Apple Smart Home Hub release pushed back to 2026

AppleInsider

Apple's dedicated smart home controller is looking less likely to arrive by the end of 2025, with a 2026 launch for the Home Hub more likely than ever.

Apple's Home Hub could have an iPad-like display

Regular rumors claim that Apple has been working on a central smart home controller, known as the Home Hub and code-named J490, for a number of years. However, while seemingly getting within reach of a release to the public, consumers will have to wait longer for the fabled hardware to arrive.

According to Mark Gurman in Sunday's "Power On" newsletter for Bloomberg, the Home Hub was postponed due to it relying on a number of updates to Siri. Originally planned for iOS 18.4, those updates have yet to arrive, which also means features of the hub wouldn't have worked either.

This apparently would've allowed Siri to take advantage of a user's screen and personal data to fulfill queries, using the smart home network. It was also supposedly dependent on Apple Intelligence App Intents, enabling Siri more control over apps and functions.

As it stands, Gurman has little to no expectation of a 2025 release of the Home Hub. It is more likely to appear in 2026, alongside the updated Siri that it needs to operate fully.

Gurman generally has a good track record when it comes to Apple leaks and rumors, making the latest newsletter claim seem quite plausible.

A rocky runway

This is not the first time that Gurman has brought up the Home Hub delays, as he said the same thing in April. Again, Siri's delays were to blame for the hardware being pushed out of 2025 and into 2026.

In January, Gurman was more hopeful about the Home Hub, insisting that a launch was still expected in late 2025.

While the project is slower to arrive than previously anticipated, there continue to be reports that it is still an active project within Apple. In March, it was claimed the hub was undergoing real-world testing by select Apple employees.

In June, code in the developer beta for iOS 18.6 appeared to reference a display that could be the Home Hub. If correct, it could have a screen measuring 2,176 pixels wide, and a physical size in the same ballpark as an iPad mini.

Rumor Score: Likely

Read on AppleInsider

eightzero

If this is a device you are eagerly looking forward, I am happy for you. Having more choices is always a good thing. I do want you to eventually have your wish come true.

I am disappointed that this is a priority for Apple seemingly to the exclusion of other projects. I can think of many other things I would prefer to see - things like an ATV with an OTA tuner (ATSC3?); a new Airport with an onboard Apple branded VPN; updated Beats Fit Pro (those wingtips actually work well). None of these things seems to be even remotely on the radar for Apple. Heck, even something as simple as a hardware cover on my iPhone camera lenses (a little slide device in the case) would be welcome. That the smart home stuff is all reliant on AI that doesn't seem to work is all the more disappointing. To me. YMMV. 

edited July 13

xed

eightzero said:

If this is a device you are eagerly looking forward, I am happy for you. Having more choices is always a good thing. I do want you to eventually have your wish come true.

I am disappointed that this is a priority for Apple seemingly to the exclusion of other projects. I can think of many other things I would prefer to see - things like an ATV with an OTA tuner (ATSC3?); a new Airport with an onboard Apple branded VPN; updated Beats Fit Pro (those wingtips actually work well). None of these things seems to be even remotely on the radar for Apple. Heck, even something as simple as a hardware cover on my iPhone camera lenses (a little slide device in the case) would be welcome. That the smart home stuff is all reliant on AI that doesn't seem to work is all the more disappointing. To me. YMMV. 

1) I think you are making a logical fallacy by assuming that this is a priority that causes other projects not to be worked on. Apple has 164k employees, according to Wikipedia. Sure, most probably aren't HW or SW engineers, but they surely have more than enough to have parallel projects in the works.

From my PoV, the fact that this HomeHub rumor keeps getting pushed back indicates that it's not that much of a priority for Apple. I can't imagine that the revenue and profits will be high unless they do something drastic. I say that because the current consumer-grade stuff isn't that expensive, and the commercial-grade stuff that requires someone with skills to install and configure properly, like Control4 or josh.ai.

I have been looking forward to Apple's HomeHub because I don't feel there's a great middle ground option at this point. This segment is still far too kludgy, IMO. I doubt Apple has solved that, but I'm still hopeful and the very least there are probably innovations that will make it into other companies to advance this market segment down the road. I honestly think we're 10–20 years away from seeing great smart home setups that doesn't require a certified technician to setup or and configure.

