Code discovered in the iOS 27.3 beta suggests Apple is laying the groundwork for chatbot apps on its upcoming HomeView smart home hub, according to the code sleuth known as pdfu.
The software that HomeView uses to display apps from a connected iPhone or iPad is said to have earned the “Conversational Apps” category in the latest beta. The update also reportedly adds preparation for two-way audio routing, session management, and interrupts, but pdfu notes that it’s “not fully wired yet.”
Apple hasn’t announced any chatbot apps for HomeView, and the code doesn’t show which apps might use the category or when it might launch, so support for ChatGPT, Claude, or other chatbots isn’t confirmed. This isn’t the first time this possibility has been floated: pdfu suggested on Sunday that chatbot apps could follow based on an unused flag in HomeView’s software.
Anti-spoofing protection
In a separate discovery, pdfu also discovered that HomeView has anti-spoofing protection. Apparently, after three spoof attempts for a profile, the user must authenticate with an iPhone to see the personal data, and protection is enabled in the HomeView 27.2 software.
Apple is also said to be working on a lock cooling system, similar to what happens when you enter the wrong passcode on an iPhone. A first block can be canceled immediately, but a second block results in a one-hour wait, a third a four-hour wait, and a fourth (or any additional) block an eight-hour wait.
pdfu adds that block cool-down periods are still in development, so for now any block can be canceled immediately by authenticating with an iPhone. Apple didn’t describe either feature in its press materials.
HomeView launches next week
HomeView launches on November 13 for $299, in both desktop and wall versions. Here’s what Apple has announced so far:
- 7-inch Liquid Retina display, in a desktop model with speaker base and a wall-mount model.
- Facial recognition for up to six users, each with a personal Home screen with apps and widgets.
- Siri AI, with conversations continuing in the Siri app on other Apple devices.
- Personal content from Messages, FaceTime, Calendar, Reminders, and Find My, shown when the registered user is recognized and their iPhone or iPad is nearby and recently unlocked.
- Faces including Foto, Flow, Snoopy, Home Modular and Home Camera.
- Apple Music, Podcasts, News, and Apple TV, plus compatible third-party audio and video apps.
- Handoff from iPhone and multiroom audio with HomePod speakers, HomePod mini and AirPlay.
- FaceTime with Center Stage, Voice Messages or via keyboard and Intercom.
- Step-by-step recipes from the web with hands-free timer.
- Smart home controls, including the home camera watch face that shows up to nine camera feeds in real time.
- With a supported iCloud+ subscription, recognize people, pets, packages and vehicles from compatible cameras.
- Audible smoke and carbon monoxide alarm detection.
- Support for Apple Home Collection accessories, other “Works with Apple Home” accessories, and Matter.
HomeView will not have an App Store. However, as we reported last month, it shows third-party CarPlay-style audio and video apps from a connected iPhone or iPad. HomeView isn’t on sale in the European Union because Siri AI isn’t currently available on iOS there, and Apple says it’s still working with the EU to find a way forward to make it available in the bloc.
