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Apple's Home Hub Will Have a Widget Gallery With iPhone Widget Support

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Apple is working on a home hub that incorporates Siri AI, and it's set to launch as soon as this year. The home hub will use a Widget Gallery that lets users select the content they want to appear on the device's home screen.

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Mentions of the Widget Gallery were found in macOS Tahoe 26.7, an update that leaked a long list of unreleased Apple products. The strings were found in a file named PosterKit-J490, and J490 is the codename for the home hub. PosterKit is Apple's framework for Lock Screen customization, and the hub's home screen could have many of the same options for icons, widgets, and clock faces.

Apple already uses the Widget Gallery on iPhone, iPad, and Mac for adding widgets to the Home Screen and Lock Screen of those devices, and the home hub will have a similar mechanism.

Based on the code, widgets installed on a linked iPhone will be suggested on the home hub, much like how iPhone widgets are available on a Mac without an app being installed. It looks like third-party app widgets may be supported in addition to Apple's own apps. iPhone app widgets displayed on the home hub will have information mirrored from the iPhone.

All users in the home will be able to see the widgets installed on the home hub, but content in widgets will only be visible when the primary linked device is in the home for privacy protection.

A Smart Stack will automatically rotate through widgets to show relevant information throughout the day, and users will also be able to flip through the different Smart Stack options. Apple already has Smart Stack on its other devices, including the Apple Watch.

The home hub isn't expected to have its own App Store, but it will support Apple apps like Safari, Apple News, Apple Music, Notes, Calendar, Photos, and Home. Tapping on an installed widget from the home screen could launch a full app with more information. Code references a Face Gallery too, suggesting users will be able to select different clock options for the device's home screen, and it indicates that the hub will be able to be added to HomeKit scenes and automations alongside other smart home accessories.

Apple's hub is expected to have a 7-inch square display with options to put it on a base or mount it on the wall. More information about the device can be found in our guide.

Article Link: Apple's Home Hub Will Have a Widget Gallery With iPhone Widget Support
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/18/apple-home-hub-widget-gallery/
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turbineseaplane said:
I have to see what this actually is when it releases.

I still can't imagine wanting this more than just using an iPad on a stand.

The price will matter as much as the features I think.
Will this be an impulse buy?
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hold your horses 😛

If the rumored ATV 4k is $150+ I do not see this device cheaper than an iPad mini, or at least not significantly cheaper
 
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The tiny screen makes no sense - as others have mentioned, we don't need an iPad on a stand. What would serve a niche is a larger screen that can be seen at a distance. Great for facetime calls, for family calendars, for watching a cooking instruction video, etc etc.
 
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Genelec8341 said:
No desire for this personally.
I hope when this is released my A2843 Apple TV 4K will still be able to serve as my Home hub.
Click to expand...
Of course the AppleTV 4K will still work as home hub. You think Apple would force their loyal customers to buy an new device just to keep their Apple Home working? That would be a disaster.

Like you, I see no need for this. Not to mention is sounds like when you leave the house with your phone, the "Hub" loses tons of functionality for the other users in the house. How dumb.
 
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Based on what we have seen in rumors so far, I just don’t see the appeal. Looks like functions we can already do with our personal devices, except now we have to get up and go to this device to do them. And we can each customize widgets in our own devices how we see fit, so why bother with a “shared” device? Looking at Notes and Calendar for example, if everyone in the household is fine with sharing that stuff, I guess it’s ok, but it all seems like extra work since we can already share such things through our personal devices.
 
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I've been migrating to Home Assistant, which offers a ton of automations and customization. All running on a cheap (pre hike) Raspberry Pi, nothing is in the cloud. Once I get the foundation in place, I can add fancy dashboards around the home for cheap. Apple Home really hasn't matured much over the years. I only use it now for voice commands.
 
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turbineseaplane said:
Me either, and what it’s actually competing with is my old iPad that I just have laying around.
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I’ve said before if Apple goes in this direction, they should at least make something you can attach an existing iPad to for display. Extend the useful life of old iPads (good for “mother nature”), include the Matter/Thread hardware and the actual processing for Home stuff in this device so the old iPad’s processor is irrelevant.
 
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Chopper9 said:
That doesn't sound like Apple.
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Samsung has it now on their smart fridge, it will come to the always on displays on the apple also. Just it will be commercials for apps and games. I see the widget having a rolling commercial. Like Top game! Etc. Commercials is in apple maps now. There is a too small market for a device like this if not having a commercial side as an income source. But that is my take, we will see. I hope it will be a clean product.
 
Chopper9 said:
The tiny screen makes no sense - as others have mentioned, we don't need an iPad on a stand. What would serve a niche is a larger screen that can be seen at a distance. Great for facetime calls, for family calendars, for watching a cooking instruction video, etc etc.
Click to expand...

The problem with an iPad on a stand as a home device is that it’s rarely on the stand. By virtue of being portable i am always trying to remember where I last left my iPad. This makes it a fixture you can count on. My guess is because it doesn’t need to be as rugged as a mini it will be priced low enough to make it worthy of consideration for my desk.
 
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Chopper9 said:
The tiny screen makes no sense
Click to expand...
It’s the same size as Google’s Nest Hub, and Amazon’s Echo Show 8 also isn’t much larger. It’s a usual size for that device category, in particular for a first-generation product.

Like with the foldable iPhone, people are discussing this as if that kind of device didn’t exist for many years already.
 
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G5isAlive said:
The problem with an iPad on a stand as a home device is that it’s rarely on the stand. By virtue of being portable i am always trying to remember where I last left my iPad. This makes it a fixture you can count on. My guess is because it doesn’t need to be as rugged as a mini it will be priced low enough to make it worthy of consideration for my desk.
Click to expand...
I’m thinking about a use for old iPads. Many of us end up with extras when we upgrade.
 
DEMinSoCAL said:
Of course the AppleTV 4K will still work as home hub. You think Apple would force their loyal customers to buy an new device just to keep their Apple Home working? That would be a disaster.

Like you, I see no need for this. Not to mention is sounds like when you leave the house with your phone, the "Hub" loses tons of functionality for the other users in the house. How dumb.
Click to expand...
Apple forces loyal customers (like me) to keep a 50GB iCloud plan to record any amount of video with one Circle View camera, so I wouldn't put anything past them.
 
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