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Key takeaways
Apple HomeView, announced October 13 and shipping November 13, is Apple’s first smart display. The tabletop and wall-mounted versions both cost $299 and pair a 7-inch Liquid Retina screen with a domed speaker base. It’s built around three things Apple does well: room-filling audio, FaceTime, and Apple Home control. Siri comes rebuilt and more conversational.
Facial recognition covers up to six people, and the screen switches to each person’s home screen, calendar, messages, and reminders. From what Apple has shown, it isn’t a family organizer or digital hub. There’s no chore chart, no rewards, no automated allowance, and the calendar is personal rather than built around the household. Learn what HomeView costs once you add the extras, and which families should buy it instead of a display built for running the house.
Apple HomeView at a glance
Apple HomeView key details
Detail | Apple HomeView |
|---|---|
What it is | 7-inch smart display and speaker for entertainment, FaceTime, and Apple Home control |
Price | $299 tabletop or wall-mounted (mount sold separately, $59.95–$129.95) |
Availability | Pre-order now: ships November 13, 2026, not sold in the EU |
Screen | 7-inch Liquid Retina, True Tone, 0.3–500 nits |
Assistant | Siri AI (beta in HomeView 27.2) |
Personal profiles | Face recognition for up to 6 people, each with their own home screen |
Calendar | Personal calendar and reminders, shown when face is recognized |
Location | Find My, for people who already share their location with you |
Smart home | Apple Home and Matter; up to 9 camera feeds at once |
Chores, rewards, allowance | ✕ Not offered |
Setup requirement | Compatible iPhone or iPad, no Android support |
Subscriptions | None to start; iCloud+ for camera recognition; some AI features may carry a future fee |
Details reflect Apple’s October 13, 2026 announcement. HomeView has not yet shipped; features and availability may change before and after launch.
Pros and cons of Apple HomeView
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
✓ Siri AI: conversational, with broad world knowledge | ✕ Requires an iPhone or iPad to set up, incompatible with Android |
✓ Face recognition gives each of up to six people a private, personal screen | ✕ No chore chart, rewards, or allowance payment |
✓ 5-driver audio system with 2 full-range drivers in the display, a down-firing woofer, and 2 passive radiators in the base, with Spatial Audio support | ✕ The calendar is personal, not a shared family view |
✓ Deep Apple Home and Matter control, with up to nine live camera feeds | ✕ 7-inch screen is small to read from across a kitchen |
✓ Detects the sound of smoke and CO alarms and alerts your iPhone | ✕ Wall version needs a $59.95–$129.95 mount |
✓ Strong privacy design: Secure Enclaves and Private Cloud Compute | ✕ Siri AI ships in beta; Apple says some AI features may cost extra later |
Apple HomeView features
Apple has detailed five areas so far, from Siri AI and personal profiles to entertainment, smart home control, and Find My.
Siri AI
HomeView is the first home device built around Siri AI, the rebuilt Siri powered by Apple Intelligence. It handles open-ended questions and back-and-forth conversation. When paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad, it can draw on your messages, calendar, and apps for more personal answers.
There are two caveats directly from Apple:
Siri AI is in beta on HomeView at launch
Some server-based Apple Intelligence features have daily usage limits, with expanded access to come “for a fee in the future.”
A personal screen for each person
HomeView recognizes up to six people by face and shows each one their own home screen, widgets, messages, calendar, and reminders. Personal content only appears when the owner is recognized and their paired iPhone or iPad is nearby and was recently unlocked. The household shares the device, but it turns personal for whoever is in front of it, so it isn’t a dashboard anyone can read at a glance.
Entertainment and FaceTime
Five drivers are split between the display and the base.
Two full-range drivers sit in the display, and a down-firing woofer and two passive radiators sit in the base.
Spatial Audio and multiroom playback work across HomePod and AirPlay speakers.
Apple Music, Podcasts, News, and Apple TV all play on the device.
FaceTime uses Center Stage to keep everyone in frame.
Intercom broadcasts to other HomeView and HomePod speakers, and to family iPhones.
Smart home dashboard
HomeView also runs the smart home accessories and cameras.
It controls Apple Home and Matter accessories by touch or by voice, including lights, locks, thermostats, and blinds.
It streams up to nine camera feeds at once.
With an iCloud+ plan and compatible cameras, it recognizes people, pets, packages, and vehicles.
It listens for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and sends alerts to your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch.
Find My and photos
Find My shows family members who already share their location with you and helps find lost Apple devices and AirTags. The Photos face turns a shared album into a living photo frame. There are no place-based arrival alerts, driving reports, or SOS alerts shown on the display itself.
Is Apple HomeView worth it?
Here’s the verdict:
It’s worth it for all-Apple households who want a 5-driver speaker with Spatial Audio, FaceTime, Siri AI, and Apple Home control from one 7-inch screen. At $299, it is priced below the Amazon Echo Show 21 ($499.99) and in line with Greenlight Family Hub's 15.6-inch model ($299).
It’s less ideal for families who want a shared organizer and home managers who need their households to run seamlessly. There’s no chore chart, no rewards or allowance, the calendar is personal rather than household-wide, the screen is 7 inches, and anyone in the family on Android can’t fully take part.
Want more options?
Greenlight Family Hub
Both are $299 or less, both mount on a wall or sit on a counter, and both show calendars, photos, and family locations, but they’re built for different jobs.
