Apple’s long-delayed HomeView had already entered regulatory testing by October 2024, according to an FCC document. The filing also shows the device running software that would now be identified as HomeView version 18, offering a look at how far development had progressed before the product was delayed.

The document was uncovered by contributor Aaron Perris and is the clearest public evidence so far of HomeView’s development timeline. It places the device in formal testing months before Apple acknowledged that its next-generation Siri needed more time.

HomeView was being tested in 2024

The FCC record dates HomeView’s testing to October 2024. At that point, the product was operating software labeled version 18, according to the filing. That version number connects the test device with the software branding now associated with HomeView.

Regulatory testing does not establish when a product will become available, but it does show that HomeView had advanced beyond an early concept by that stage. The filing does not provide a release date or explain every reason Apple kept the product from launching.

How Siri AI affected Apple’s timeline

The timing adds weight to the view that HomeView’s delay was linked to Apple’s redesigned Siri. Apple first previewed a more capable version of Siri at WWDC 2024. The company later announced in March 2025 that the feature needed additional development time.

Siri AI eventually launched in September. The sequence suggests that Apple may have been preparing HomeView around a software experience that was not ready when the hardware itself was already undergoing testing. However, the FCC document does not directly state that Siri AI caused HomeView’s delay.

What the FCC filing reveals

The filing is significant because public information about HomeView’s development has otherwise been limited. It provides two concrete timeline details: testing took place in October 2024, and the device was running software corresponding to version 18.

Those details indicate that Apple’s plans for HomeView were already well underway during the period when the company was presenting its next-generation Siri. They also show why software readiness can remain a major factor even after hardware reaches regulatory testing.

Apple has not provided additional launch details in the information available here. Until the company announces the product, the FCC record remains evidence of development progress rather than confirmation of a release schedule.