HomePad Could Work Like a Giant Apple Watch, macOS 26.7 Code Suggests

Apple's macOS 26.7 release candidate continues to shed light on the company's upcoming smart home products. After exposing codenames for unreleased hardware earlier this week, a deeper look at the code suggests the rumored HomePad could feature Apple Watch-style faces, customizable widgets, and iPhone proximity-based privacy.



The most detailed clues relate to the HomePad, a display-equipped home accessory expected to run a variant of tvOS. Rather than mirroring the Apple TV interface, the code references a home screen built around Faces and a Face Gallery, essentially Apple Watch faces scaled up for a larger display. The faces appear to support customizable widgets and Smart Stacks that change throughout the day, while iPhone widgets can also be added to the display, similar to how they work on the Mac through Handoff.


It also appears designed around a privacy feature. According to the report, the HomePad can detect when the user's iPhone is nearby and will only surface personal information in widgets when that phone is detected. Support for Siri AI and App Intents is also referenced in the code.

HomeAccessory and HomeAccessory_wall strings point to two form factors: one with a speaker base and another designed for wall mounting. That matches J490 and J491, which prior reporting has identified as the base and wall-mountable versions of Apple's smart home hub.

The release candidate also includes B525, believed to be the next-generation HomePod mini, along with J229, which has been linked to a home security camera. ATVRemote1,5 suggests a next-generation Siri Remote for a new Apple TV 4K, while HomeAccessory17,2 and HomeAccessory17,3 remain unidentified. The code also references Pebble, believed to be the homeOS codename, as well as Rose Pink, Silver, Space Gray, and Starlight color strings for an unspecified accessory.

J595 was also found in HomeKit-related frameworks, further supporting development of a tabletop robotic home hub, though that product is not expected to arrive before 2027. Identifiers in pre-release software don't guarantee these products will ship, but the breadth of the references suggests Apple has an ambitious slate of home devices in development.