What is Apple homeOS, and what does it mean for Matter?

Apple’s smart home offering has been somewhat fractured over the past few years, even with the arrival of Matter. That could change if it unveils a system popularly rumored to be called homeOS.

But while homeOS did not materialize when expected at WWDC 2025, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t still in development. The name exists, it’s out there, and Apple’s recent updates to its smart home platform indicates that it is maneuvering towards a superior Matter-driven smart home experience.

Why has Apple introduced homeOS?

Following changes to Matter in the past few months, along with how smart home and IoT devices are certified, an update to Apple’s smart home platform was overdue. Google has already revised its platform with the new Google Home app.

The idea of Apple homeOS makes sense. It already has tvOS, along with macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. The naming convention might seem a little tired these days, but there is a clear sense that all these could be combined into a single OS at some point in the future.

But what about homeOS? Well, not an awful lot is known about it. The smart money is that it will act as a unified smart home platform, complete with Matter support. We’ve already seen that Apple's Spring 2025 update adds Thread 1.4 support, along with some Matter-powered smart home integrations to CarPlay. That might be a sneak peek at what homeOS could be like when Apple finally launches it.

Apple TV 4K (3rd gen, 128 GB)

A powerful 4K media player with expanded storage, advanced video and audio support, and smart home hub functionality.

Buy at Amazon US for $154.99

When will Apple launch homeOS?

Details about the arrival of homeOS are scarce. All we know is that Apple is moving to revise and upgrade its smart home offering, and that homeOS has been registered as a trademark in several territories.

Internet chatter and sleuthing lead many to expect an unveiling of homeOS at the WWDC event in June 2025. However, as this did not happen, it seems likely that any significant upgrade to Apple’s smart home remains some way off.

As for the delay in launching, here is one thing to consider: “HomeOS” was the name of a Microsoft IoT project in 2010, but retired a couple of years later.

Apple Home vs. homeOS

For the meantime, Apple still has Apple Home as its smart home environment. But if homeOS comes along, it will almost certainly be retired.

It would seem likely there will be some key differences between them.

• Apple Home: this is essentially a remote control and dashboard for smart home accessories. Compatibility is limited, and while Matter support helps, some devices can struggle to connect or meet the expected level of integration.

• Apple homeOS: as the name suggests, homeOS is a smart home operating system. The smart money is that it will enable greater interaction, and act as an intelligent hub for the smart home. We expect homeOS will rely on a combination of Apple technology and Matter compatibility.

There is still a possibility that Apple Home will remain as a distinct product from homeOS.

Apple’s smart home vs. the rest

Naturally, Apple wants to be at the forefront of the smart home. It has been putting the pieces together for years, with enhancements to its devices, the inclusion of Thread radio, and increasing support for Matter.

The purpose of Matter is to ensure interoperability between smart home systems, and it is fair to say that Apple is less welcoming to third party smart home devices than competing platforms.

But it is also evident that Apple, Google, Samsung SmartThings, and other smart home platforms all have their frustrating quirks. Could homeOS give Apple an advantage over the competition? Quite possibly -- if it ever arrives.