The Apple HomeView alternative
that runs on the iPad you already own
HomeView is a $299, 7-inch screen with Apple's apps and nothing else. Ohana Wall turns the iPad in your drawer into the family screen: calendar, chores, meals, shopping, timers, weather and smart home, in one place.
No credit card. No new hardware. Works on iPad, Android tablet, Surface or any screen with a browser.
The short answer
Apple HomeView is a $299 Siri speaker with a 7-inch screen. It has no App Store, it needs an iPhone nearby to show personal calendars, and it is not sold in Europe. If what your family needs is one screen everyone checks, an iPad running Ohana Wall does that today for $69 a year, with a bigger display, a battery and every calendar in the house on it.
Reviewed October 13, 2026, from Apple's announcement and launch-day coverage. HomeView ships November 13, 2026. We will update this page once we have used one.
What Apple HomeView is, honestly
It is a lovely object and a good Siri speaker. It is also a very specific thing, and family planning is not that thing.
Where HomeView shines
- Siri AI with a screenAsk for a timer, a recipe, the weather or a FaceTime call, hands free in the kitchen.
- Recognises up to six facesWalk up and it shows your own Messages, Calendar and Reminders. Guests see the shared stuff only.
- A tidy HomeKit panelLights, locks, scenes and up to nine camera feeds on the Home faces. Matter and Thread built in.
- Photo frame and speakerShared albums as a living frame, plus real room-filling audio and multiroom with HomePod.
Where it stops
- No App StoreApple says it supports “compatible third-party audio and video apps from your iPhone”. That is the whole list. No family calendar apps, no chore apps, no browser.
- 7 inches, square, plugged inThe display is a 7-inch square. Apple lists only wired power options, so it lives where the cable is. No battery is mentioned.
- Needs an iPhone nearbyPersonal content only appears when the enrolled person is recognised and their paired iPhone or iPad is close and recently unlocked.
- One person at a timeIt adapts to whoever is standing in front of it. The whole-family week, everyone on one view, is not what it is built to show.
- $299 before the mountBoth models are $299. The wall version needs a Power Mount from $59.95. A second room means a second $299.
- Not sold in EuropeNo EU sales because Siri AI is unavailable there. Iceland is not on the launch list either.
Ohana Wall on an iPad vs Apple HomeView
A factual look, based on Apple's own announcement materials. We give HomeView its wins too.
AblerBased on Apple's HomeView announcement, product page and press release of October 13, 2026, before the device shipped. “Not listed” means Apple's materials did not mention it, not that it is impossible. Prices are US list prices. Apple, HomeView, iPad, iPhone, Siri, FaceTime and HomeKit are trademarks of Apple Inc. Ohana Wall is not affiliated with Apple.
Why the iPad in your drawer beats a 7-inch hub
Family life needs a screen the whole household can read from across the room. You probably own one already.
It has a battery
Carry it from the kitchen counter to the homework table to the sofa. HomeView lives wherever its power cable ends.
It is bigger
A 10 to 13 inch iPad shows the whole week for the whole family. Seven square inches shows one person's next thing.
It is already paid for
Most families have an older iPad doing nothing. Ohana Wall gives it a job for $69 a year instead of $299 of new hardware per room.
It works for everyone at once
No face scan, no iPhone in your pocket. Grandparents, the nanny and the Android half of the family all see the same plan.
Everything HomeView leaves off the screen
Seven tiles, one shared place. Built for how a home actually runs, not for showing off a voice assistant.
Family calendar
Everyone's week on one view, colour coded by person. Syncs from Apple, Google and Outlook, plus school and sports feeds.
AblerChores and stars
Chores assigned per person, stars into a shared pot, rewards the family picks. Kids tap to check off on the wall.
Meal planner
The week's dinners where everyone can see them. No more 'what's for dinner?' at 5pm.
Shopping list
Add from your phone in the shop, tick off on the wall at home. One list, always current.
Shared timers
Pasta, laundry, screen time. Everyone in the room sees the countdown, not just one phone.
