hands-on report is an early look, not a full evaluation of HomeView. Tuohy said she had not personally tested Siri’s ability to combine information from messages, appointments and home routines; those capabilities were shown in demonstrations. Their accuracy, consistency and real-world limits are not established by the report.
It is also unclear how broadly recipe handoff will work. Apple said recipes using Google formatting should generally be supported, but the report raises questions about TikTok recipes without resolving them. The source does not provide details on battery or power arrangements, software support duration, availability by region, or whether every feature will work with all compatible smart-home accessories.
The article gives a listed price and planned shipping date, but does not report independent testing of long-term performance or a final assessment of the product. Those points remain open until reviewers and customers can use the shipping hardware over time.
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Preorders Lead to November Shipping
Apple is accepting preorders at $299, with shipping scheduled to begin Nov. 13, according to The Verge report. The publication said Tuohy had tested only some features and was looking forward to trying more, leaving broader evaluation for a later review or follow-up.
Once units ship, testing can establish how well Siri handles personal-context requests outside a controlled demonstration, which recipe sources work with Handoff and how responsive the display is during regular household use. Buyers can also judge whether the tabletop or wall-mounted model fits their setup and whether HomeView works with the devices and routines they already use.
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Key Questions
What is Apple HomeView?
HomeView is Apple’s first smart home display, with a 7-inch square touchscreen, Siri, Apple Home controls, a camera and a speaker base. Apple is offering tabletop and wall-mounted versions, according to The Verge report.
How much does HomeView cost, and when does it ship?
The report lists a price of $299. Preorders opened on the day of the report, and shipping is scheduled to start Nov. 13.
What can users control from HomeView?
The Verge’s hands-on report describes controls for devices such as thermostats and door locks, scene activation, and live feeds from HomeKit Secure Video cameras. Some actions, including the door-unlock attempt in the report, may require authentication.
Did the reporter test Siri’s personal-context features?
No. Jennifer Pattison Tuohy said she saw a demonstration of Siri using information from a message to estimate a visitor’s arrival and schedule a coffee maker, but did not test that feature herself.
Can HomeView show recipes from an iPhone?
The report says a recipe can be handed off from an iPhone and reformatted into guided steps with in-line timers. Apple said most recipes using Google formatting should work, but support for sources such as TikTok was not established.
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