2) As much I'd like to see a lot of those HW changes, especially Apple returning with great mesh routers, I don't think they have any of those sitting on the back burner waiting for engineers to be free.

edited July 13

eightzero

Xed said:

eightzero said:

If this is a device you are eagerly looking forward, I am happy for you. Having more choices is always a good thing. I do want you to eventually have your wish come true.

I am disappointed that this is a priority for Apple seemingly to the exclusion of other projects. I can think of many other things I would prefer to see - things like an ATV with an OTA tuner (ATSC3?); a new Airport with an onboard Apple branded VPN; updated Beats Fit Pro (those wingtips actually work well). None of these things seems to be even remotely on the radar for Apple. Heck, even something as simple as a hardware cover on my iPhone camera lenses (a little slide device in the case) would be welcome. That the smart home stuff is all reliant on AI that doesn't seem to work is all the more disappointing. To me. YMMV. 

1) I think you are making a logical fallacy by assuming that this is a priority that causes other projects not to be worked on. Apple has 164k employees, according to Wikipedia. Sure, most probably aren't HW or SW engineers, but they surely have more than enough to have parallel projects in the works.

From my PoV, the fact that this HomeHub rumor keeps getting pushed back indicates that it's not that much of a priority for Apple. I can't imagine that the revenue and profits will be high unless they do something drastic. I say that because the current consumer-grade stuff isn't that expensive, and the commercial-grade stuff that requires someone with skills to install and configure properly, like Control4 or josh.ai.

I have been looking forward to Apple's HomeHub because I don't there's a great middle ground option at this point. This segment is still far too kludgy, IMO.

2) As much I'd like to see a lot of those HW changes, especially Apple returning with great mesh routers, I don't think they have any of those sitting on the back burner waiting for engineers to be free.

Concur. You are likely right on all counts. Just because I don't see rumors doesn't mean there aren't actually other projects. 

chasm

FWIW, I think the long-awaited Apple Home Hub will not look anything like a wall-mounted iPad as seen above, and look more like an Apple TV box -- a small device that connects at an industry-standard nexus point for home comfort/security, and will be controlled by ... your iPhone or iPad, which is nearly always with you or close at hand. Not all homes will be able to use this, but potentially homes built in this century could be.

Apple has been working with security systems providers for years to add HomeKit compatibility, and I think it is doing the same for home comfort systems.

Ironically we've now seen proof that HomeKit compatibility can rescue a product that has been discontinued by its own manufacturer! (HomeKit may keep some Wemo devices alive after shutdown in 2026). That could be a big selling point for some consumers.

wood1208

Apple rather make it 99% right than put in market with 90% right. Few months here or there does not make much difference for a product in new category. Apple is now so big that they can continue working on many products/projects simultaneously with different schedule to release. Most large enterprises do that. 

charlesn

chasm said:

FWIW, I think the long-awaited Apple Home Hub will not look anything like a wall-mounted iPad as seen above, and look more like an Apple TV box -- a small device that connects at an industry-standard nexus point for home comfort/security, and will be controlled by ... your iPhone or iPad, which is nearly always with you or close at hand. Not all homes will be able to use this, but potentially homes built in this century could be.

Apple has been working with security systems providers for years to add HomeKit compatibility, and I think it is doing the same for home comfort systems.

Ironically we've now seen proof that HomeKit compatibility can rescue a product that has been discontinued by its own manufacturer! (HomeKit may keep some Wemo devices alive after shutdown in 2026). That could be a big selling point for some consumers.

I certainly think that iPhone or iPad will be another means of control, IF you buy into the Home Hub device, itself, but I don't see Apple passing up the chance to sell consumers another screened device. 

xed

chasm said:

FWIW, I think the long-awaited Apple Home Hub will not look anything like a wall-mounted iPad as seen above, and look more like an Apple TV box -- a small device that connects at an industry-standard nexus point for home comfort/security, and will be controlled by ... your iPhone or iPad, which is nearly always with you or close at hand. Not all homes will be able to use this, but potentially homes built in this century could be.

