iOS 18.4 is packed with clues about Apple's next big product launch

Apple has long been rumored to be working on a smart home control tablet, which many have dubbed “HomePad.” The device will reportedly feature a new interface that lets users control their smart home accessories, view relevant data like the temperature and weather, FaceTime their contacts, and more. It won’t have an App Store, it is said but will feature purpose-driven Apple apps and services.

While the company doesn’t typically acknowledge unreleased projects publicly, the new Food section in the Apple News app and other iOS 18.4 changes all but confirm the HomePad is on the way.

The UIs have it

For those unfamiliar, iOS and iPadOS 18.4 (currently in beta) introduce a new Food section in the Apple News app, for News+ subscribers. The tab highlights nutrition-related news, diet recommendations, and other food-related articles. More importantly, it integrates an extensive recipe catalog, letting you view the ingredients and cooking directions without needing to skip through the fluff and backstory typically bundled with online recipes.

Upon entering the recipe catalog on my iPad for the first time, I was immediately struck by its user interface. The tab features gigantic buttons with noticeably large touch targets not seen in other native iPad apps. It feels like an experimental sneak peek of the HomePad’s interface rather than software specifically designed for the iPad.

After starting a random recipe, the steps were displayed in huge typography on my iPad. The text is massive, and I could easily read it from across the room. It’s almost like the UI belongs to a product you’d mount to a wall or rest on the counter, not a tablet you hold in your hands.

The well-thought-out view isn’t limited to oversized elements. When following a recipe, you can quickly start a timer by hitting the mentioned duration in the directions. This takes the Clock app and Siri out of the process and makes it a one-tap feature—perfect when following along with a recipe. The implementation is invaluable to cooks; when your hands are covered in messy ingredients, you can effortlessly tap the display with your wrist, knuckle, or nose to start a timer.

Baking in the frameworks

Beyond the user-facing Food section, the latest betas of iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS 18.4 include a few under-the-hood tweaks that further point to an imminent HomePad launch. Starting with tvOS, the latest prerelease build adopts the ChatKit framework that handles some iMessage features. Given that Apple TVs and HomePods don’t offer the Messages app, it’s almost certain that the implementation is designed for the HomePad. After all, the smart home hub will likely run a modified version of tvOS that unlocks iOS-like features not available on the Apple TV, such as texting.

Similarly, iOS 18.4 introduces a fresh CookingKit framework that could add more recipe-related features at the system level. So, for example, users may be able to search for a specific recipe by searching for an ingredient in Spotlight. This proves that the Food section in Apple News isn’t just a minor addition that the company will later neglect. It’s building an entire system around it, potentially committing to serious development and upgrades in the coming years. Yet again, this suggests the HomePad is on the horizon, as its assistance in the kitchen is expected to be one of its key selling points.

Foundry

The iOS 18.4 beta also references a new Home category in Apple’s product lineup, further indicating the HomePad release is right around the corner.

Spicing up Siri

With iOS 18.4 beta, Apple also added a ton of new actions to the Shortcuts app, providing users with granular control over system apps and laying the groundwork for a big Siri update. When Apple’s virtual assistant adopts the new App Intents, users will be able to almost fully control apps via voice commands. This will tie well with Apple News’ Food section on the HomePad, as you’ll likely be able to have Siri initiate the bundled timers and scroll through the steps instead of awkwardly tapping with your nose when your hands are occupied or walking to the wall where it’s mounted.

The new Siri will play a big role in the HomePad since it is likely to heavily rely on hands-free input. Siri in its current form isn’t smart or powerful enough to run a device like HomePad, but an updated version is on the way. It was supposed to launch this spring, but now that the big Siri upgrades have been pushed back to “the coming year,” Apple is likely to delay the HomePad as well. HomePad needs to coincide with a time when Apple can at least promise the new Siri is “coming soon,” which means a fall release at the earliest.

Foundry

Something is coming

iOS 18.4 proves that the HomePad is no longer just a theoretical device or prototype lying in some secret Apple basement. The company’s latest software updates share as-close-to-concrete evidence that the project is actively being built, and its release could realistically follow before the year-end.

Earlier rumors pointed to a spring release, but the recent Siri delays may have reportedly bumped that back to later in the year. A spring launch would now mean the HomePad doesn’t include the hotly anticipated Siri features and that’s unlikely to happen. What’s more, Apple is expected to introduce the biggest design and interface overhaul in years when iOS 19 and macOS 16 are released this fall. That new design, which will reportedly streamline the interface across devices, could debut in HomePad, but with the Siri delays, it makes more sense to launch the HomePad closer to when iOS 19 arrives.

Beyond the Food section in Apple News, the specific frameworks in iOS and tvOS, as well as the declaration of the Home device category in the code, reveal that the HomePad’s first official preview is nearing. One possibility is a WWDC reveal in June, with shipping in the fall. Apple could also unveil HomePad at its September iPhone event (though the iPhone 17 appears to be a larger-than-usual launch). Or perhaps Apple will hold a dedicated smart home event in October in the slot usually reserved for Macs.

But whenever it arrives, thanks to iOS 18.4 we know one thing for sure: Apple is working on something big.