ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Discovered code points to the HomeView doubling as an indoor camera.
• Users may customize its recording and livestreaming settings.
• The feature adds another layer to HomeView’s versatility.

Apple’s HomeView smart home hub could soon double as an indoor security camera via HomeKit Secure Video, according to settings discovered by a Reddit user pdfu.

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The user cites strings in the HomeView’s settings app bundles and the Home app that propose video recording and streaming options alongside privacy settings.

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Privacy settings

The post claims to have copied and pasted strings from HomeView’s settings app bundles, detailing how HomeView will stream or record video, and which settings are available to privacy-minded people.

Via HomeKit Security Camera, only users registered to the home can view HomeView’s video streams and recordings. Additionally, a green status light will appear, and a chime will sound to alert house dwellers that HomeView is recording or someone is starting a camera stream.

Finally, all members registered to the Home app will receive a notification when someone else changes HomeKit Secure Video settings, such as allowing HomeView to detect motion or record video.

How HomeKit Secure Video could work

HomeView may have four video options: Off, Detect Activity, Stream, and Stream & Allow Recordings. With Detect Activity, home members would be alerted to motion but won’t be able to rewatch who or what triggered the notification.

Stream would allow users to stream video from HomeView in real time, but the home hub won’t record the livestream. Finally, Stream & Allow Recordings would allow home members to stream video from HomeView in real time, with all members able to access its recordings.

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Code strings also point to customization options, such as allowing HomeView to detect motion, stream, or record video only when you’re home, away, or asleep, using home members’ iPhone or other device locations to determine proximity.

Apple’s consistent advantage

Apple’s bottom-up ecosystem control gives it an advantage over competing home security brands like Ring, Nest, and Wyze. Users can easily access their HomeView camera stream without a third-party app or delayed notifications.

However, Apple’s greatest advantage may be HomeView’s potential versatility; instead of purchasing a separate camera device, HomeView lets users interact with Siri while cooking, be used as an intercom throughout the house, lock and unlock compatible smart locks from its display, and view an in-home camera feed all from one screen.

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Furthermore, Apple typically extends the lifespan of its smart home hardware through software updates, so users may not need to upgrade for six to ten years, as evidenced by the 2020 HomePod receiving the latest smart speaker feature upgrades in HomePod 27.2.