Apple developer agreement puts iPhone widgets and CarPlay apps on HomeView

Home › News › Apple developer agreement puts iPhone widgets and CarPlay apps on HomeView 3 minute read Oct 17th, 2026 5:28 PM EEST | News Apple has revised the Apple Developer Program License Agreement so that iPhone app widgets may be made available on Apple HomeView, and so that certain CarPlay apps can be reached on HomeView while they run on a paired iPhone.

Apple posted the update on October 13, 2026, the same day it announced the $299 (U.S.) HomeView, which is available beginning Friday, November 13. HomeView gives each recognized user a personalized Home Screen with apps and widgets. Image: Apple The new language sits in Section 6.4 of the agreement, which Apple’s developer news post summarizes as “Specified terms for iOS app widgets on Apple HomeView and availability of iOS apps for CarPlay on Apple HomeView.” Developers are asked to review the changes and sign in to their account to accept the updated terms.

What the new Section 6.4 says Section 6.4 now carries the heading “CarPlay and Apple HomeView” and is split into two parts. Don’t miss the best of The Mac Observer Set us as a preferred source and our Apple reporting ranks higher in your Google Search results and Discover feed — one tap, no account changes.

Or get it by email Section 6.4.1, titled “iOS Application Widgets on CarPlay and Apple HomeView,” opens with this sentence: “You agree that Your iOS Application widget may be made available on CarPlay and Apple HomeView.” Section 6.4.2, titled “Availability of iOS Applications for CarPlay on Apple HomeView,” reads in full: “If Your Application includes a CarPlay entitlement profile in a category identified by Apple in the Documentation, You agree Apple may provide access to such Application on Apple HomeView while it is running on a paired iOS device.” What changed from the earlier wording Before this update, Section 6.4 was titled “iOS Application Widgets on CarPlay” and covered only the car.

Its opening sentence read: “You agree that Your iOS Application widget may be made available on CarPlay.” The revision adds “and Apple HomeView” to that sentence and adds Section 6.4.2 as a new clause. The rest of the widget text carries over word for word. The CarPlay suitability rules carry over The remaining sentences of Section 6.4.1 are the ones developers already agreed to for CarPlay.

Developers are “responsible for determining whether Your iOS Application widget is functional and suitable to use for CarPlay, and for using the disfavoredLocations function to disfavor Your iOS Application widget if it is not.” The agreement gives examples of widgets that are not functional or suitable: “those that require extensive user interaction while driving, or that require the iPhone to be unlocked to be used.” Apple also “reserves the right to disfavor Your iOS Application widget if Apple determines it is not functional or suitable for CarPlay.” Those suitability sentences name CarPlay only.

The agreement text does not set out a separate suitability test for HomeView. CarPlay apps on HomeView Section 6.4.2 has two conditions. The app must include a CarPlay entitlement profile in a category Apple identifies in its documentation, and HomeView access applies “while it is running on a paired iOS device.” Apple’s CarPlay page for developers adds one line on this: “CarPlay audio and video apps also work on Apple HomeView without requiring you to make any modifications to your app.” Apple’s consumer materials name the same kind of apps.

The HomeView press release lists “compatible third-party audio and video apps,” and its footnotes add that “Select apps require a paired and compatible iPhone nearby.” The HomeView tech specs page lists “Supported third-party audio and video apps” under “Apps Available from iPhone,” alongside Audiobooks, Classical Music, News and TV.

Apple’s release also says each HomeView user “gets their own personalized Home Screen with apps and widgets.” Other changes in the same update The October 13 revision covers more than HomeView. Apple lists these changes: Section What it covers Section 3.2 Updated security and related requirements for using Apple’s software and services Section 3.3.8(j) Specified terms for use of the Live Assistance API Section 3.3.8(k) Specified terms for use of the App Replacement Entitlement Sections 6.4, 6.4.1, 6.4.2 Terms for iOS app widgets on Apple HomeView and iOS apps for CarPlay on Apple HomeView Schedule 2 Terms for offering multiple seats for a subscription through Group Purchases Schedule 3 Terms for offering subscriptions to Apple Business and Apple School Manager organizations through Volume Purchasing Schedules 2 and 3, Section 3.3 Apple will report legally required tax, sales and contact details to tax authorities, and developers may use customer tax information only for purposes mandated by law Apple says translations of the updated agreement will be available on the Apple Developer website within one month.

The full details are in Apple’s developer news post on the updated agreement . When HomeView arrives Customers in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, the UK and the U.S. can pre-order Apple HomeView and Apple HomeView (Wall Mounted), each at $299 (U.S.). Both models will be available in those countries beginning Friday, November 13.

HomeView requires an iPhone with iOS 27.2 or later or an iPad with iPadOS 27.2 or later. For more on the hardware, see our coverage of HomeView’s price, release date and A18 chip and which iPhones work with HomeView .