Apple HomeView: A $299 Smart Home Hub Built Around Siri AI

On October 13, 2026 Apple introduced HomeView, a $299 7-inch smart home hub built around the all-new Siri AI. It recognises up to six people by face, keeps camera and mic data in Secure Exclaves on the A18 chip, and ships November 13, though not in the EU. Here is what it does and what it means.

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BSH Technologies

Published on2026-10-14

What happened

On October 13, 2026, Apple introduced Apple HomeView, a 7-inch smart home hub built around Siri AI, the entirely new version of Siri powered by the next generation of Apple Intelligence. HomeView plays music, makes FaceTime calls, shows camera feeds and runs home automations, and it recognises each person in the household by their face. It costs $299, pre-orders opened the same day and it ships on November 13. CNBC called it a showcase for Siri AI, launched alongside a new Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini.

This page is the long-form briefing behind the BSH Technologies Instagram carousel.

1. It knows who is looking at it

HomeView recognises up to six people by face and gives each one their own Home Screen with apps and widgets.
Personal content from Messages, FaceTime, Calendar, Reminders and Find My appears only for the person it belongs to; shared photo albums and music stay available to everyone, including guests.
Apple says personal content is only surfaced when the enrolled user is recognised by their face and their paired iPhone or iPad is present and was recently unlocked.

2. Siri AI is the headline feature

Siri AI is described by Apple as "profoundly more capable and conversational", with broad world knowledge, personal context understanding and onscreen awareness.
With an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad, Siri AI can take action across apps and pull from Messages, Calendar and Apple Music playlists using each user's personal context.
Conversations that start on HomeView continue in the Siri app, synced privately through iCloud to iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro.
Even without an Apple Intelligence iPhone, anyone in the home gets Siri AI's world knowledge, natural conversation and better music discovery.
Caveat from Apple's footnotes: Siri AI is available in beta in HomeView software version 27.2, and some server-side Apple Intelligence features have daily usage limits, with expanded access "available for a fee in the future".

3. The hardware: 7 inches, 0.3 nits, a hinge and real sound

A 7-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone. Automatic brightness runs from 500 nits for sunny rooms down to 0.3 nits for the nightstand, which Apple's product page calls its lowest-ever display brightness.
The interface adapts to distance: simpler information from across the room, richer detail as you step closer.
An aluminium design with a stainless steel hinge that tilts the display over a domed speaker base, in silver, starlight, rose pink and space gray.
Audio: two custom full-range drivers in the display for Spatial Audio, plus a down-firing woofer and two force-cancelling passive radiators in the base, tuned by computational audio.
It runs on the A18 chip. MacRumors notes a 12MP Center Stage camera for FaceTime.
A separate wall-mounted HomeView (space gray and silver) uses three purpose-built mounts from Schneider Home.

4. Privacy: Secure Exclaves

HomeView and the A18 chip include Secure Exclaves, compartmentalised runtimes that process camera and microphone data separately from the rest of the system.
Apple says data processed in Secure Exclaves cannot be accessed by HomeView software, apps, the user or Apple.
Siri requests use on-device processing or Private Cloud Compute, where Apple says data is not stored or made accessible to anyone.

5. A real smart home hub

HomeView controls Works with Apple Home and Matter accessories: camera feeds, thermostats, locks and automations by voice or touch.
It launches next to the new Apple Home Collection: indoor and outdoor cameras, thermostats, temperature sensors, a video doorbell and a door lock designed with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric, arriving from December with some accessories in early 2027.
Intercom broadcasts to other HomeView and HomePod speakers and to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch; Handoff moves music from iPhone to HomeView.

6. Price and availability

$299 (US) for the tabletop model and $299 for the wall-mounted model.
Pre-orders opened October 13 in the US, UK, India, Canada, Australia and New Zealand; Singapore opens October 15. Both models arrive on Friday, November 13, also via resellers in South Africa.
Wall mounts from Schneider Home: Power Mount USB-C Wall Connector from $59.95, Power Mount AC Wired from $79.95, and Power Mount PoE Wired in early 2027 for $129.95.
Not available in the EU: Apple says Siri AI is currently unavailable in iOS in the European Union and it is "working constructively with the EU" on a path forward.
Setup and multi-user support require a compatible iPhone or iPad running the latest software.

Why it matters

Siri AI gets a dedicated home. HomeView is Apple's first device designed around the new Siri, and a shared screen in the kitchen is where an assistant gets used all day.
Multi-user personal AI is hard. A shared device that still keeps each person's messages and calendar private is the problem every home assistant has to solve; Apple's answer is face recognition plus a nearby, recently unlocked iPhone.
The smart home race resets. With Matter, the Home Collection and a $299 hub, Apple is competing directly with Amazon's Echo Show and Google's Nest Hub lines for the centre of the home.

What builders should watch

App and widget surfaces. Per-user Home Screens and widgets on a shared device are a new place for apps to show up.
Matter first. If you build connected hardware, Matter support is the straightest path onto HomeView and Apple Home.
Plan for regions. Siri AI language and country limits (English in eight markets, no EU sale at launch) affect any product that depends on it.

Primary sources

How BSH can help

At BSH Technologies we build apps, widgets and connected-device integrations for the Apple ecosystem and the wider smart home, from Matter-ready hardware companions to AI assistants that respect per-user privacy. If HomeView and Siri AI change how your customers reach you at home, our Thrissur engineers can help you plan and ship for it.

Frequently asked questions

What is Apple HomeView?

Apple HomeView is a 7-inch smart home hub announced on October 13, 2026. It plays music, makes FaceTime calls, controls Matter and Apple Home accessories, recognises up to six household members by face and runs Siri AI, Apple's new version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence.

How much does Apple HomeView cost and when does it ship?

HomeView costs $299 in the US for both the tabletop and wall-mounted models. Pre-orders opened on October 13, 2026 in the US, UK, India, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and it ships on November 13, 2026.

Is Apple HomeView available in the EU?

No. Apple says HomeView is not available for sale in the European Union because Siri AI is currently unavailable in iOS there, and that it is working with the EU to find a path forward.

Does HomeView keep each person's data private?

Apple says personal content such as Messages and Calendar appears only when the enrolled user is recognised by their face and their paired iPhone or iPad is nearby and recently unlocked. Camera and microphone data are processed in Secure Exclaves on the A18 chip, which Apple says even Apple cannot access.

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