Apple has been working with security systems providers for years to add HomeKit compatibility, and I think it is doing the same for home comfort systems.

Ironically we've now seen proof that HomeKit compatibility can rescue a product that has been discontinued by its own manufacturer! (HomeKit may keep some Wemo devices alive after shutdown in 2026). That could be a big selling point for some consumers.

I'd love to see rack mounted option with a product line up that's inline with UniFi, but that's so far fetched that calling it wishful thinking is ridiculous.

angmoh

wood1208 said:

Apple rather make it 99% right than put in market with 90% right. Few months here or there does not make much difference for a product in new category. Apple is now so big that they can continue working on many products/projects simultaneously with different schedule to release. Most large enterprises do that. 

HomeKit/Matter/Thread is as per today very immature. Same for competitors. Google Home is more stable, but far less capable. I have at the moment Matter devices from 3 companies and all have issues with integration. Thread disconnects frequently and needs a Homepod Mini reset while at the same time other hubs are witched off, but at the same time you need the other hubs as the devices from other manufactures can only have their firmware updated through their own ecosystem. And on top of that, a lot of info is stored in Keychain, but there is no easy way to delete entries when things go wrong, which is frequently. An a lot of the Matter problems are caused by an immature Thread specification. The Thread 1.4 specification seems to fix a some of the most important problem but even this specification is still being revised. I frequently have to delete my home setup and start again from scratch.

I have a Nest Hub and the screen is effectively useless for anything else than being a clock. Aqara has a nice ecosystem with lots of bugs and no support other than an AI chatbot which spits out nonsense.

It's a big mess and it does not surprise me that more time is needed to get to a workable state.
 

mkrayewsky

This seems like a waste of time and energy on Apples part. If the depictions are correct, this is nothing more than a glorified iPad, which we all have. Putting it on a Homepod is ridiculous. No one is going to walk over to your Homepod to make a home change, plus it would distort the Homepod sound due to this think (aka. The display) in the way. Really ! What am I missing ?

Michael

xed

mkrayewsky said:

This seems like a waste of time and energy on Apples part. If the depictions are correct, this is nothing more than a glorified iPad, which we all have. Putting it on a Homepod is ridiculous. No one is going to walk over to your Homepod to make a home change, plus it would distort the Homepod sound due to this think (aka. The display) in the way. Really ! What am I missing ?

Michael

You might be missing that the article never mentioned it would be on a HomePod. I don't recall ever seeing that rumor. I've only ever seen it suggested on a wall, like every other major smarthome system available today. And no, that doesn't mean you'll have to access the wall panel to do anything, just like you don't need to physically go to your smart thermostat today if you have the app for it.

While the display may be the same one used on an iPad, that doesn't matter at all. What matters is what it can do. The fact that all the rumors talk about Apple once again branching their flexible and scalable OS to create homeOS (as seen in other rumors) tells me that it'll have a UI that will be both familiar and unique to work with the environment its intended (just like all of Apple's OSes) and it will have services and a foundation designed to support it.

Personally, I had hoped Apple would jump into this market a good 15 years ago. Better late than never, I guess.

Will it be as robust or as good as Control4, Josh.ai, Savant, Crestron, or URC? We'll have to wait and see.

edited July 13

avon b7

mkrayewsky said:

This seems like a waste of time and energy on Apples part. If the depictions are correct, this is nothing more than a glorified iPad, which we all have. Putting it on a Homepod is ridiculous. No one is going to walk over to your Homepod to make a home change, plus it would distort the Homepod sound due to this think (aka. The display) in the way. Really ! What am I missing ?

Michael

'Control' should be ubiquitous. No one device should be a 'master' as it were.

It's all about authentication so any device (or combination of devices) that can securely authenticate a user would be enough. 

That could be a glorified iPad or a dumbed down iPad, car, TV, watch, HomePod, phone etc. Or even dedicated puck style devices. 

You should be able to use any device that you have to hand.

applezulu

chasm said:

FWIW, I think the long-awaited Apple Home Hub will not look anything like a wall-mounted iPad as seen above, and look more like an Apple TV box -- a small device that connects at an industry-standard nexus point for home comfort/security, and will be controlled by ... your iPhone or iPad, which is nearly always with you or close at hand. Not all homes will be able to use this, but potentially homes built in this century could be.

