Apple launches HomeView smart home and security hub

CUPERTINO, Calif.—Apple is making its most direct move yet into the connected home security space with the launch of HomeView, a new smart home hub that combines video monitoring, smart device control and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven home management in a single platform. 

Announced Oct. 13, HomeView is designed to serve as a central command center for residential smart homes, allowing homeowners to monitor cameras, control locks, adjust thermostats, manage lighting and interact with connected devices through voice commands or a touchscreen interface. 

"Apple HomeView is designed to be shared by everyone in the home yet feel completely personal to each user," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing. "It recognizes your face to shift from a household screen to your own experience ... and makes it easy to control your smart home." 

Security and smart home control 

At the center of HomeView's security offering is its integration with Apple's Home ecosystem and Matter-compatible smart home devices. Users can view live video from connected cameras, lock and unlock doors, close blinds and manage other smart home functions from a single dashboard. A dedicated camera view allows up to nine video feeds to be displayed simultaneously. 

Apple is also emphasizing AI-powered awareness features through HomeKit Secure Video. With a supported iCloud+ subscription, HomeView can recognize people, familiar faces, pets, vehicles and packages captured by compatible cameras and provide real-time notifications to users. Apple said all video analysis remains end-to-end encrypted. 

The system also incorporates proactive safety features, including the ability to detect the sound of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and send alerts to users' iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches when an alarm is activated inside the home. 

Siri AI powers automation 

HomeView is powered by Apple's new Siri AI platform, which enables natural-language voice control of connected devices and automations. Homeowners can issue commands to view cameras, adjust environmental controls or manage routines without touching the screen. 

Apple is expanding its hardware presence in the smart home category alongside the HomeView launch through a new lineup of connected devices developed in collaboration with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric, including smart cameras, thermostats and locks designed to work with the Apple Home platform. 

Privacy-focused approach 

The device features a 7-inch Liquid Retina display and will be available in either a tabletop or wall-mounted configuration. Apple said HomeView can recognize up to six household members through facial recognition technology, allowing each user to access personalized settings while keeping private information hidden from others in the home. 

Privacy and security are central themes of the launch. Apple said HomeView uses dedicated secure processing environments within its A18 chip architecture to isolate camera and microphone data from the broader operating system, while Siri requests are handled either on-device or through Apple's Private Cloud Compute infrastructure. 

Pricing and availability 

HomeView and HomeView (Wall Mounted) are both priced at $299. Preorders begin Oct. 13, with availability scheduled for Nov. 13 in the United States and several international markets. 

Related: Apple, LG reportedly partnering on smart home device lineup 

Photo courtesy of Apple