Apple HomeView: the smart home display that isn’t coming to Europe yet

Apple finally unveiled its smart display for the home today: the HomeView. It’s a device that’s been rumoured since 2024, and it looks good. There’s just one big catch for us: HomeView isn’t coming to the Netherlands for now, or to the rest of the European Union. A shame. Here’s what it can do, why you can’t buy it here and what is coming to Europe.

What is HomeView?

HomeView is a square 7-inch display on a round speaker base, connected by a tilting stainless steel hinge. The design is strongly reminiscent of the iMac G4 from 2002. Apple pictures it on the kitchen counter, a nightstand or a side table. There’s also a wall-mounted version with a flat back instead of the speaker base.

The screen can dim very low, down to 0.3 nits, so it doesn’t bother you in the bedroom at night, and goes up to 500 nits during the day. The base holds a down-firing woofer and two passive radiators, plus there are two speakers in the display itself. Apple promises room-filling sound with Spatial Audio and multiroom support. Hold your iPhone in front of it and your music carries on on HomeView via Handoff.

Personal for everyone at home

The cleverest part is that HomeView recognises who’s in front of it. It remembers up to six faces and shows each person their own Home Screen, with their own apps and widgets. Personal things like your messages or calendar only appear when it recognises you and your unlocked iPhone is nearby. Shared photo albums and music can be used by everyone, guests included.

The interface also adapts to distance: from across the room you see large, simple information, and more detail as you get closer. There are several faces, such as a Photos face, a Snoopy face that follows the weather and time of day, a face with your smart home accessories and a camera face that shows up to nine camera feeds at once.

Siri AI, the kitchen and FaceTime

HomeView is built around Siri AI, the revamped Siri that arrived with iOS 27 in September. Together with a compatible iPhone or iPad, Siri can use information from Messages, Calendar and Apple Music and take actions in apps. So for some of those smart features you do need an iPhone or iPad.

In the kitchen it becomes a kind of sous chef: it turns a recipe from a website into steps, with voice-controlled timers and an ingredient list. You can also FaceTime with Center Stage, so the camera follows you, and use Intercom to send a quick message to the rest of the house. And of course you control your smart home devices, via Matter and Thread. HomeView doesn’t have an App Store at launch.

Price and availability

HomeView costs $299 for either version. Pre-orders open today and deliveries start on 13 November. The tabletop version comes in silver, starlight, rose pink and space grey, the wall version only in silver and space grey. For the wall version you’ll usually need a separate mount too, from about $60.

HomeView launches in eight countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore and South Africa.

Why not in the Netherlands?

Apple is very clear about it: HomeView isn’t for sale in the European Union because Siri AI on iPhone isn’t currently available in the EU. And since HomeView revolves entirely around Siri AI, Apple is holding it back here.

Behind that choice is a dispute with the European Commission over the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Apple says those rules prevent it from offering Siri AI here in the same way. The Commission says nothing in the DMA stops Apple and that it’s Apple’s own choice. Apple says it is “working constructively with the EU in an attempt to find a path forward”, but gives no date.

A notable detail: in Europe, Siri AI is available on the Mac and Vision Pro, but not on iPhone and iPad. And it’s exactly that iPhone you need for some of HomeView’s smart features.

What is coming to Europe?

Fortunately, not everything is missing. The new HomePod mini 2 and the new Apple TV 4K are coming to Europe. In Italy, the HomePod mini 2 costs €169 and goes on sale on 30 October, while the Apple TV 4K costs €349 there and arrives on 13 November. Expect similar prices in the Netherlands. The HomePod mini 2’s Siri AI features aren’t available in the EU for now either.

A nice touch is that you can combine four HomePod minis with the new Apple TV into a surround setup for your TV. The speakers work out where they are in the room and tune the sound accordingly.

The new Apple Home Collection, a range of cameras, a doorbell, a smart lock, thermostats and sensors that Apple developed with LG and Schneider Electric, isn’t coming to Europe for now either.

Our take

HomeView is exactly the device many Apple users with a smart home were waiting for: a fixed spot in the house to control everything, with good sound and a screen that recognises everyone personally. And at $299 it’s surprisingly keenly priced. Having to watch it on video for now in the Netherlands is a letdown. If you want to prepare your home already, you can go for Matter devices, the new HomePod mini and the new Apple TV. Then everything is ready once HomeView does arrive here. We’ll keep an eye on it for you.