Apple’s supposed new operating system, so-called “homeOS,” appears to be in development, but no word yet on when it might launch.
tvOS 17.4, the next update to the Apple TV’s operating system currently in testing, references “homeOS,” as spotted by Aaron Perris at MacRumors. Its very name suggests “homeOS” could supercharge Apple’s smart home strategy.
Apple might be developing a HomePod with a touchscreen at the top of the device to compete with Amazon’s Echo Show, Meta’s Portal and Google’s Nest Hub.
Another rumor calls for an iPad-like smart display equipped with a FaceTime camera, mounted on a robotic arm that would rotate to follow the person in the room.
tvOS 17.4 update references “homeOS”
Could “homeOS” power those rumored appliances? If you need more proof that “homeOS” could be the real thing, look no further than Apple’s prior job ads.
In June 2021, it listed positions for software engineers on the Apple Music team that required experience with iOS, watchOS, tvOS and “homeOS.” The same reference appeared again in an Apple job listing published in November 2021.
So here we are three years later and a “homeOS” reference pops up in the tvOS 17 code. It could be nothing, but at this point, it’s looking increasingly likely that Apple has been working on a new operating system for future smart home devices.
“homeOS” could also be a rebranding effort
tvOS currently powers Apple TVs and HomePods. The Siri speaker used to be based on an iOS code but switched to a tvOS-based software in 2020. Apple now calls it “HomePod Software,” but it really is a fork of tvOS without a graphical user interface.
One possibility is that “HomePod Software” will be renamed “homeOS” and enhanced with support for future HomePods with built-in screens. In that scenario, “tvOS” would likely be rebranded as “homeOS.”
Apple also provides a software framework called HomeKit that producers of smart home appliances use to make their devices work in the Apple Home app.
Apple’s devices also support Matter, the new open standard for smart home automation. In fact, the iPhone maker’s been working closely with Samsung, Amazon and Google on Matter. It’s supported the standard since iOS 16.1.