# Apple HomeView 95 Hacker News commenters recommended Apple HomeView and 149 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 6 of 13 months. **Verdict:** A smart home control screen with multi-user Face ID, suited to kitchens and older relatives; critics say it duplicates a phone, and Siri and the Home app are weak. ## Why people recommend it - Simple interface for older users (3 comments): "appeals to a lot of older people and busy parents who spend a lot of time in the kitchen" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50072055)) "this is a product that helps everyone engage in some of the magic of tech without that noise" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50080803)) "My in-laws are the direct customer for this product and will absolutely love it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50072183)) - Multi-user and FaceID support (3 comments): "The multiple users feature is a really neat trick, but I would kill to have this for all Apple devices." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50077590)) "This device has on-chip support for multiple FaceID accounts so it can distinguish them securely." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50073881)) "The multiuser is not a feature of the iPad, and this alone means an iPad can't replicate this." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50076602)) - Dedicated device for home automation (3 comments): "Having a dedicated device like this gives others the ability to control home automations too." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50071321)) "You get a no-nerdy interface to automate your smart home prebaked in every iPhone and tablet" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48018620)) "solving this problem in the Apple ecosystem has significant benefits for the user" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116427)) - Consolidates devices under one ecosystem (2 comments): "Going down to one voice system across all devices available in house and out of the house, easily, will be nice." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50072222)) "I could definitely see recommending this as an option to consolidate their ecosystems somewhat." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50074720)) ## What people warn about - Siri-driven voice control frustrates (2 comments): "it's driven by Siri who is not a conversationalist AI, but still the same frustrating voice technology from 2011" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50076350)) "I thought the "ping my keys" was cool until I took out my phone and asked Siri to "ping my keys" and it worked" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50073985)) - Duplicates what a phone does (2 comments): "functionally equivalent to, and quite possibly literally the same hardware as, a phone glued to a phone charger" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50076435)) "I can't justify buying a product just for multi user support and have another bulky device sitting in the house." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50080377)) - Confusing, limited Home app (2 comments): "Home app is extremely stupid, extremely limited, and requires a PhD in rocket science to figure out how to do anything with it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47850124)) "It's the opposite of a power user app. It's like they built the features (rooms/etc) to support a lot of devices but only tested with like 5 devices." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50071979)) - Wall mount and port add cost (2 comments): "the port for the wall-mounted one is apparently in the middle of the back, so you'll have to take it off the wall" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50072072)) "How are they pricing both versions the same while charging extra 80$ for the mount for the wall mounted version?" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50073216)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [Home Assistant](https://hackerapproved.com/p/home-assistant.md): 298 recommend - [Zigbee2MQTT](https://hackerapproved.com/p/zigbee2mqtt.md): 16 recommend - [Homebridge](https://hackerapproved.com/p/homebridge.md): 13 recommend - [Home Assistant Green](https://hackerapproved.com/p/home-assistant-green.md): 6 recommend - [Samsung SmartThings](https://hackerapproved.com/p/smartthings.md): 5 recommend ## Where to get it - [Visit the official site](https://www.apple.com/home-app/) ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Apple HomeView", https://hackerapproved.com/p/apple-homeview/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).