Apple has been working with security systems providers for years to add HomeKit compatibility, and I think it is doing the same for home comfort systems.

Ironically we've now seen proof that HomeKit compatibility can rescue a product that has been discontinued by its own manufacturer! (HomeKit may keep some Wemo devices alive after shutdown in 2026). That could be a big selling point for some consumers.

As I've said here before, I think it will be both. I think the primary hub will be a puck, like an AppleTV box. It will have the power to do all the AI stuff onsite for all the HomePods and other devices connected to the same network. Super Siri will thus become available, even via OG HomePods. The central hub will be, in effect a "mainframe" computer. The tablet screens referenced in the article will then be fairly inexpensive, because they don't need the computing power of even an iPad mini; they'll always be networked to the central hub which will do the heavy lifting and report results back to the tablet device, just as it will to HomePods. 

avon b7 said:

mkrayewsky said:

This seems like a waste of time and energy on Apples part. If the depictions are correct, this is nothing more than a glorified iPad, which we all have. Putting it on a Homepod is ridiculous. No one is going to walk over to your Homepod to make a home change, plus it would distort the Homepod sound due to this think (aka. The display) in the way. Really ! What am I missing ?

Michael

'Control' should be ubiquitous. No one device should be a 'master' as it were.

It's all about authentication so any device (or combination of devices) that can securely authenticate a user would be enough. 

That could be a glorified iPad or a dumbed down iPad, car, TV, watch, HomePod, phone etc. Or even dedicated puck style devices. 

You should be able to use any device that you have to hand.

You will be able to use any device you have on hand. That's why there will be a master hub, equipped with the power to do all the AI stuff we've been told is coming. Since everything in the home is networked together, other devices need only be able to act as an interface. So inexpensive home hub screens and existing HomePods will all have the power of the central mainframe hub. Your mac, iPhones and iPads will also all be able to do all the same AI-powered home hub and advanced Siri stuff in the home, because the master device has the power to do it. 

There are currently two barriers to making the home device concept just work like a true Apple thing. First is having the ability to receive and implement complex, conversational commands. "Turn off all the lights downstairs except the lamp in the den and the spots over the fireplace. Oh, and leave the dining room light on as well, dimmed to 30%. Leave that one on until 8:45." Right now, that would require the user to issue at least five separate commands. That would work, but it wouldn't just work. 

The second barrier is the ability to easily issue commands from anywhere in the home. HomePods help, and if you remember to carry your phone with you, that helps, too. The problem is that every instance where there isn't a HomePod within earshot and you've set your phone down on the other side of the house becomes an instance where the having HomeKit switches everywhere means nothing.

If you have the power of a central home hub, having home hub screens that are inexpensive enough to buy several means they can be distributed to key points through the home, attached to MagSafe charger stations, designed to sit on tables or nightstands or designed to be mounted to the wall. Those would provide visual interfaces, supplementing some HomePods distributed around as verbal interfaces, and suddenly the whole setup just works, even if you've left your phone downstairs on the other side of the house. 

If this vision resembles at all what Apple has planned, it makes total sense that they'll hold the hardware until the AI/Siri software is ready to go. The idea is to finally roll out a home device ecosystem that nobody has achieved thus far. A new hub and screens could be introduced and make existing HomeKit setups suddenly become the thing that just works with either screen taps or conversational commands issued from anywhere in the home.

edited July 14

mplsp

Xed said:

mkrayewsky said:

This seems like a waste of time and energy on Apples part. If the depictions are correct, this is nothing more than a glorified iPad, which we all have. Putting it on a Homepod is ridiculous. No one is going to walk over to your Homepod to make a home change, plus it would distort the Homepod sound due to this think (aka. The display) in the way. Really ! What am I missing ?

Michael

You might be missing that the article never mentioned it would be on a HomePod. I don't recall ever seeing that rumor. I've only ever seen it suggested on a wall, like every other major smarthome system available today. And no, that doesn't mean you'll have to access the wall panel to do anything, just like you don't need to physically go to your smart thermostat today if you have the app for it.

