06.17.2025
Apple is rumored to be working on an all-new smart home hub, and an alleged reference to the device has been discovered in the iOS 18.6 beta. 9to5Mac today reported
9to5Mac today reported that iOS 18.6's code includes a new "apple-logo-1088@2x~home.png" image asset. According to the report, the "~home" suffix indicates that the image asset is intended to be limited to Apple's rumored homeOS operating system for the home hub, which is expected to have a square iPad-like screen.
If the report is accurate about the image asset, it serves as further proof that Apple is continuing to work on the home hub's software.
Apple's smart home hub is rumored to feature a 6-inch or 7-inch display, and the A18 chip from iPhone 16 models. The device can reportedly be attached to a speaker base, or mounted on a wall, and it would allow users to control smart home accessories, make FaceTime video calls, use Apple's intercom feature between rooms in a house, and more. It might even double as a home security system with an Apple-designed camera.
While recent homeOS trademark activity that might be connected to Apple fueled hopes that the company would provide an early preview of the home hub at its WWDC 2025 developer conference last week, that did not end up happening.
Apple originally planned to unveil the home hub in March 2025, but the device's launch was reportedly postponed as a result of Apple delaying its personalized Siri features. The device is unlikely to launch until those features are ready.
In March, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that a HomePod with a screen would enter mass production in the third quarter of 2025. Kuo is likely referring to the rumored home hub, and if his timeframe remains accurate, then the device could still be announced at some point later this year. A launch is expected by next year at the latest.
Tags: Apple Command Center, Mark Gurman
This article, "iOS 18.6 Beta Code Includes Reference to Apple's Rumored Home Hub" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
06.17.2025
Apple is rumored to be working on an all-new smart home hub, and an alleged reference to the device has been discovered in the iOS 18.6 beta. 9to5Mac today reported
9to5Mac today reported that iOS 18.6's code includes a new "apple-logo-1088@2x~home.png" image asset. According to the report, the "~home" suffix indicates that the image asset is intended to be limited to Apple's rumored homeOS operating system for the home hub, which is expected to have a square iPad-like screen.
If the report is accurate about the image asset, it serves as further proof that Apple is continuing to work on the home hub's software.
Apple's smart home hub is rumored to feature a 6-inch or 7-inch display, and the A18 chip from iPhone 16 models. The device can reportedly be attached to a speaker base, or mounted on a wall, and it would allow users to control smart home accessories, make FaceTime video calls, use Apple's intercom feature between rooms in a house, and more. It might even double as a home security system with an Apple-designed camera.
While recent homeOS trademark activity that might be connected to Apple fueled hopes that the company would provide an early preview of the home hub at its WWDC 2025 developer conference last week, that did not end up happening.
Apple originally planned to unveil the home hub in March 2025, but the device's launch was reportedly postponed as a result of Apple delaying its personalized Siri features. The device is unlikely to launch until those features are ready.
In March, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that a HomePod with a screen would enter mass production in the third quarter of 2025. Kuo is likely referring to the rumored home hub, and if his timeframe remains accurate, then the device could still be announced at some point later this year. A launch is expected by next year at the latest.
Tags: Apple Command Center, Mark Gurman
This article, "iOS 18.6 Beta Code Includes Reference to Apple's Rumored Home Hub" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
You may also be interested in this
Apple Reportedly Suspends…
09.19.2024
Apple has suspended MacBook bearing supplier Kersen's production for inspection purposes due to "quality issues," and shifted orders to other suppliers through the end of the year, according to a
9to5Mac Daily: April 4, 2…
04.04.2024
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other
Hands-on with black titan…
09.19.2024
Apple has added the one missing feature to the this year: a black titanium option. Here’s how the black titanium Apple Watch Ultra 2 looks in the wild. more…
Hands on: All the new fea…
09.17.2024
Thanks to iOS 18, AirPods Pro are getting even better. We go hands-on with all of the new features for Apple's high-end earbuds.AirPods Pro 2 get better with iOS 18AirPods
Review: Dough Spectrum On…
01.10.2024
I first learned about the newest version of the Dough Spectrum One from an email sent to me by the company’s CEO, Konstantinos Karatsevidis. The email contained the subject line:
Get a grip on AirPods Pro…
07.27.2023
Nomad decided to curtail chances your earbuds will slip out of your hand by rolling out its grippy new Sport Case this week. (via Cult of Mac - Tech and
Sydney Sweeney kills in t…
05.08.2025
The upcoming Apple TV+ "Echo Valley" movie makes a killer mother-daughter duo of Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)
App Store’s first e…
04.14.2024
The developer of Gameboy emulator GBA4iOS says the top-ranking version on the App Store is a fraudulent knock off of his work that Apple should not have approved.Emulator app iGBA
