Apple may be preparing to bring AI chatbots to its smart home hub. Code discovered in the iOS 27.3 beta includes a flag for a "Conversational Apps" category, according to The Verge. The discovery hints that conversational AI services could eventually run on HomeView, Apple's rumored smart home display.
The flag names a category but does not list which apps would fall under it. The Verge notes that AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and Claude are a reasonable fit. Apple has not officially announced the feature, and there is no timeline for when it might arrive.
What the iOS 27.3 beta code reveals
The same beta also adds support for bidirectional audio routing and session management, according to the X account pdfu, which was cited by The Verge. That report says the functionality is "still not fully wired up," meaning the underlying plumbing may not be complete.
None of these features have been confirmed by Apple. They were found by examining beta software, so they could change or disappear before any public release.
Apple HomeView security additions
The iOS 27.3 beta brings new protections against spoofing. After three failed authentication attempts, a user would have to verify themselves with an iPhone. The system would also introduce lockouts with increasingly longer wait times, starting at one hour for the second lockout and rising to eight hours by the fourth.
These security measures are also unofficial and unannounced. There is no word on when Apple might ship them, or whether they will apply to all HomeView users.
- Conversational Apps flag spotted in iOS 27.3 beta code
- Bidirectional audio routing and session management support added, but reportedly not fully enabled
- Anti-spoofing protection requires iPhone authentication after three failed attempts
- Lockout periods start at one hour and can reach eight hours after repeated failures