While the display may be the same one used on an iPad, that doesn't matter at all. What matters is what it can do. The fact that all the rumors talk about Apple once again branching their flexible and scalable OS to create homeOS (as seen in other rumors) tells me that it'll have a UI that will be both familiar and unique to work with the environment its intended (just like all of Apple's OSes) and it will have services and a foundation designed to support it.

Personally, I had hoped Apple would jump into this market a good 15 years ago. Better late than never, I guess.

Will it be as robust or as good as Control4, Josh.ai, Savant, Crestron, or URC? We'll have to wait and see.

I’ve seen other rumors stating the homepod would serve as a HomeKit hub. My thought when I read this article was “why are they spending time ‘developing’ what’s essentially an iPad with a wall bracket? I agree with others - this seems to be an answer to a question no one asked.

gatorguy

Angmoh said:

wood1208 said:

Apple rather make it 99% right than put in market with 90% right. Few months here or there does not make much difference for a product in new category. Apple is now so big that they can continue working on many products/projects simultaneously with different schedule to release. Most large enterprises do that. 

HomeKit/Matter/Thread is as per today very immature. Same for competitors. Google Home is more stable, but far less capable.

I have a Nest Hub and the screen is effectively useless for anything else than being a clock. 
 

Google Home is "far less capable" than what? Granted the system may be different on iOS than on Android, but chalk that up to Apple system limitations AFAIK. So again, which home control and monitoring system are you claiming more capable? I'm not aware of any, but I haven't tried much else..  

edited July 15

avon b7

AppleZulu said:

chasm said:

FWIW, I think the long-awaited Apple Home Hub will not look anything like a wall-mounted iPad as seen above, and look more like an Apple TV box -- a small device that connects at an industry-standard nexus point for home comfort/security, and will be controlled by ... your iPhone or iPad, which is nearly always with you or close at hand. Not all homes will be able to use this, but potentially homes built in this century could be.

Apple has been working with security systems providers for years to add HomeKit compatibility, and I think it is doing the same for home comfort systems.

Ironically we've now seen proof that HomeKit compatibility can rescue a product that has been discontinued by its own manufacturer! (HomeKit may keep some Wemo devices alive after shutdown in 2026). That could be a big selling point for some consumers.

As I've said here before, I think it will be both. I think the primary hub will be a puck, like an AppleTV box. It will have the power to do all the AI stuff onsite for all the HomePods and other devices connected to the same network. Super Siri will thus become available, even via OG HomePods. The central hub will be, in effect a "mainframe" computer. The tablet screens referenced in the article will then be fairly inexpensive, because they don't need the computing power of even an iPad mini; they'll always be networked to the central hub which will do the heavy lifting and report results back to the tablet device, just as it will to HomePods. 

avon b7 said:

mkrayewsky said:

This seems like a waste of time and energy on Apples part. If the depictions are correct, this is nothing more than a glorified iPad, which we all have. Putting it on a Homepod is ridiculous. No one is going to walk over to your Homepod to make a home change, plus it would distort the Homepod sound due to this think (aka. The display) in the way. Really ! What am I missing ?

Michael

'Control' should be ubiquitous. No one device should be a 'master' as it were.

It's all about authentication so any device (or combination of devices) that can securely authenticate a user would be enough. 

That could be a glorified iPad or a dumbed down iPad, car, TV, watch, HomePod, phone etc. Or even dedicated puck style devices. 

You should be able to use any device that you have to hand.

You will be able to use any device you have on hand. That's why there will be a master hub, equipped with the power to do all the AI stuff we've been told is coming. Since everything in the home is networked together, other devices need only be able to act as an interface. So inexpensive home hub screens and existing HomePods will all have the power of the central mainframe hub. Your mac, iPhones and iPads will also all be able to do all the same AI-powered home hub and advanced Siri stuff in the home, because the master device has the power to do it. 

There are currently two barriers to making the home device concept just work like a true Apple thing. First is having the ability to receive and implement complex, conversational commands. "Turn off all the lights downstairs except the lamp in the den and the spots over the fireplace. Oh, and leave the dining room light on as well, dimmed to 30%. Leave that one on until 8:45." Right now, that would require the user to issue at least five separate commands. That would work, but it wouldn't just work. 

