It’s only a matter of time until Apple finally announces homeOS, its software platform for home products. Teased more than once over the past few years, it seems the company always hits a snag right before revealing homeOS.
This time, Israeli website The Verifier discovered references to “Apple Home” in the Settings app of all Apple TV models capable of running the latest tvOS 26 beta. This information was also corroborated by MacRumors, revealing that the company is possibly planning to eliminate the HomeKit branding and replace it with Apple Home. Here’s one instance of Apple replacing “HomeKit” with “Apple Home” in the app: “Your Apple TV won’t connect with iCloud and Apple Home until you add a new default user.”
While Apple has been using the HomeKit name for 11 years now, this change might come as a simplification of its smart home initiatives and also a push to more profound changes, as tvOS won’t be Apple’s only lifeline into the home.
Here’s why Apple hasn’t introduced homeOS yet
While rumors suggest that Apple considered introducing homeOS during the WWDC 2025 conference in June, the delays to Apple’s all-new Siri might be behind the latest delay. Initially revealed during the WWDC 2024 keynote, Apple ended up delaying the launch of its smarter Siri to sometime in 2026. As a result, the full slate of home initiatives at Apple have seemingly been pushed back.
In June, Bloomberg reported that Apple wanted to introduce homeOS during a March event alongside its all-new smart home hub. However, without the new Siri capabilities, the general experience of Apple’s new product “would degrade the user experience.” This platform is expected to power a number of new products, including a HomePod with a display, a premium tabletop screen, and other smart home devices, such as security cameras, a door lock with Face ID, and more.
That said, reports suggest that Apple has a number of significant smart home products and features in the pipeline, but we’ll still have to wait until at least next March to get a glimpse of Apple’s biggest push yet into the smart home market. That said, we might get an early glimpse when new Apple TV and HomePod models make their rumored debuts later this year.
