According to strings accidentally left in a macOS Tahoe update, Apple’s Home Hub will offer user profiles, with identity verification provided by ambient sensing and built-in cameras.
With the macOS 26.7 release candidate build, Apple inadvertently revealed details about several of its upcoming products, including a camera-equipped model of AirPods. Also present was code related to the company’s upcoming Home Hub, an AI-focused device with an operating system that’s said to resemble tvOS.
Rumors have suggested the product will ship in two variants, one with a speaker-type base, and another wall-mounted version. This two-model approach was corroborated by macOS Tahoe code, and now even more details about the Home Hub have surfaced.
As noted by MacRumors, the macOS 26.7 RC build indicates Apple’s Home Hub will offer a Personal Content feature, meaning the device will display different content depending on who’s using it. This will seemingly be facilitated through user accounts or profiles.
Home Hub users will see the option to enable Personal Content after opening the Settings app and tapping their name. Once the feature is active, users will be able to access Personal Content by selecting their profile or account from the Home Hub’s Control Center.
Strings found in macOS Tahoe code reveal Apple’s Home Hub will feature cameras and “ambient sensing” for user recognition. “Sorry, since this device hasn’t seen you in a while, you’ll need to ask again in front of the camera,” reads one string. Another one asks the user to “come in front of this device and ask again.”
Aside from the new Personal Context feature, the macOS 26.7 RC also contains references to “Pebble,” which is believed to be the codename for Apple’s upcoming homeOS. The Home Hub operating system will seemingly feature “Faces” and a “Face Gallery,” which could be similar to what’s already avaialble on watchOS.
Also present are identifiers for both Home Hub variants, with J490 being the one with a speaker base, and J491 being the wall-mounted model. The descriptors “HomeAccessory” and “HomeAccessory_wall” appear to refer to these Home Hub variants as well.
Overall, while it looks as though the Home Hub will offer personalization options, the product’s software seemingly won’t be much of a departure from tvOS or watchOS.
