Apple’s HomeView appears to have been much further along than previously known, with newly surfaced regulatory documents showing the smart home display was already undergoing testing in October 2024 — around two years before Apple finally unveiled it.
MacRumors reports that an FCC document uncovered by contributor Aaron Perris references testing of the device in October 2024, when it was running what would now be known as HomeView software version 18. The filing relates to Apple hardware identified as a “smart speaker with display,” offering one of the clearest signs yet that HomeView had reached an advanced stage of development well before its 2026 debut.
The timing adds weight to reports that HomeView’s long wait was tied to Apple’s delayed rollout of its next-generation Siri. Apple first previewed its more capable Siri experience in 2024, but later acknowledged that the work was taking longer than expected. Siri AI eventually arrived in September 2026, just weeks before HomeView was introduced.
The regulatory trail is particularly notable because HomeView is built around Siri AI. Apple’s new smart home display is designed to act as a central interface for the home, combining entertainment, FaceTime, smart home controls and personalized information with Apple Intelligence. You can read our complete guide to Apple HomeView here.
Apple officially announced HomeView on October 13 with a 7-inch Liquid Retina display, an A18 chip, a 12-megapixel Center Stage camera and Siri AI. The standard model also includes a speaker base, while a separate wall-mounted version is designed to be installed using dedicated Schneider Home mounts. Apple says both models will begin arriving to customers on November 13.
That makes the newly discovered 2024 testing especially interesting. While regulatory testing does not necessarily mean a product is ready for release, it suggests Apple had already progressed far beyond the early prototype stage while the company was still publicly working through delays to its broader AI roadmap.
Apple’s own current FCC records identify the product as a smart speaker with a display under model A3218, with more recent documentation becoming public around the time HomeView was announced. The earlier testing referenced by MacRumors suggests the hardware program had been active for considerably longer.
HomeView is available to pre-order now in supported markets, including the U.S. and UK. We have a full breakdown of HomeView pricing, colors and release details, including the differences between the tabletop and wall-mounted models.
The discovery helps explain why HomeView had been rumored for so long before Apple finally made it official. Rather than being a product that suddenly emerged alongside Siri AI, the evidence increasingly points to hardware that had been waiting in the wings while Apple finished the software experience intended to define it.
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