Apple's upcoming smart home hub, HomeView, will run on a highly restricted operating system. According to reports from AppleInsider, the platform lacks an App Store and prohibits users from installing third-party software, marking a departure from the open ecosystems of the iPhone and iPad.
Developers Gui Rambo and Steve Troughton-Smith discovered that HomeView OS is based on a version of tvOS 27.2. The system utilizes a new launcher called BreadBoard and a dedicated control center interface named CupBoard, maintaining Apple's internal naming conventions for core components.
The device relies heavily on CarPlay APIs to function, with internal documentation referring to the mechanism as PebblePlay. While the system currently supports audio and video applications, it does not allow navigation or messaging tools to run or be indexed properly.
Despite these limitations, testers managed to launch the Broadcasts app natively on the system. The interface features settings similar to iOS, including a search function and a slider for adjusting the intensity of a liquid glass visual effect, which controls screen transparency.
Authentication for system applications is handled via personal iPhones, iPads, or the device's built-in camera. To ensure successful facial recognition in low-light conditions or environments with heavy shadows, the display automatically increases its brightness.
