Apple’s $299 HomeView reaches stores on Friday, bringing a 7-inch smart display with Siri AI to households using iPhones and iPads. Tabletop and wall-mounted versions cost the same, although buyers choosing the wall version must purchase mounting hardware separately.
The HomeView depends on a connected iPhone or iPad to mirror apps, a limitation highlighted in Engadget’s review. Personal information, including texts, calendar entries and reminders, is accessible when the phone is home and connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
Personal Messages on a Shared Screen
HomeView can identify as many as six household members through their faces and voices, provided they have a connected iPhone or iPad running iOS 27.2. Approaching the display brings up that person’s messages, calendar information and preferences.
The Verge’s Jennifer Pattison Tuohy said she could read her 15-year-old daughter’s texts on HomeView, and her daughter could read hers. She also encountered awkward authentication steps and repeated handoffs to her iPhone while testing hands-free use.
Apple says its A18 chip uses Secure Exclaves to handle camera and microphone information locally, keeping facial and voice recognition data inaccessible to the operating system. Access to personal information through Siri requires enabling Apple Intelligence on the companion device, and users can restrict which apps it indexes.
Home Controls Without an App Store
Through Apple Home, the display can change thermostat settings, show live camera feeds, adjust lighting and switch connected equipment on or off. Its intercom feature sends household messages through connected speakers, while entertainment and communication options include Apple Music, Apple TV and FaceTime.
There is no App Store on HomeView, and services including YouTube, Gmail, TikTok and Disney+ require Safari. The display also supports browsing recipes and checking Apple calendar information, alongside a choice of widgets and clock faces.
The tabletop model adds a downward-facing woofer and two passive radiators to the pair of full-range drivers built into the screen. Its display tilts but cannot be raised or lowered, and an accelerometer adjusts audio performance to match the screen’s angle.
HomeView has no battery and draws power through USB-C, with a cable and 30-watt adapter supplied with the standard model. Physical volume and mute buttons are absent, so those adjustments require the touchscreen or a phone.
Buyers can choose Silver, Starlight, Rose Pink or Space Gray for the tabletop version; wall-mounted models come in Silver or Space Gray. The $59.99 USB-C wall mount also requires a separately purchased power adapter, with the minimum 20W supply costing $19.
