Beta releases for Apple’s main iOS updates provide all types of alternatives for code sleuths to uncover hints about what Apple could also be engaged on. Earlier right now, we shared a report a couple of “Sleep Rating” for the Apple Watch, and now it seems that Apple could have simply tipped its hand on a screen-equipped HomePod.
In line with MacRumors, a brand new location-related setting within the fourth beta of iOS 26 has a refined trace of a future HomePod that can be capable to play each present and inform:
“Your HomePod gained’t be capable to present you the native climate, time, or reply to Siri requests about your space,” the string reportedly reads, presumably referring to what occurs if the proprietor hasn’t granted permission for the sensible speaker to entry its location.
The essential phrase right here is “present.” That’s not one thing that HomePods are presently able to doing, so except this string is a gaffe on the a part of some Apple engineer (which is extremely unlikely), the extra apparent conclusion is that it’s meant for a HomePod with a display.
Using the phrase “HomePod” can also be important right here, because it means that Apple certainly has a screen-equipped HomePod within the works as a definite product from the “dwelling hub” that has been reported over the previous few months.
The wall- and table-mounted dwelling hub, which was first reported in strong phrases by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in November, has been getting rather more consideration from the rumor mill because it’s considerably extra fascinating than a HomePod with a display. Nevertheless, different sources, together with analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, predicted in December {that a} display-equipped HomePod was slated for late 2025.
Some believed Kuo’s info contradicted Gurman’s report of a March launch for the house hub, nevertheless it has at all times appeared clear to me that they’re speaking about two totally different merchandise.
From an Apple TV with a FaceTime digital camera to a large iPad for the house, we’ve seen so many mockups and theories over time as to what Apple could possibly be engaged on that it’s no marvel there’s a lot confusion. Nevertheless, Gurman’s details about a house hub conspicuously excluded any point out of an connected HomePod. Some pundits cleverly dubbed this the “HomePad,” for lack of something higher to name it, however at most, it was anticipated to incorporate a speaker base, probably much like what Google did with its Pixel Pill in 2023.
The purported codename for Gurman’s product, J490, additionally differed from code present in tvOS 17.4 that pointed to a “Z314” machine in testing, in addition to one other dwelling machine, B720, which was believed to be a normal HomePod with a show on prime.
Whereas there’s no method of realizing with any certainty which machine this new “present” reference in iOS 26 refers to, the usage of the phrase “HomePod” strongly suggests it’s one thing much like the Z314 or B720 stories somewhat than the standalone dwelling hub, which Gurman now says has been delayed into early 2026 as a result of Apple’s struggled with Siri.
A show that merely reveals native climate and time wouldn’t be a stretch for the standard HomePod that provides a show on prime. Nevertheless, this may be the HomePod with a bigger, iPad-like show, which has additionally surfaced in numerous stories over the previous two years. A easy, display-equipped HomePod may simply be prepared for launch later this 12 months, as such a tool wouldn’t lean almost as closely on Siri as a centralized dwelling hub.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]