Apple appears to be preparing its upcoming HomeView smart home hub for chatbot apps, according to new findings in the iOS 27.3 beta. MacRumors reports that the code was spotted by the code investigator known as pdfu, who also found details of an anti-spoofing system and a planned lockout cooldown.
A "Conversational Apps" category
Per the report, the software HomeView uses to show apps from a connected iPhone or iPad has gained a "Conversational Apps" category in the latest beta. The same build reportedly includes groundwork for two-way audio routing, session management and interruption handling, though pdfu says the feature is "still not fully wired up."
Apple has not announced chatbot apps for HomeView. The code does not say which apps could use the category or when it might launch, so support for any specific assistant, whether ChatGPT, Claude or another service, remains unconfirmed. MacRumors notes that pdfu raised the possibility on Sunday as well, based on an unused flag in HomeView's software.
Anti-spoofing protection
In a separate finding, pdfu says HomeView includes protection against spoofing of its face recognition. After three spoof attempts on a given profile, the user would have to authenticate with an iPhone before personal data is shown. The protection is reportedly already enabled in HomeView software 27.2.
Apple is also said to be developing a lockout cooldown similar to the one used for wrong passcode entries on iPhone. According to the report, a first lockout can be cleared immediately, a second brings a one-hour wait, a third a four-hour wait, and a fourth or any later lockout an eight-hour wait. These cooldown periods are still in development, so for now any lockout can reportedly be cleared right away by authenticating with an iPhone. Apple has not described either feature in its press materials.
What Apple has announced
HomeView launches on November 13 at $299, in tabletop and wall-mounted versions. According to Apple, it has a 7-inch Liquid Retina display, face recognition for up to six users with personal Home Screens, Siri AI, and personal content from apps such as Messages, FaceTime, Calendar, Reminders and Find My that appears when an enrolled user is recognized and their iPhone or iPad is nearby and recently unlocked. It also supports handoff from iPhone, multiroom audio with HomePod and AirPlay speakers, and smart home controls including a Home Camera face that shows up to nine live feeds.
As with all findings pulled from beta code, features discovered this way may change or never ship.
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