Apple has rounded off its bumper month of launches by announcing its first ever smart display, the HomeView.
The HomeView promises to bring “entertainment, connection, and smart home management together in one place”, and can play music, make FaceTime calls and enable hands-free automations too. But the question remains: what apps can the smart display actually run?
Although we’re yet to get our hands on the HomeView, we’ve assessed the specs to see which apps the smart display will support.
For more on Apple’s recent smart home launch, visit our HomeView vs HomePod and HomeView vs Echo Show comparison guides.
We’d also recommend checking out our round-up of the best smart speakers too, in case you’re not sold on Apple’s model.
What apps does Apple HomeView have?
Apple has confirmed that the HomeView will come with the following 15 apps built-in:
- Alarms
- Calendar
- FaceTime
- Find My
- Home
- Intercom
- Messages
- Music
- Podcasts
- Reminders
- Safari
- Settings
- Timers
- Weather
- World Clock
In addition to the above, the HomeView will support the following apps from a paired iPhone:
- Audiobooks
- Classical Music
- News
- TV
Apple also states that some supported third-party audio and video apps will also be supported from a paired iPhone, however the brand is yet to state which ones exactly.
Does Apple HomeView have an App Store?
It appears that the HomeView doesn’t offer access to the App Store, which means users won’t be able to download additional third-party apps. In addition, Apple is yet to publicly confirm whether the HomeView will ever eventually feature the App Store.
Our Home Technology Editor Dave Ludlow laments the HomeView’s lack of App Store as the inclusion would “elevate the HomeView above the Echo” and allow households to utilise the smart home products they already own, rather than require them to splurge on Apple-approved devices instead.
How do third-party apps work on HomeView?
If there isn’t an App Store, then how do the third-party apps actually work on HomeView? Apple has stated that CarPlay-supported audio and video apps will also work on HomeView, without developers needing to make any modifications on their app. That’s because both the HomeView and CarPlay surprisingly share the same framework.
This means HomeView will work a lot like Apple CarPlay does, and will be able to play audio and video from supported apps. Although Apple hasn’t confirmed this, we also assume this means you’ll be able to use HomeView to see Live Activities widgets too.
Finally, Apple has also stated that some third-party apps will require a paired and compatible iPhone nearby to run.
Can you watch YouTube, Netflix or Disney+ on HomeView?
Other than Apple TV, Apple is yet to confirm the third-party video apps that will work with HomeView. As there aren’t native YouTube, Netflix or Disney Plus apps on CarPlay, then it could be assumed they might not work on HomeView – however of course as HomeView is a fundamentally different product compared to CarPlay, hopefully that won’t be the case.
If there aren’t native apps then we also assume users will be able to access YouTube, Netflix and Disney+ via the Safari app, which does come installed on the HomeView.
Does Spotify work on Apple HomeView?
At the time of writing, Apple hasn’t confirmed whether there will be a native Spotify app for HomeView. However, considering there is a native Spotify app for CarPlay, we can assume it’ll make its way to HomeView.
Even if there isn’t a native app, the HomeView has Bluetooth which means you should be able to stream audio on Spotify with a nearby paired iPhone. In fact, we’d assume this would be the case with most audio apps like Audible, Tidal and the like.
Do you need an iPhone to use HomeView’s apps?
If you’re sporting one of the best Android phones, it doesn’t seem like the HomeView will really work for your household. Firstly, you need an iPhone running at least iOS 27.2 to initially set up your HomeView.
You’ll also need an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone (that’s an iPhone 15 Pro or later) in order to unlock Siri AI. Doing so will allow the HomeView to surface information from Messages and Calendar, access Apple Music Playlists and sync conversation history across devices too. However, we should disclaim that you don’t need an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone to control the HomeView with just your voice.
Which apps are missing?
Remember, Apple is yet to confirm the exact third-party audio and video apps that’ll be supported by HomeView. However, there are still quite a few notable Apple apps that won’t come built-into the HomeView at launch.
These apps include the Notes, Mail and Photos – though you can select a shared album to turn your HomeView into a digital photo frame. With this in mind, it seems as if the HomeView shouldn’t be viewed as a tablet replacement, but rather its own dedicated smart display and family organiser.
