Apple HomeView: six key things you can do with Apple's new smart speaker

Well this doesn’t happen very often. Apple has gone and released a brand new product, the Apple HomeView.

It’s a little smart display, whose 7-inch screen has led some to say it’s like a blown up Apple Watch. But you absolutely don’t wear it on your wrist.

There’s a wall-mounted version, or one with a more powerful speaker base. And both cost £299.

But what are you meant to do with them beyond set alarms and timers? Let’s not hype this one too much, it’s pretty similar to what other smart speakers can do. But it’s time for a refresher.

HomeView lets you know when someone arrives

The HomeView can link up to compatible cameras in order to let you know when someone’s at the door, whether that’s a family member or a courier. It just needs to be “Works with Home" certified, a famlily that includes loads of Eufy, Arlo, Ezviz, Logitech models, and more. Heck, it can collate up to nine video feeds at once if you like, a veritable nerve centre, thanks to the punchy Apple A18 processor.

It controls smart home gear

HomeView’s home screen lets you place widget like controls for your smart home devices, like lights and fans. There are thousands of the things, and you can check out the list right on the Apple website.

You can see your messages

One of the neat features of the HomeView is it has a 12MP camera capable of recgonising you on sight, which is pretty important when it’s placed in a house where an entire family lives. When paired with an iPhone it can also relay your messages, only showing your own of course. It means you don’t have to keep your phone with you all the time.

HomeView lets you talk to Siri

Apple has talked about its next-generation version of Siri for years now. But it finally got its proper — if partial — launch in September with the new iPhone 18 series. It’s intended to be smarter, and more like a modern chatbot in how it reacts. The HomeView is meant to be one of the key ways we talk to Siri, particularly for the folks who still don’t like talking to an AI assistant out in public.

You can play music

This one is particularly important if you pick the HomeView with speaker base: yep, you can of course use it to play music. The base version has two main active drivers, two passive radiators and a downward-firing woofer for proper bass. It should sound excellent for its size, in theory, based off Apple’s gadget priors.

HomeView makes video calls

The HomeView has a 12MP Center Stage camera just like an iPhone. And that means it can not only take and make video calls, but the software can crop and centre the image so you stay the subject of the image even if you’re calling someone while tidying the living room.

Apple HomeView is up for pre-order for, for £299, and will be available from 13th November.