homeOS mystery resurfaces with Apple’s tvOS 17.4

Apple‘s mysterious plans for “homeOS” surfaced once again, which indicates that the iPhone maker might be planning for a unified home devices operating system.

Macrumors reports that the first tvOS 17.4 beta has code that points out “homeOS”. The name is the only reference in the code but there’s more that could know.

It’s not the first time that homeOS come into the spotlight because Apple has been preparing internally for the product related to this name for quite some time.

In 2021, the company posted two new recruitments that specifically mentioned homeOS in the job description. The recruitment announcement was pulled after media attention.

Since then, the company has shared no development on homeOS.

If it is software, then homeOS could be connected to Apple’s HomePod, a smart speaker. But Apple’s growing foot in the smart home market could take it in a new direction. Also, a unified operating system for home appliances and connected IoT devices would be supported by the homeOS.

Information shows that Apple has plans around smart home displays with iPad-like designs and video call capability. This new product would support the HomePod sound system to provide a smart experience.

Rumors also suggest that the next generation of HomePod could equip a screen for better real-time interactions and a launch could be expected by this year.

Amid uncertainty over this new product, tvOS 17.4 beta 1 added a new SharePlay feature or HomePod. In action, the feature allows users to share current SharePlay sessions using a QR code.

Apple is likely to maintain a mystery around homeOS for the time being but the year is filled with new iPads and large-screen devices to drop a few more hints about this upcoming unreleased software.