Apple TV

HomeBe·at is available as a native tvOS app, letting you monitor your Home Assistant cameras on the big screen.

Requirements

  • tvOS 17.6+ (Apple TV 4K recommended)
  • Home Assistant instance accessible from the Apple TV's network

Setup

Authentication

On Apple TV, browser-based OAuth isn't available. You have two options:

1
Pair with macOS (easiest)

If you have HomeBe·at set up on a Mac signed in to the same iCloud account, credentials are shared automatically via the iCloud Keychain. Just launch the tvOS app and it connects.

2
Long-Lived Access Token

Enter your Home Assistant URL and a Long-Lived Access Token using the Apple TV on-screen keyboard, or use the Remote app on your iPhone for easier text entry.

Camera Grid

The tvOS app displays your cameras in a full-screen grid layout. Use the Siri Remote to:

  • Navigate between cameras with the directional pad
  • Select a camera to expand it to full screen
  • Press Menu/Back to return to the grid view

Streaming on tvOS

The same streaming protocols and automatic fallback chain apply on tvOS. WebRTC is the preferred protocol for lowest latency.

Picture in Picture

HomeBe·at supports tvOS Picture-in-Picture, allowing you to keep a camera feed visible while using other apps.

  • Select a camera and use the PiP option to detach it into a floating overlay
  • Starting PiP on a different camera seamlessly switches the feed without interrupting the PiP window
  • Tap the PiP window to return to the full camera view in HomeBe·at

Motion Alerts in PiP

When enabled in Settings → Alerts, PiP can temporarily switch to show a camera that detected motion:

  • The PiP overlay displays the camera name and how long ago the motion was detected (e.g. "Front Door · 5s ago")
  • Once the motion alert clears, PiP automatically switches back to the original camera
  • If multiple cameras detect motion, alerts are queued and shown in sequence

This lets you keep an eye on a primary camera while still being notified of activity on other cameras.

Differences from macOS

  • No menu bar — tvOS uses a full-screen grid interface instead of the macOS menu bar
  • No keyboard shortcuts — Camera control uses the Siri Remote
  • No custom cameras — Custom camera streams are not yet available on tvOS
  • Shared Keychain — Authentication credentials sync via iCloud Keychain between macOS and tvOS