Apple HomeView is an entertainment and smart home screen that becomes personal for each person.
Greenlight Family Hub is a household organizer with one shared view of everyone’s schedule, chores, lists, and whereabouts, connected to the Greenlight money app.
Compare Apple HomeView vs. Greenlight Family Hub
Feature | Apple HomeView | Greenlight Family Hub |
|---|---|---|
Price | $299 (7-inch) | $199 (10.1-inch, portable) $299 (15.6-inch) |
Screen size | 7 inches | 10.1 or 15.6 inches |
Subscription | None to start; iCloud+ for camera AI | Free tier available Family Hub+ $9.99/mo or $99/yr |
Shared family calendar | ✕ | ✓ |
Chores & rewards | ✕ | ✓ |
Pay allowance for chores | ✕ | ✓ With a Greenlight financial plan |
Family location | ✓ Find My, for people who share with you | ✓ Full-screen family map (Family Hub+) |
Arrival & departure alerts, SOS, driving reports†† | ✕ | ✓ Family Hub+ |
Lists | ✓ Reminders, per person | ✓ Shared to-do and grocery lists |
Photo display | ✓ | ✓ Unlimited |
Voice assistant | ✓ Siri AI (beta) | ✓ “Hey Greenlight” family AI assistant (Family Hub+) |
Smart home control | ✓ | ✕ |
Music & video calls | ✓ | ✕ |
Works with Android families | ✕ | ✓ iOS and Android |
Kid-safe platform | ✓ Profile-based personal content | ✓ Closed platform, four-digit parental lock |
Family Hub requires Wi-Fi and is available with all Greenlight plans. Some features require a subscription. Location sharing, place alerts, and driving reports require mobile data or Wi-Fi and access to phone motion data.
Amazon Echo Show 21
If what you like about HomeView is entertainment and smart home control, the Echo Show 21 ($499.99) is the closest match outside Apple’s ecosystem. It has Fire TV built in and Alexa voice control, and it works with Android phones.
Skylight Calendar
Skylight starts at $169.99 and is a dependable calendar-and-chores display with no app store or browser. Rewards, meal planning, and photos require Calendar Plus at $79/year.
FAQ
Is Apple HomeView worth it?
Apple HomeView ($299) is worth it for all-Apple households that want a premium smart speaker with a 7-inch screen, FaceTime, Siri AI, and Apple Home control with up to nine camera feeds. It’s less suited to families looking for a household organizer. It doesn’t have a chore chart, rewards, or allowance. Its calendar is personal rather than shared, and it requires an iPhone or iPad to set up.
How much does Apple HomeView cost?
Apple HomeView is $299 in the U.S. for the tabletop model and the wall-mounted model. The wall version needs a Schneider Home mount sold separately: $59.95 (USB-C), $79.95 (AC wired), or $129.95 (PoE, early 2027). Camera recognition features need an iCloud+ plan.
When does Apple HomeView come out?
Apple HomeView was announced October 13, 2026, with pre-orders starting the same day and availability beginning November 13, 2026, in the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Singapore. It is not sold in the European Union.
Does Apple HomeView work with Android?
No, HomeView setup and multi-user support require a compatible iPhone or iPad, and personal features depend on a paired Apple device. Families with Android users may prefer a display that works across platforms, such as , Skylight, or Amazon Echo Show.
Does Apple HomeView have a family calendar or chore chart?
HomeView shows each recognized person their own Calendar and Reminders. Apple has not announced a shared family calendar view, chore chart, or rewards. Greenlight Family Hub syncs everyone’s Google, Outlook, iCloud, and Webcal calendars into one color-coded view and includes chores with star rewards.
What is the difference between Apple HomeView and Greenlight Family Hub?
Apple HomeView is a 7-inch entertainment and smart home display with Siri AI, FaceTime, and Apple Home control, built for Apple households. Greenlight Family Hub is a family organizer (10.1-inch for $199 or 15.6-inch for $299) with a shared calendar, chores and rewards, shared lists, and a live family map with place alerts and SOS. Chores can be paid into allowance through the Greenlight app.
Does Apple HomeView require a subscription?
No subscription is required to start. An eligible iCloud+ plan is needed for camera recognition and video summaries. Apple also says some server-based Apple Intelligence features have daily usage limits, with expanded access available for a fee in the future.
Methodology. This review is based on Apple’s official October 13, 2026 announcement and published specifications. HomeView had not shipped at the time of writing, so it reflects announced features rather than hands-on testing. We will update it after launch. We compared HomeView with Greenlight Family Hub and other family displays on price, screen size, subscription requirements, shared calendar and chore features, location and safety features, smart home and entertainment features, and platform compatibility. Family Hub details reflect Greenlight’s published plans as of October 2026.
Apple, HomeView, Siri, FaceTime, and Find My are trademarks of Apple Inc. Skylight and Echo Show are trademarks of their respective holders. All product and company names are trademarks of their respective holders, and use here does not imply affiliation or endorsement. This article is published by Greenlight and reflects a comparison in which Greenlight is one of the products evaluated.
The Greenlight® prepaid card is issued by Community Federal Savings Bank, member FDIC, pursuant to license by Mastercard International.
††Requires mobile data or a WiFi connection, and access to sensory and motion data from cell phone to utilize safety features including family location sharing and driving alerts and reports. Messaging and data rates and other terms may apply.
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