Israeli website The Verifier reports that the fifth tvOS 26 beta includes changes that see “HomeKit” references changed to “Apple Home” in the Settings app on all compatible Apple TV models.
The publication says the “AirPlay and HomeKit” menu on the Apple TV is now labeled “AirPlay and Apple Home.”
MacRumors reports it has spotted other examples, such as the one below.
Before:
Your Apple TV won’t connect with iCloud and HomeKit until you add a new default user.
After:
Your Apple TV won’t connect with iCloud and Apple Home until you add a new default user.
Apple Home generally refers to Apple’s overall smart home app and ecosystem, whereas HomeKit is the moniker the company has used for its underlying smart home accessory framework since 2014.
While Apple could have decided to phase out its “HomeKit” brand in favor of “Apple Home,” or Apple may simply have decided that “Apple Home” worked better in the above instances. At the moment, users can find several references to both HomeKit and Apple Home across Apple’s website and software platforms.
We’ll just need to wait and see if the HomeKit name will be merged into Apple Home completely for branding purposes.
