Apple’s so-called Home Hub could have an iPad-like screen.
Apple’s rumored smart home display has surfaced in a new leak, one sourced from code in the developer beta for iOS 18.6.
Apple is working on new hardware designed for use in a smart home, according to many rumors. While there are expectations for a Home Hub device to eventually arrive, a new leak brings hope for a release sooner rather than later.
Assets included as part of the first iOS 18.6 developer beta have been discovered, reports 9to5Mac on Tuesday. The filename “apple-logo-1088@2x~home.png” provides information that could be clues about the future device.
The reference to Home is thought to mean that the image is to be used in connection with homeOS, a long-expected smart home platform that didn’t arrive at WWDC 2025, but could land in 2026.
The directory it was found in includes multiple versions of the Apple logo, sized for various screen dimensions. With the reference to 1088 in the filename along with 2x, the screen scale could be 2,176 pixels wide.
Though this doesn’t directly correlate to screen size, the width is in the same ballpark as the iPad mini. It seems reasonable that the display for a so-called Home Hub could be similar.
What the presence of the file does indicate is that Apple is actively working on smart home products, and that it is at least continuing to test the hardware. It does not necessarily say that a launch is happening soon, but it is obviously edging closer to a reality.
This is not the only piece of Apple hardware to appear in a software leak. On June 10, it was discovered that the iOS 26 beta had references to AirPods Pro 3.
Home Hub hubbub
The rumors surrounding Apple’s potential Home Hub have largely centered around a smart home controller with an iPad-like display, possibly including HomePod elements. Running on the also-unreleased homeOS, it is intended to be a central way to manage a smart home’s devices, much like a dedicated hardware version of the Home app for iOS.
Among the features of the device are the increased use of Apple Intelligence, the use of an A18 chip with 8GB of memory at least, and a built-in camera and microphone. Connectivity using Thread and Matter standards are to be expected, in order to connect to smart home hardware.
In January, reports claimed that the Home Hub was on track for a late 2025 release. Those expectations have changed, with a hardware introduction possibly occurring in early 2026 instead, as of June 2025.
