Apple rounded off its stellar month of launches with the announcement of its first smart display, the HomeView.
HomeView promises to bring “entertainment, connectivity, and smart home control all in one place,” and it can play music, make FaceTime calls, and enable hands-free automation. But the question remains: what apps can the smart display actually run?
While we’ve yet to get our hands on HomeView, we’ve evaluated the specs to see what 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 also recommend checking out our roundup of the best smart speakers, in case you’re not sold on an Apple model.
What apps does Apple HomeView have?
Apple has confirmed that HomeView will come with the following 15 built-in apps:
- Alarms
- Calendar
- FaceTime
- Find My
- Home
- Intercom
- Messages
- Music
- Podcasts
- Reminders
- Safari
- settings
- Timers
- Time
- World clock
In addition to the above, HomeView will support the following apps from a paired iPhone:
- audio books
- Classical music
- News
- TV
Apple also says that some supported third-party audio and video apps will also be supported from a paired iPhone, but the brand has yet to specify which ones.
Does Apple HomeView have an App Store?
HomeView doesn’t appear to offer access to the App Store, meaning users won’t be able to download additional third-party apps. Additionally, Apple has yet to publicly confirm whether HomeView will ever include an App Store.
Our home tech editor Dave Ludlow bemoans the lack of an App Store for HomeView as inclusion would “elevate HomeView above the Echo” and allow households to use the smart home products they already own, rather than requiring them to spend on Apple-approved devices instead.
How do third-party apps work on HomeView?
If there’s no App Store, how do third-party apps actually work on HomeView? Apple has stated that audio and video apps that support CarPlay will also work on HomeView, without developers having to make any changes to their app. That’s because both HomeView and CarPlay surprisingly share the same framework.
This means HomeView will work similarly to Apple CarPlay and will be able to play audio and video from supported apps. Although Apple hasn’t confirmed this, we’re also assuming this means you’ll be able to use HomeView to see Live Activities widgets as well.
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?
In addition to Apple TV, Apple has yet to confirm which third-party video apps will work with HomeView. Since there are no native YouTube, Netflix or Disney Plus apps on CarPlay, one might assume that they might not work on HomeView – however, of course, as HomeView is a vastly different product compared to CarPlay, we hope that won’t be the case.
If there are no native apps, we also assume that users will be able to access YouTube, Netflix and Disney+ through the Safari app, which comes installed on the HomeView.
Does Spotify work on Apple HomeView?
At the time of writing, Apple has not confirmed whether there will be a native Spotify app for HomeView. However, given that there is a native Spotify app for CarPlay, we can assume HomeView will come.
Even if there’s no native app, the HomeView has Bluetooth which means you should be able to stream Spotify audio with a nearby paired iPhone. In fact, we’d guess that would be the case with most audio apps like Audible, Tidal and the like.
Do you need an iPhone to use the HomeView apps?
If you have one of the top Android phones, it doesn’t seem like HomeView will really work for your household. First, you need an iPhone with 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) to unlock Siri AI. This will allow HomeView to display messages and calendar information, access Apple Music Playlists and sync chat history across devices. However, we should rule out that you don’t need An iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence to control HomeView with just your voice.
What apps are missing?
Remember, Apple has yet to confirm the exact third-party audio and video apps that HomeView will support. However, there are still plenty of notable Apple apps that won’t be built into HomeView at launch.
These apps include Notes, Mail and Photos – although you can choose a shared album to turn your HomeView into a digital photo frame. With that in mind, it seems HomeView shouldn’t be seen as a tablet replacement, but as its own dedicated smart display and family organizer.
