Apple HomeView: a family smart display with face recognition and Siri AI 🏠📱

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Listening to music, taking a video call, browsing your photos or switching on the lights without leaving the couch: that is the pitch behind HomeView, Apple’s new smart display built for everyday life at home. Unveiled on October 13, 2026 as a device for the whole family, it packs several functions into one screen and lets you control your home by voice or by touch.

With its 7-inch display, HomeView can sit in the living room, the kitchen or the bedroom. Its real hook, though, is that it recognizes the different people in a household and adapts what it shows to each of them. Apple is also betting on its new assistant, Siri AI, to make conversations feel more natural and take care of everyday tasks. But the device won’t go on sale in the European Union for now.

A screen that adapts to the whole family 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

When several people share one device, everyone has their own habits and preferences. Apple built HomeView to recognize up to six household members by their face.

In practice, each person gets their own apps, photos and personal information on their home screen. Private content stays with its owner, while family photos and shared music remain open to everyone.

The device can also work as a digital photo frame. Memories stored in shared albums appear on screen, and relatives can add to them. Other display modes show useful information at a glance or simply run decorative animations.

Available in several colors, HomeView can sit on a piece of furniture or be mounted on a wall. According to Apple, the screen adjusts its brightness automatically, so it stays comfortable to look at in full daylight and in a bedroom at bedtime.

Siri AI to handle everyday tasks 🤖

With HomeView, Apple wants its voice assistant to play a bigger role. Called Siri AI, it is meant to let you ask questions more naturally and get answers tailored to what you need. At home, that means asking for information, searching for music or getting help without touching the screen each time.

When paired with an iPhone or iPad that supports Apple Intelligence, the device can also draw on some of your personal information to give more relevant answers, such as items from your calendar or messages.

Another perk: a conversation started on HomeView can continue on another compatible Apple device. You can talk to Siri at home, then pick the thread back up on your phone.

Music, movies and video calls in one place 🎵📞

HomeView is also pitched as a family entertainment device. It plays music, streams podcasts, shows news and gives access to video content through Apple services and compatible apps.

It can also play music across several rooms when paired with compatible speakers. If you’re listening to a track on your iPhone, you can move playback to HomeView simply by bringing your phone close to the screen.

To stay in touch with loved ones, the device supports FaceTime video calls. It can follow participants as they move around the room and keep them in frame.

You can also read messages and reply by voice or directly on the screen. With the Intercom feature, you can send a message to another room or to the whole household, notably on compatible Apple devices.

Useful in the kitchen and beyond 🍳

HomeView also aims to simplify small daily tasks. In the kitchen, for example, it can display a recipe found online and walk you through it step by step.

That makes it easier to follow instructions, check ingredients and start a timer without interrupting your cooking to grab your phone. In other rooms, the device can show quick information, help you find an item, or check the location of a family member who has chosen to share it.

It can also show feeds from compatible security cameras, so you can check what’s happening at home, keep an eye on a delivery or look in on pets in the garden without opening an app on your smartphone.

Control your home without getting up 💡

One of HomeView’s main jobs is managing connected devices. From the screen or by voice, you can turn on lights, set the temperature, close blinds or lock doors fitted with compatible devices.

It can display feeds from several security cameras at once. Depending on the equipment installed, you may also get alerts when someone arrives at the door or when a specific event is detected.

HomeView can also flag important situations, such as the sound of a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm, and send a notification to compatible Apple devices. These features depend, however, on the equipment installed in your home and on accessory compatibility.

What about your personal data? 🔐

Because HomeView is meant to be shared, privacy is a real issue. Apple says each household member’s personal information stays protected.

Messages and calendar data, for instance, are supposed to appear only when the device recognizes the person concerned and their paired iPhone or iPad is nearby, under the conditions Apple describes.

Apple also says Siri requests can be processed on the device itself or through its secure cloud processing system. According to the company, data used in the cloud case is neither stored nor accessible to Apple or third parties.

Price and availability💰

HomeView is priced at $299 in the United States, and the wall-mounted version costs the same. Preorders are open in several countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, India, Australia and New Zealand. First deliveries and retail availability are set to begin on November 13, 2026 in these markets.

In South Africa, both models will be sold from that same date through authorized Apple resellers. In Singapore, preorders are reportedly due to start on October 15. HomeView will not go on sale in the European Union for now: Apple says Siri AI isn’t yet available on iOS there and that it is looking for a solution.

What do you make of Apple’s new device? Would you hand part of your daily routine to a screen like this? Tell us in the comments.