Apple HomeView Code Points to Chatbot Apps Before $299 Launch

Apple’s HomeView smart home hub could one day run AI chatbot apps such as ChatGPT and Claude, based on code found in the iOS 27.3 beta. The code investigator known as pdfu spotted a new “Conversational Apps” category in the software HomeView uses to show apps from a connected iPhone or iPad, according to MacRumors and 9to5Mac.

Apple has not announced chatbot support. The code does not name any apps or give a release date, so whether ChatGPT, Claude or anything else arrives on HomeView remains unconfirmed. The device itself goes on sale Nov. 13 for $299.

What the iOS 27.3 beta shows

HomeView has no App Store. It mirrors CarPlay-style third-party audio and video apps from a nearby iPhone or iPad, and Apple uses category flags to decide which kinds of apps are allowed to appear, the same system it uses for CarPlay. Earlier in the month pdfu found an unused flag for conversational apps and said chatbots “may” be coming. In an update reported by 9to5Mac, the leaker now says the feature “is happening,” pointing to the new category in PebblePlay, the bridge that brings phone apps to HomeView.

MacRumors reports the beta also prepares two-way audio routing, session management and handling of interruptions, all things a voice chatbot would need. pdfu cautions that this work is still not fully wired up.

Anti-spoofing for face recognition

HomeView recognizes up to six users by face and gives each a personal Home Screen. In a separate finding, pdfu says HomeView software 27.2 already includes anti-spoofing protection. After three spoof attempts against one profile, the user has to authenticate with an iPhone before HomeView will show personal data.

Apple is also said to be building a lockout cooldown, similar to entering the wrong passcode on an iPhone:

• First lockout: can be cleared right away.
• Second lockout: a one-hour wait.
• Third lockout: a four-hour wait.
• Fourth and later lockouts: an eight-hour wait.

Those cooldowns are still in development. For now, any lockout clears as soon as the owner authenticates with an iPhone. Apple has not described either feature in its press materials. The same leaker recently found signs that HomeView will be able to work as a HomeKit security camera.

What it means for buyers

Anyone ordering HomeView at launch should judge it on the features Apple has announced. Chatbot apps, if they come, would arrive through a later software update, and nothing in the code says when. Apple’s own AI on the device is Siri AI, whose conversations carry over to the Siri app on other Apple devices.

Apple’s announced HomeView features include:

• A 7-inch Liquid Retina display, sold as a tabletop model with a speaker base or a wall-mounted model.
• Personal content from Messages, FaceTime, Calendar, Reminders and Find My, shown only when an enrolled user is recognized and their iPhone or iPad is nearby and recently unlocked.
• Apple Music, Podcasts, News and Apple TV, plus compatible third-party audio and video apps, with Handoff from iPhone and multiroom audio with HomePod, HomePod mini and AirPlay speakers.
• FaceTime with Center Stage, Messages by voice or keyboard, and Intercom.
• Step-by-step web recipes with hands-free timers.
• A Home Camera face with up to nine live camera feeds, and, with a supported iCloud+ plan, recognition of people, pets, packages and vehicles from compatible cameras.
• Detection of smoke and carbon monoxide alarm sounds, and support for Matter and “Works with Apple Home” accessories.

Not coming to the EU yet

HomeView will not be sold in the European Union, because Siri AI is not available in iOS there. Apple says it is still working with the EU on a way to bring it to the bloc. In the rest of its markets, the hub launches Nov. 13.

Sources: 9to5Mac, MacRumors