Apple has a big software year ahead, with major redesigns coming to iOS 19, macOS 16, and even iPadOS 19. But the company also has a brand new OS launching soon. Here’s everything we know about Apple’s new ‘homeOS.’
homeOS will debut on Apple’s new ‘HomePad’ device
It’s not every day that Apple launches a brand new software platform, and it never does so without good reason. OS launches are always tied to new product launches. And the same will be true with homeOS.
Later this year, Apple will debut a brand new ‘HomePad’ smart display. This product will be a sort of cross between an iPad and HomePod. There are plenty of fascinating details about the HomePad’s hardware you can find elsewhere.
For this article though, let’s focus on the software that will power the HomePad: homeOS.
What to expect from Apple’s new homeOS
Based on Mark Gurman’s reporting, homeOS will bear a lot of similarities to Apple’s existing software platforms—but tailored to the needs of modern homes.
Home Screen
For example, homeOS will offer a customizable Home Screen very much like iOS and iPadOS.
On the Home Screen you’ll be able to:
- add widgets to track the weather, stocks, reminders, and more
- launch apps from an iOS-style grid
- have a dock for your go-to apps
- access smart home controls
All of this should look and feel very familiar for anyone with an iPhone or iPad.
Siri and Apple Intelligence
Siri will also be a critical part of homeOS.
Gurman reports that homeOS and the HomePad are designed to “bring Siri and Apple Intelligence to life in a way that hasn’t happened before.”
Essentially, imagine everything Siri can do on HomePod now, plus the powerful but currently-delayed iOS upgrades that give Siri “more awareness of your personal context, as well as the ability to take action for you within and across your apps.” That could add up to a compelling voice-first experience in homeOS.
Apps in homeOS
When it comes to apps, Gurman doesn’t believe an App Store will be available—at least at launch.
But there will certainly be a variety of built-in Apple apps offered. More beyond this list may be included, but at a minimum we’re expecting the following:
- FaceTime
- Notes
- Calendar
- Reminders
- Home
- Safari
- Settings
- News
- Music
- TV
- Podcasts
- Weather
- Photos
Dynamically responsive to users’ distance
Speaking of the Photos app, homeOS will also offer a special mode for displaying a slideshow of photos—essentially like a screensaver.
It’s likely homeOS will offer Photos ‘screensavers’ as one of several options for when you’re a fair distance away from the HomePad.
Gurman writes that HomePad “will include sensors to determine how close a person is. It will then automatically adjust its features depending on the distance.”
I can imagine a scenario where photos and/or an array of StandBy-like widgets will display when you’re far from the device, then homeOS will switch to displaying the Home Screen when you’re near.
Apple’s homeOS wrap-up: ‘iOS, but for your home’
This year will be a big one for Apple unifying its various software platforms to feel more cohesive. So it’s no surprise that the new OS launching, homeOS, sounds like it will achieve that goal too.
The simple pitch of “iOS, but for your home” could give homeOS an easy in with the iPhone’s billions of active users, and make HomePad an attractive option when it launches later this year.
What do you think of Apple’s plans for homeOS? Let us know in the comments.
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