Apple on Friday released the long-awaited first beta of iOS 18.4. While the update focuses on expanding Apple Intelligence to more languages, it also has some other new features and secrets. Interestingly, the update seems to confirm the existence of a new category of Apple devices called “Home.” iOS 18.4 hints at new Apple Home device Code seen by 9to5Mac shows the new device category listed alongside others that already exist, such as iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Reality (Vision Pro). HomePods already have their own category called “Audio,” which suggests that “Home” is indeed a new type of device. According to recent rumors, Apple is gearing up to announce a new product that combines a HomePod with an iPad. Essentially, this device would be focused on controlling smart home accessories both with Siri and a touch display. The rumored “HomePad” was first expected to be announced in the first half of 2025, but Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman recently suggested that the launch may be delayed until later this year. 9to5Mac last year revealed exclusive details about Apple’s new Home device: According to reliable sources familiar with the matter, the leaked “HomeAccessory” is indeed Apple’s new smart home accessory. Codenamed J490, the device will be powered by the A18 chip, presumably to support Apple Intelligence features (which won’t be available on current HomePods). Interestingly, sources told us that the HomeAccessory in its current state has a squarish display, rather than a rectangular format like an iPad. It’s unclear whether the square aspect ratio will make it into the final product. HomeAccessory also has a built-in camera that works for FaceTime and other video conferencing apps. We also learned that the device uses the camera to identify hand gestures from a distance, which could be useful for controlling it in the kitchen, for example. Apple Home device to be integrated with News+ recipes On a related note, Apple also announced today that iOS 18.4 includes a new “Food” section in Apple News+, which provides “thousands of curated recipes.” The implementation aims to make recipes simple and intuitive to follow. Digging into the code of iOS 18.4, 9to5Mac also learned that Apple has built a new API called “CookingKit” to manage recipes in Apple News+. CookingKit has several App Intents, which connect the framework to other parts of the system such as Spotlight and Siri. Users will be able to search for recipes based on specific ingredients, for example. Based on the complexity of this framework, we assume that it will also be deeply integrated with Apple’s new smart home device. Read also