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 investigator known as pdfu.
The software HomeView uses to display apps from a connected iPhone or iPad is said to have gained a "Conversational Apps" category in the latest beta. The update also reportedly adds preparations for two-way audio routing, session management, and interruptions, but pdfu notes that it is "still not fully wired up."
Apple hasn't announced chatbot apps for HomeView, and the code doesn't show which apps could use the category or when it could launch, so support for ChatGPT, Claude, or other chatbots is unconfirmed. It's not the first time the possibility has been floated: pdfu suggested on Sunday that chatbot apps might follow based on an unused flag in HomeView's software.
Anti-Spoofing Protection
In a separate finding, pdfu also discovered that HomeView includes anti-spoofing protection. Apparently, after three spoof attempts for a profile, the user must authenticate with an iPhone to see personal data, and the protection is enabled in HomeView software 27.2.
Apple is also said to be working on a lockout cooldown system, similar to what happens when you enter the wrong passcode on an iPhone. A first lockout can be cleared immediately, but a second lockout brings a one-hour wait, a third a four-hour wait, and a fourth (or any further) lockout an eight-hour wait.
pdfu adds that the lockout cooldown periods are still in development, so for now any lockout can be cleared immediately by authenticating with an iPhone. Apple hasn't described either feature in its press materials.
HomeView Launches Next Week
HomeView launches on November 13 for $299, in both desktop and wall-mounted versions. Here's what Apple has announced so far:
- 7-inch Liquid Retina display, in a tabletop model with a speaker base and a wall-mounted model.
- Face recognition for up to six users, each with a personal Home Screen with apps and widgets.
- Siri AI, with conversations that continue in the Siri app on other Apple devices.
- Personal content from Messages, FaceTime, Calendar, Reminders, and Find My, shown when the enrolled user is recognized and their iPhone or iPad is nearby and recently unlocked.
- Faces including Photos, 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, HomePod mini, and AirPlay speakers.
- FaceTime with Center Stage, Messages by voice or keyboard, and Intercom.
- Step-by-step recipes from the web with hands-free timers.
- Smart home controls, including a Home Camera face that shows up to nine live camera feeds.
- With a supported iCloud+ subscription, recognition of people, pets, packages, and vehicles from compatible cameras.
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm sound detection.
- Support for Apple Home Collection accessories, other "Works with Apple Home" accessories, and Matter.
HomeView won't have an App Store. However, as we reported last month, it shows CarPlay-style third-party audio and video apps from a connected iPhone or iPad. HomeView isn't on sale in the European Union because Siri AI is currently unavailable in iOS there, and Apple says it is still working with the EU to find a path forward to make it available in the bloc.
