It's been over a decade since Apple's HomeKit smart home platform launched, and it is overdue for an update. HomeKit and the Home app can no longer keep up with AI-powered solutions from other companies like Google and Amazon, but that's set to change with a smart home revamp that Apple has planned for 2026.
Home Hub
Apple is working on a home hub or "command center" that will serve as a centralized location for controlling smart home products, listening to music, making video calls, getting the weather, looking things up with Siri, displaying photos, making notes, viewing calendar events, and more.
The device has an all-display design that resembles an iPad, with a 7-inch display. It's said to be similar in size and shape to two iPhones placed side-by-side, but Apple is designing two variants. The first version is designed to be mounted on a wall, while the second version has a speaker base that looks similar to a HomePod mini and can be placed on a desktop or countertop.
The home hub will have its own operating system, and while there won't be an App Store, Apple apps will be available as widgets.
Built-in sensors will be able to determine when someone is near the home hub, and the features displayed will change based on presence. If no one is by the hub, it might show information like the time and temperature, but if someone approaches, it could shift to an interface for adjusting the temperature.
Presence detection will enable features like turning on the lights when someone enters the room, and it might also be able to tell one person from another. The home hub will play music, and it does have a camera that can be used for video calls.
Touch-based interactions will be available for widgets, but the hub will be heavily reliant on Siri voice commands. Siri could have a personified look on the hub, with one design described as a version of the Mac Finder icon.
While screen-based smart home devices like the Echo Show are available for under $200, Apple could price the home hub somewhere around $350. Price could vary for the version with the speaker base and the wall mounted version without it.
Apple is aiming to launch the home hub sometime in the March to April 2026 timeframe.
LLM Siri
Apple has held off on launching the home hub because it is waiting to debut the smarter, more capable version of Siri that's been in the works since Apple Intelligence features launched in iOS 18. The original plan was for a better version of Siri to come out in an iOS 18 update, but Apple decided Siri just wasn't good enough to do what it wanted.
Siri was delayed so Apple could overhaul the underlying architecture that powers the personal assistant. The new Siri will be more similar to ChatGPT or Claude than the Siri of today, incorporating large language models to answer complex queries and complete more complicated tasks.
Here's what Apple originally promised Siri would be able to do with Apple Intelligence:
Personal Context
With personal context, Siri will be able to keep track of emails, messages, files, photos, and more, learning more about you to help you complete tasks and keep track of what you've been sent.
- Show me the files Eric sent me last week.
- Find the email where Eric mentioned ice skating.
- Find the books that Eric recommended to me.
- Where's the recipe that Eric sent me?
- What's my passport number?
Onscreen Awareness
Onscreen awareness will let Siri see what's on your screen and complete actions involving whatever you're looking at. If someone texts you an address, for example, you can tell Siri to add it to their contact card. Or if you're looking at a photo and want to send it to someone, you can ask Siri to do it for you.
Deeper App Integration
Deeper app integration means that Siri will be able to do more in and across apps, performing actions and completing tasks that are just not possible with the personal assistant right now. We don't have a full picture of what Siri will be capable of, but Apple has provided a few examples of what to expect.
- Moving files from one app to another.
- Editing a photo and then sending it to someone.
- Get directions home and share the ETA with Eric.
- Send the email I drafted to Eric.
This summer, Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that transitioning Siri to new architecture was a success, and that the personal assistant is going to be an even bigger update than expected.
"The work we've done on this end-to-end revamp of Siri has given us the results we needed," Federighi told employees. "This has put us in a position to not just deliver what we announced, but to deliver a much bigger upgrade than that we envisioned."
Apple decided to use AI technology from Google, so Siri will in part be powered by a Google Gemini model that Google designed for Apple. Siri will be as capable as Gemini since it is using the same underlying technology, but Apple will run the model on its own Private Cloud Compute server with no information provided to Google.
The new version of Siri is expected to be ready for an iOS 26.4 update planned for the same March or April timeframe rumored for the home hub.
HomePod mini and Apple TV
We're supposed to be getting updated versions of the HomePod mini and the Apple TV at some point between now and early 2026.
Both devices will get chip upgrades, and in the case of the Apple TV, it could gain support for some Apple Intelligence features. New Apple-designed networking chips will be included, but neither device is going to get a design update.
The HomePod mini and the Apple TV are linked to Apple's smart home platform and serve as smart home hubs for Matter, the cross-platform protocol that opens up the number of smart home accessories that are compatible with HomeKit.
Apple Security Cameras
Rumors suggest that Apple is designing its own indoor security cameras that will connect to HomeKit and interface with the planned home hub.
Cameras designed directly by Apple would offer unique integrations with Apple devices, and would offer greater privacy than competing devices because of Apple's dedication to privacy and security. The first cameras could come out as soon as late 2026, and we could see other accessories like doorbells follow.
Read More
More on Apple's plans for the smart home hub can be found in our Apple Hub guide, while details on Siri can be found in our LLM Siri guide.
