HomeView Security Camera Mode Found in Apple Software Code

Apple HomeView may be able to work as a HomeView security camera, according to settings text found in HomeView Software 27.2. Software sleuth pdfu published the strings on October 31, less than two weeks before the $299 smart display reaches customers on November 13. Apple has not announced the feature.

One setup screen reads: “Your HomeView can be used as a security camera with HomeKit Secure Video.” With the mode turned on, the device’s built-in camera could be used for activity detection, live streaming and recording, the same way a standalone HomeKit camera works today.

How the HomeView Security Camera Mode Would Work

The strings describe four recording levels. “Off” disables motion detection, streaming and recording. “Detect Activity” watches for motion without streaming or saving video. “Stream” lets home members watch live without recording, and “Stream & Allow Recording” does both.

Those levels can be set separately for three situations: When Home, When Away and When Asleep. As with existing HomeKit Secure Video cameras, the location of household members’ iPhones and other devices would decide whether someone is home. Face recognition, activity zones and other camera settings stay in the Home app on iPhone.

Privacy Safeguards in the Code

Because HomeView is meant to sit in a kitchen, living room or hallway, the text puts heavy weight on privacy. Only home members could view streams and recordings. A green light would appear on the display and a sound would play whenever someone opens the live view or the camera starts recording.

A section labeled “No Silent Changes” says home members get a notification whenever the HomeKit Secure Video settings are changed. The strings also say streaming and recording while people are home can only be turned on from the HomeView itself, which would stop someone from enabling indoor recording remotely.

In a later update, pdfu added a related line from the Home app: “When the Home app is open on a home member’s personal device, this HomeAccessory may take photos to refresh the camera preview. A green light will appear when this happens.”

What It Means for HomeView Buyers

Apple introduced HomeView on October 13 with a 7-inch display, Siri AI and a 12MP Center Stage camera used for FaceTime and for recognizing who is standing in front of it. At launch, Apple pitched home monitoring as a way to view feeds from separate cameras, including the LG models in its Apple Home Collection.

A built-in camera mode would let a HomeView near an entrance double as an indoor camera without extra hardware. Earlier reports also said Apple is working on a dedicated privacy-focused security camera.

Code strings do not guarantee a feature will ship, and it is unclear whether the mode will be ready on November 13 or arrive in a later software update. Pricing and availability are confirmed in Apple’s announcement: $299 in the US for both the tabletop and wall-mounted models, sold in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore and South Africa. HomeView is not available in the European Union, where Siri AI is not offered.