Why Apple's HomeView is raising concerns among recipe writers
What's the story
Apple's latest smart display, HomeView, is making waves with its unique ad campaign. The ad features a family of five going through their chaotic morning routine, with the HomeView sitting right in the middle of it all. The device promises to simplify daily tasks like checking calendars and sending messages, but also raises concerns for online recipe writers.
Recipe simplification
HomeView's recipe feature
The HomeView can pull up recipes quickly, offering simple, step-by-step instructions.
It is part of a growing trend of tools that aim to simplify online recipes by providing just the essentials.
This means no more scrolling through long web pages filled with unnecessary text and personal anecdotes before reaching the actual recipe.
The device provides ingredient lists, cooking instructions, and timers that can all be navigated hands-free using voice controls and Siri AI.
Writer impact
Stripping away context
However, the convenience of HomeView comes at a cost for recipe writers.
By converting recipes into easy-to-follow instructions, Apple's tool also strips them of their context. This includes ads and affiliate links that many recipe writers depend on for their income.
Bettina Makalintal, a senior reporter at Eater, said such tools "break apart that unspoken social contract with recipe developers and audiences."
Recipe diversity
Recipe landscape
The online recipe landscape is a mix of big players like Allrecipes and NYT Cooking, which host tens of thousands of recipes each.
There are also smaller food publications and independent chefs who create original content on blogs, newsletters, YouTube accounts, and TikTok pages.
While some may find the extra writing on a recipe page annoying, it's often the only part that can be copyrighted as the rest is considered mere instructions.
Web page visit
One visit to the original page
Apple's approach does ensure at least one visit to the original web page for recipe writers.
To load a recipe on the HomeView screen, users have to first open it either on their iPhone or through Safari on the HomeView itself.
This way, they will see its ads at least once. However, this is still not as valuable as repeated ad impressions from someone scrolling down the page while cooking.
Context loss
Context is key
Apple's simplified steps could make some recipes easier to follow, but others might become harder without crucial context included elsewhere on the page.
Jaya Saxena, co-founder of food website Ravenous, said nearly every food blog has a "jump to recipe" button at the top so users don't have to scroll through unnecessary information.
This feature allows readers who are not interested in extra details about recipes to skip directly to the instructions.
Recipe simplification attempts
Attempts by other tech companies
Apple isn't the first company to try simplifying online recipes.
In 2021, a start-up called Recipeasly promised to "fix" online recipes by removing ads and personal stories but was taken down within a weekend due to backlash.
Other tech giants like Amazon and Google have also tried similar approaches with their smart home hubs, though Google's step-by-step recipe feature was removed from Nest Hubs in 2024.