Weather and what to wear
The forecast plus a jacket, raincoat or snowsuit tip for the next eight hours.
Smart home
Your pinned Home Assistant lights, switches and scenes, one tap from the wall.
Turn an iPad into the family screen in five minutes
No pre-order, no waiting for November 13. The screen is already in the house.
- 1
Open ohanawall.com on the iPad
Safari is fine. Start the free trial, no card needed. Add it to the Home Screen so it opens full screen.
- 2
Add your family and calendars
Invite everyone, connect Apple, Google or Outlook calendars and any school or sports feeds. Events appear on the wall right away.
- 3
Keep the screen awake
On the iPad, set Auto-Lock to Never in Display & Brightness, and plug it in where it lives. Or let it roam on battery.
- 4
Prop it or mount it
A kitchen stand or any iPad wall mount works. Add a second screen in the hallway later; every screen is included.
Apple HomeView vs iPad: the questions families ask
Can I use an iPad instead of buying an Apple HomeView?
Yes. An iPad already has a bigger screen, a battery and a browser. Open Ohana Wall on it, prop it on the counter or put it in a wall mount, and you have a shared family screen with the calendar, chores, meals, shopping, timers, weather and smart home controls. It costs $69 a year instead of $299 for hardware.
Does Apple HomeView run third-party apps like Ohana Wall?
Not as of October 2026. HomeView has no App Store. Apple says it supports compatible third-party audio and video apps from a paired iPhone, and nothing else. A family calendar or organizer app has no way onto the device today. Ohana Wall is a web app, so it runs on any iPad, Android tablet, Surface or monitor with a browser.
Does Ohana Wall work with Apple Calendar and iCloud?
Yes. Ohana Wall syncs events from Apple Calendar, Google Calendar and Outlook, and from Icelandic school and sports systems such as InfoMentor and Abler. Everyone's events land on one shared wall view, colour coded by person.
Is Apple HomeView available in Europe or Iceland?
No. Apple says HomeView is not for sale in the European Union because Siri AI is not available there. At launch it is sold in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore and South Africa. Ohana Wall works anywhere you have a browser, including Iceland and the rest of Europe.
What does Apple HomeView cost compared with Ohana Wall?
Apple HomeView is $299 for either the tabletop or the wall-mounted model, plus a Power Mount from $59.95 if you mount it on the wall. Ohana Wall is $69 a year or $8.99 a month, with every screen and every feature included, and it uses the iPad or tablet you already own. The first 30 days are free with no card required.
Can we have both a HomeView and Ohana Wall?
Of course. HomeView is a good Siri speaker with a screen for FaceTime, photos and HomeKit cameras. Ohana Wall is the family plan on the wall. Plenty of homes will run the HomeView in the living room and an iPad with Ohana Wall in the kitchen.
Which iPads and tablets work with Ohana Wall?
Any iPad from the iPad 6 (2018) onwards, any Android tablet from the last five years, a Surface, an old laptop or a monitor connected to anything with a browser. It is a lightweight web app, so an old iPad in the drawer is usually plenty.
Also weighing Hearth or Skylight? Read the Ohana Wall vs Hearth & Skylight comparison.
One plan. Everything included.
For reference: Hearth Display is $699 + $86/year. Skylight 15" is $279 + $79/year. Ohana Wall uses the screens you already own.
Ohana Wall
The whole home, every screen, every feature.
$5.75 a month, billed once a year
USD. Tax is added at checkout where your country requires it.
- Unlimited screens in the home
- Unlimited family members
- Calendar with Abler, Mentor, Google, Apple and Outlook
- Chores with stars and rewards
- Meals, shopping and timers
- Weather and what to wear
- Home Assistant smart home
- Everything we add later
30 days free, no card. Then $69 a year or $8.99 a month for the whole Ohana Wall household.
30 days free with no card. Cancel any time in one tap. No hardware to buy, ever.
Less chaos.
More calm.
The family calendar, chores, meals, shopping, timers, weather and home controls in one shared place. On the iPad you already own, today.
Works on iPad, Android tablet, Surface, monitor, or any device with a browser.