Apple's HomeView smart display may get a second job as a security camera. Reddit user pdfu found settings text in HomeView Software 27.2 describing a mode that turns the display's built-in camera into a HomeKit Secure Video camera. AppleInsider and The Verge reported the find on 1 November 2026. Apple has said nothing about the feature, and HomeView did not offer it at launch.

According to the strings, one setup screen reads: "Your HomeView can be used as a security camera with HomeKit Secure Video."

What the strings describe

The mode follows the pattern of existing HomeKit Secure Video cameras. The display would watch the area in front of it, detect motion, alert members of the home and let them open a live feed in the Home app. Recordings and streams would be visible only to members of the home.

AppleInsider lists four settings:

  • Off: no motion detection, no streaming and no recording.
  • Detect Activity: motion alerts, but no streaming or recording.
  • Stream: home members can watch a live feed, nothing is recorded.
  • Stream & Allow Recording: live viewing plus automatic recordings.

As with other HomeKit cameras, these choices could be set separately for when people are home, away or asleep.

Privacy signals

A camera on a kitchen counter or a hallway wall raises obvious questions, and the strings cover several of them. When someone starts a stream or a recording begins, the display would show a green light and play a sound, so people in the room know. Every home member would also be notified when the HomeKit Secure Video settings change, which makes it harder for one person to switch on recording quietly.

No date yet

Text in a software build shows Apple is testing the feature, not that it is coming soon. AppleInsider expects Apple to focus on fixes for a brand new product first and calls a release in HomeView 27.3 plausible, but unlikely within weeks. The Verge notes that some owners asked why the camera mode was missing at launch and suggests Apple may be fine-tuning the privacy features first.

If the mode ships, HomeView owners would get basic indoor camera coverage from a device they already own, recorded through the iCloud-based HomeKit Secure Video system rather than a separate camera vendor's cloud.