Apples HomeView costs $299 / 299 but that doesn't unlock all of its best features

Date:
Mon, 19 Oct 2026 16:37:11 +0000

Description:
Apples $299 HomeView can show your security cameras, but youll need an iPhone and an iCloud+ subscription before its AI can tell you what happened.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Apple s new AI-powered home
hub, the HomeView , is officially shipping on November 13. Featuring a 7-inch touchscreen, and coming in wall-mounted or tabletop versions, the new must-have Apple device seems a snip at just $299 / 299 / AU$449) but that price doesn't reflect the true cost of accessing its best features.

One of the things that really makes the HomeView unique is that it recognizes your face, then adapts its display so you see your personal content in apps like Messages, FaceTime , Calendar, Reminders, and Find My. Its a great feature, because having to keep logging in manually all the time would be a real time-consuming turn-off for a device thats used by all the family.

But a note on the Apple newsrooms page about HomeView says Apple HomeView setup and multiuser support require a compatible iPhone or iPad running the latest software. It goes on to say that Personal Context requests require a paired Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad running the latest software version with Siri AI turned on and set to a supported language. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: (Image credit: Apple) You need a modern iPhone or iPad Apples wording features two overlapping statements. A compatible iPhone or iPad is required to set up the HomeView, but one that runs Apple Intelligence is required for Personal Context requests. In practical terms, you need an iPhone 15 Pro, any iPhone 16 or newer model, an A17 Pro iPad mini, or an M1-or-newer iPad. The standard iPhone 15 does not qualify.

The Apple HomeView isnt useless without those devices it can still answer general-knowledge questions, control compatible smart-home products, and
offer improved music discovery. However, it wont be able to process requests involving personal information, such as finding details in Messages or Calendar and taking actions across apps, which require a modern iPhone or iPad. Siri AI must be enabled, and the HomeView and paired device must use a supported language. You may like I've tried Apple's HomeView, and it could help me do more at home without reaching for my iPhone The Apple HomeView is the smart display Ive been waiting for 9 things we learned from the big Apple 'Welcome Home' event

But there is one even narrower requirement: customizing Siris expressiveness and speaking speed requires an iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone Air, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone Duo, or an M4-or-newer iPad with at least 12GB RAM. Obviously, that's
a small voice-personalization feature, not the threshold for ordinary
Personal Context requests, but its still worth noting. @techradar

original sound - TechRadar The complete Apple AI home costs considerably more When we look into the HomeViews smart-home features, which are part of Apples wider smart-home ecosystem, things get even more complicated. With a compatible HomeKit Secure Video camera, Apple Intelligence can do the following, genuinely useful, things: Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals,
and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Summarize recorded activity: Instead of merely saying Motion detected, the Home app can describe what happened, such as a person leaving a package or a dog entering the garden. Search recordings conversationally: You can search using requests such as Show me when the parcel was delivered, or, When did the children get home?, rather than manually scrolling through clips. Connect related activity: The Home app can group or surface significant moments captured across different cameras. Once again, an Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone or iPad is required this time to set up and enable the camera-intelligence features. Apple says footage is processed locally by the home hub or using Private Cloud Compute, rather than simply handing the analysis to the paired iPhone.

The complete list of what you need for these features to function is: a HomeKit Secure Video-compatible camera, HomeView or another compatible Apple home hub, an Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone or iPad, and an eligible iCloud + subscription. In other words, simply buying a HomeView alone does
not give you the AI camera summaries or searchable recording history.

iCloud+ plans start at $0.99 for 50GB of storage a month, then $2.99 for
200GB and $9.99 a month for 2TB. Recorded HomeKit Secure Video footage is retained for 10 days, and does not count against your normal iCloud storage allowance. What to read next New Apple TV 4K brings two long-awaited upgrades and a big price hike Apple teased a 'personal hub' at its event, but didn't launch a HomePod mini 2, and I'm mad Got iOS 27 but can't find the new Siri? You're not alone here's why

Of course, you can still view a compatible cameras live feed and receive
basic accessory notifications without paying for recorded history, but you need that iCloud+ subscription for HomeKit Secure Video storage, and for AI features that analyze and search those stored recordings.

A $299 / 299 the HomeView therefore doesnt independently provide the complete experience Apple demonstrates. Owners of an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 or another qualifying device may already have everything they need for Personal Context. But people using a standard iPhone 15 or an older model could discover that their new household AI device is considerably less personal unless they upgrade their phone too.

That may suit Apple perfectly: HomeView isnt just another product, but
another reason to keep every device in your home relatively new, compatible and attached to an Apple service. For buyers who havent studied the
footnotes, however, the difference between what HomeView can do alone, and what Apple shows it doing, could prove frustrating. Follow TechRadar on
Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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