HomeView will support video apps like YouTube, Netflix—if they say yes

Apple unveiled its new HomeView product yesterday (pre-order here), but the device’s support for third-party apps was initially unclear. A newly published Apple document, however, offers good news about HomeView supporting third-party video apps like YouTube and Netflix.

Apple says third-party video apps will be available on HomeView if they also support CarPlay

Yesterday when Apple announced the HomeView, it said surprisingly little about third-party apps.

HomeView doesn’t have an App Store, so you won’t be able to download third-party apps like on iPhone. However, support for some audio and video apps was vaguely confirmed by Apple.

Today we’ve learned new details, including as relates to which video apps will be compatible. In a newly updated CarPlay Developer Guide, Apple says:

CarPlay audio and video apps also work on Apple HomeView without requiring you to make any modifications to your app. […]

Apps with CarPlay audio app (CarPlay framework) or CarPlay video app entitlements appear on Apple HomeView.

Video apps for CarPlay were newly introduced this year in iOS 27. But they require automakers to explicitly support CarPlay’s video feature—which most don’t. As a result, developers have had little reason to make their video apps compatible with CarPlay.

But HomeView will change that in a big way.

Now major players like YouTube, Netflix, and Disney+ will be able to make their apps appear on HomeView simply by adding CarPlay support.

HomeView now provides these developers a great reason to invest in making CarPlay-compatible apps. And that investment will benefit not only HomeView owners, but CarPlay users too.

I might be overly optimistic, but I suspect major video apps will be eager to support Apple’s new HomeView product as soon as possible. Perhaps we’ll even see several of them available before the November 13 launch.

You can pre-order HomeView starting at $289 for select models.

Do you expect third-party video apps to add HomeView support? Let us know in the comments.

Best iPhone accessories

• MagSafe Car Mount for iPhone
• 10-year AirTag battery case
• AirPods Pro 3 (now only $199, down from $249)
• 100W USB-C fast charging power adapter
• HomeKit Garage Door Opener