Apple’s Smart Home Hub: Everything We Know So Far

Apple is working on a new smart home accessory that will serve as a platform for interacting with Siri AI, controlling HomeKit devices, watching videos, checking the calendar and weather, and generally offering useful information to everyone in the home.

This guide brings together everything we know about Apple’s smart home hub.

Design

Apple’s smart home device will look somewhat like an iPad and have a display-focused design. It should be square rather than rectangular, and it will be 6 inches tall with quarter-inch black bezels around the edges.

In terms of size, it will look like two iPhones side by side and will be about as thick as an iPhone. Apple imagines people having multiple hubs in different rooms of the house. The device will support touch input to open apps and control connected devices.

Apple makes two versions of the Home Hub. One will have a 6-inch screen and is intended to be wall-mounted, and the second version will have the same 6-inch screen and a hemispherical speaker base that resembles the iMac G4. The screen attaches to the base using a polished metal arm that holds the small screen and allows it to be tilted forward or back. The base features perforations for the speakers and a rubber bottom for stability.

The wall-mounted version will have a thin square base for the speakers and mics, and it will rest against the wall. Both models will have a 1080p camera on the front for FaceTime calls, user authentication, and recognizing different people in the house. Apple plans to release the hub in a gray aluminum finish.

The device does not have an internal battery and is instead intended to be used when connected to power via USB-C.

Sensors

The smart home hub will be able to determine how far away a person is and adjust features from there. When no one is nearby, for example, it can display the temperature, but as someone approaches, it can switch to an interface for adjusting the thermostat.

Person detection will likely allow it to be used in smart home automation, for example to turn on lights when someone enters a room. The sensor will be able to distinguish one person from another and recognize hand gestures for longer range control.

Facial recognition

The home hub will use Face ID-like functionality as well as voice for authentication and to identify who is in a room. Thanks to the recognition features, the home hub will be able to switch to the profile of the person in the house who interacts with the device. Each user will have a customizable profile and interface with options to edit profiles through the Control Center.

The camera won’t be as accurate as Face ID, so voice is an alternative. Apple’s HomePod also uses voice recognition for some personalized features. Users will be able to set up secondary authentication with an iPhone for added security, and a visitor mode will hide personal information.

Rumors suggest that there is a Mac-style light around the screen to provide illumination for the device to identify people in the dark.

Chip

Apple’s smart home accessory is expected to use an A18 chip or higher for Apple Intelligence support. Since ‌Apple Intelligence‌ requires a minimum of 8 GB of RAM, it will have at least 8 GB of RAM.

Operating system

Apple’s home hub will run an operating system that Apple describes as “Charismatic” internally, although it may be called homeOS when it launches. It will use elements of tvOS, watchOS, and iOS, and sync with the iPhone for setup purposes.

Interface

Apple doesn’t plan to create a dedicated App Store for the Home Hub, but it will come with several pre-installed apps. The main view will be a customizable home screen with widgets that can display the weather, important home controls, photo slideshows, upcoming events, and more. A built-in camera will scan each user’s face, displaying different apps and a home screen for each person.

The interface is something of a cross between watchOS and the iPhone’s StandBy mode, with a particular emphasis on clock faces and photo slideshows when the device is idle. The home screen will feature Apple Watch-like icons, but the apps will have an iPad-like design with a two-panel layout. There will be familiar customization options like tapping and holding to rearrange icons and swiping up to access the app launcher.

There will be a widget gallery that suggests widgets from a linked iPhone. Widgets displayed on-device from a connected iPhone will only display widget content when the primary user is at home. A Smart Stack will be available to intelligently rotate different widget options throughout the day, and the clock will be customizable with a face gallery.

The hub will adopt the visual aesthetic of ‌Siri‌ AI, with darker design elements. A software dock will be available to launch apps, and the hub will be built around the ‌Siri‌ AI.

Applications

Several Apple apps will be installed even if there will be no dedicated ‌App Store‌. Rumored apps:

The hub will support integration into ‌HomeKit‌ scenes alongside other smart home products, and it will play videos, so it can be used for things like following a recipe in the kitchen.

Intercom

Multiple devices can be used throughout the home, and two or more can serve as room-to-room intercoms.

AirPlay

With its built-in speakers, the device will support music playback and can function as an AirPlay receiver.

homeOS registered trademark

Apple appears to be using a shell company to trademark “homeOS” in several countries around the world, with trademark filing beginning in October 2024. Apple has obtained the homeOS trademark in Liechtenstein and trademarks are pending in the United States, Argentina, Peru and more.

Future smart home accessories

Apple is creating an indoor security camera that will connect to the home hub, and is rumored to be available for 2027. Privacy is said to be a focus, providing an alternative to cameras from companies like Ring and Nest.

Prices

Apple’s Home Hub could be priced around $350, making it more expensive than competing products like the Amazon Echo Show.

Launch date

Apple’s smart home hub is rumored to debut on October 13 alongside a new Apple TV 4K and a new HomePod mini.