Apple’s smart home lineup is currently limited to the Apple TV and HomePod, but the company is rumored to be planning to explore this segment even further with a new iPad-like hub and a range of accessories. Although Apple itself hasn’t confirmed the news, the first beta of iOS 26.2 gives an idea of what’s next when it comes to Apple’s smart home accessories.
iOS 26.2 beta code discovered by Macworld corroborates that Apple is indeed planning to introduce a new product category relatively soon – or at least that the company has explored the idea. Code strings related to the Home app, used to manage HomeKit devices, now include references to a new system flag called “isFirstPartyAccessory.”
For reference, current home accessories that can also be considered proprietary already have their own flag in the Home app. These are “isApple TV” and “isHomePod”. Other HomeKit devices are internally identified as third-party accessories.
Rumors are swirling that Apple will launch a new HomePod with a built-in screen. However, the “isFirstPartyAccessory” flag suggests that Apple is working on supporting new types of Apple-designed accessories that don’t fit into either the Apple TV or HomePod categories, such as cameras and doorbells.
Apple’s own security camera
In recent months, several reliable sources, including Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, have reported on Apple’s plans to further explore the smart home segment, starting with the launch of a home security camera. There aren’t many details about the design or features, except that it would integrate deeply into the Apple ecosystem.
If this is true, this camera would surely be suitable as a main accessory in the Home app.
Bloomberg previously reported that this new camera is expected to be announced sometime in 2026. The fact that the iOS 26.2 beta includes references to this new type of home accessory suggests that Apple is indeed preparing the ecosystem for the new hardware to come.
Although Apple’s plans can change and an internal system indicator does not guarantee that the company will actually launch new products, the finding is in line with all the latest rumors about Apple’s next moves in the smart home segment.
iOS 26.2 is expected to be released to the public in December, but we don’t expect this new accessory to arrive until at least spring 2026.
