It's a bafflingly analog process to be given permission to develop for CarPlay, and the HomeView relies on that entitlement. Apple needs to simplify HomeView app approval so developers aren't stuck working through a process designed for cars.
HomeView supports compatible CarPlay audio and video apps, but developers must first secure Apple's approval to support CarPlay. That ties its third-party media selection to a process built for in-car software, which Apple needs to streamline for home apps.
As Apple explains, compatible CarPlay audio and video apps work on HomeView without developers modifying them. Reusing that support reduces development work, but getting permission requires an additional step.
That permission is called an entitlement, and obtaining it requires a separate application. Developers must request the appropriate entitlement via email, and accept Apple's CarPlay agreement.
Apple then reviews the request, incredibly manually, against its eligibility criteria before granting access. Developers can configure their apps for CarPlay after approval, with additional App Store review requirements still applying.
HomeView is not an iPad, and it is not in a car
If HomeView's launch has taught us anything, and Apple has made excruciatingly clear, it's not an iPad analog. It's just CarPlay for your house with the added bonus of the hardware working as a HomeHub.
Apple doesn't seem to recognize yet that your car and your kitchen are two entirely separate places.
Restrictions designed to protect drivers have an obvious purpose in a moving vehicle. You don't want users getting distracted by video on their infotainment display as they're trying to navigate a bustling parking lot, for instance.
But most of those restrictions don't have a place inside the home. Turn-by-turn directions and EV charging apps also offer little while you're trying to cook dinner.
Apple needs to streamline the approval process as CarPlay's media framework expands beyond the dashboard. Apple should ensure its approval process also accounts for people listening to music or watching videos in their kitchens.
For developers, that means there needs to be clear guidance on which apps qualify for HomeView and how long approval should take. This should have been available at the same time of the release.
Apple should also explain whether developers can request support for the home display without pursuing an in-car experience.
A developer building a cooking app shouldn't have to justify why it belongs in a car to get it on a kitchen counter. Sharing the underlying framework makes a modicum of sense, if you squint, but the approval criteria should reflect where people will actually use the software.
Otherwise, Apple risks limiting HomeView's usefulness before developers even get a chance to create anything for it. Making developers wait for permission, which for CarPlay can and does routinely take weeks, won't help Apple convince people that HomeView is worth buying.