Apple HomeView is officially here, and while there’s plenty to like about having a dedicated screen for music, FaceTime and smart-home controls, the feature that stands out to me is much simpler: being able to follow a recipe without constantly touching a screen.
Cooking from my iPhone has always had one obvious annoyance. I find a recipe, start preparing the ingredients, then have to reach for the phone to check a measurement or find the next instruction. That’s not ideal when my hands are covered in flour or I’m trying to keep an eye on something in the oven. HomeView’s cooking mode tackles that everyday frustration directly.
When I find a recipe in Safari, the idea is straightforward: tap “Start Cooking” and HomeView presents a cleaner, step-by-step version that keeps the ingredients and instructions easy to follow. I can concentrate on preparing the food rather than scrolling through a long webpage.
The timer integration is particularly appealing. Instead of stopping what I’m doing, I can ask Siri to set timers for different parts of a meal, then see them as Live Activities while using other features. And if I spot a recipe on my iPhone earlier in the day, Handoff lets me continue with it on HomeView when it’s time to cook. It’s the sort of small convenience that makes Apple’s devices work better together.
What I like is that this isn’t another feature that needs a complicated explanation. Recipes are something I already use, and HomeView makes them feel better suited to the kitchen. It’s also a reminder that a smart-home display doesn’t need to reinvent everything to be useful. Making ordinary tasks easier can be just as valuable as controlling cameras or connected lights.
Of course, HomeView does considerably more. It offers personalized Home Screens, Siri AI, FaceTime and direct controls for compatible home accessories, as our complete HomeView guide explains. We’ve also covered 10 lesser-known features and the available models and ordering options.
Available from today, November 13, HomeView starts at $299 in the United States and £299 in the United Kingdom. For me, the best reason to have one in the kitchen isn’t simply that it’s another Apple screen. It’s that the screen can get out of the way when there’s something more important to focus on: making dinner.