Apple's HomeView 27.2 Update Delivers All 20 Default Wallpapers in Light and Dark Modes

Apple pushed out a system update on Friday night for a device that has not yet reached customers. HomeView 27.2, build 24V514, is the operating system for the company's new smart home hub, which is open for preorder and scheduled to launch on November 13.

The release came ahead of that date, which 9to5Mac called an interesting move. Tucked inside the software are the 20 default wallpapers that will ship with the device. Each comes in a light version and a dark version, and the outlet has made them available for download.

Because of the hub's dimensions, the wallpapers use a 1:1 aspect ratio. Anyone who wants to use them elsewhere will probably need to adjust them to fit a different screen. Apple already builds in tools for setting custom wallpapers on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, including controls for how an image sits on the display, so the fitting is straightforward.

The wallpapers were not the only thing the update exposed. It also gives an early look at the HomeView's face customization interface, which developer Guilherme Rambo shared in posts on Mastodon. That offers a first glimpse of how users will personalize what the hub shows, though the source does not describe the interface in detail beyond noting it is an early look.

A smaller discovery came from Aaron Perris, who posted on X about a hidden graphic inside the system reading HomeView Software 26. The label is notable because the current release is numbered 27.2. 9to5Mac noted that the find adds to earlier rumors that Apple had originally planned to launch the device last year. The graphic is evidence of a version number, not proof of a schedule, and the rumors remain rumors.

For now, the concrete facts are these: a build number, 20 wallpapers in two appearances each, a preview of the face customization screen, and a launch date of November 13. The preorder period is still running, and the hub's arrival in two weeks will show how much of the interface seen in this early software carries through to the finished product.