Broadcasts app developer Steve Troughton-Smith shared a Halloween surprise for us today: a tour of the software on Apple’s upcoming HomeView smart home hub. Apple has already demonstrated HomeView to select tech journalists and content creators, but Troughton-Smith offers a closer look at several features, interfaces, and apps.
Using a virtualized HomeView created by Guilherme Rambo, Troughton-Smith provided a closer look at the home screen, Control Center, clock faces like Flow and Snoopy, and apps like timers, alarms, world clock, and settings. Note that while the virtualized HomeView displays an Ethernet menu, the device actually only supports Wi-Fi.
HomeView supports up to six users. The device comes with a built-in camera that can recognize people and view their personal content in apps like Messages, Calendar, Reminders, FaceTime, and Find My. Rambo and Troughton-Smith have yet to get around this recognition requirement with virtualized HomeView, so those apps are all blocked.
Troughton-Smith revealed that HomeView will have a liquid glass slider that will let you adjust the transparency or coloring of interface elements, and also confirmed that the device’s keyboard supports QuickPath slide typing.
It also provided a more in-depth look at HomeView’s music player, video player in wide and square formats, and the AirPlay pairing interface.
Yesterday Rambo and our contributor Aaron Perris took a look at HomeView wallpapers, the “hello” setup screen, and more. All of these findings come after Apple released HomeView software ahead of the device’s launch on Friday, November 13. Apple is currently accepting pre-orders, with the US price set at $299.
Rambo and Troughton-Smith said HomeView’s software is based on Apple TV’s tvOS.