The second barrier is the ability to easily issue commands from anywhere in the home. HomePods help, and if you remember to carry your phone with you, that helps, too. The problem is that every instance where there isn't a HomePod within earshot and you've set your phone down on the other side of the house becomes an instance where the having HomeKit switches everywhere means nothing.

If you have the power of a central home hub, having home hub screens that are inexpensive enough to buy several means they can be distributed to key points through the home, attached to MagSafe charger stations, designed to sit on tables or nightstands or designed to be mounted to the wall. Those would provide visual interfaces, supplementing some HomePods distributed around as verbal interfaces, and suddenly the whole setup just works, even if you've left your phone downstairs on the other side of the house. 

If this vision resembles at all what Apple has planned, it makes total sense that they'll hold the hardware until the AI/Siri software is ready to go. The idea is to finally roll out a home device ecosystem that nobody has achieved thus far. A new hub and screens could be introduced and make existing HomeKit setups suddenly become the thing that just works with either screen taps or conversational commands issued from anywhere in the home.

I was speaking of a hub in the context of control interface but a central processing hub isn't an absolute requirement in distributed systems although they are mostly used, just tucked away behind a wall panel somewhere. 

gatorguy

AppleZulu said:

chasm said:

FWIW, I think the long-awaited Apple Home Hub will not look anything like a wall-mounted iPad as seen above, and look more like an Apple TV box -- a small device that connects at an industry-standard nexus point for home comfort/security, and will be controlled by ... your iPhone or iPad, which is nearly always with you or close at hand. Not all homes will be able to use this, but potentially homes built in this century could be.

Apple has been working with security systems providers for years to add HomeKit compatibility, and I think it is doing the same for home comfort systems.

Ironically we've now seen proof that HomeKit compatibility can rescue a product that has been discontinued by its own manufacturer! (HomeKit may keep some Wemo devices alive after shutdown in 2026). That could be a big selling point for some consumers.

As I've said here before, I think it will be both. I think the primary hub will be a puck, like an AppleTV box. It will have the power to do all the AI stuff onsite for all the HomePods and other devices connected to the same network. Super Siri will thus become available, even via OG HomePods. The central hub will be, in effect a "mainframe" computer. The tablet screens referenced in the article will then be fairly inexpensive, because they don't need the computing power of even an iPad mini; they'll always be networked to the central hub which will do the heavy lifting and report results back to the tablet device, just as it will to HomePods. 

avon b7 said:

mkrayewsky said:

This seems like a waste of time and energy on Apples part. If the depictions are correct, this is nothing more than a glorified iPad, which we all have. Putting it on a Homepod is ridiculous. No one is going to walk over to your Homepod to make a home change, plus it would distort the Homepod sound due to this think (aka. The display) in the way. Really ! What am I missing ?

Michael

'Control' should be ubiquitous. No one device should be a 'master' as it were.

It's all about authentication so any device (or combination of devices) that can securely authenticate a user would be enough. 

That could be a glorified iPad or a dumbed down iPad, car, TV, watch, HomePod, phone etc. Or even dedicated puck style devices. 

You should be able to use any device that you have to hand.

...If this vision resembles at all what Apple has planned, it makes total sense that they'll hold the hardware until the AI/Siri software is ready to go. The idea is to finally roll out a home device ecosystem that nobody has achieved thus far. A new hub and screens could be introduced and make existing HomeKit setups suddenly become the thing that just works with either screen taps or conversational commands issued from anywhere in the home.

IMO, what they're trying to imitate is the Google Home ecosystem, without as extensive first-party hardware. I currently have multiple Google-branded speakers, two Google Home compatible mobile speakers, three Home Hub displays, a Sonos audio system, lighting in every room, a split air-conditioning system, 13 security cameras, two televisions, a Home security system, and probably something I've forgotten, all controllable by verbal commands, physical interaction with a smartphone, or via Home Hub's on-screen command center. None of those, including the lights, require a separate non-Google hub.

As far as I can tell, that's essentially that's what Apple is trying to replicate, correct? 

edited July 15