Calvin Wankhede / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Home Assistant OS 18.0 is here to make installations and first-time smart home setups smoother.
- Raspberry Pi users can now manage bootloader firmware updates more easily, with support expected to become even more user-friendly in a future Home Assistant update.
- The release also includes a range of important under-the-hood improvements to stability, compatibility, and overall performance across supported devices.
Home Assistant has released Home Assistant OS 18.0, a major update to the operating system that powers many Home Assistant installations.
If you’re new to the project, it’s worth noting that Home Assistant OS is not the Home Assistant app itself. Home Assistant is the smart home platform that lets users control and automate devices throughout their homes. Home Assistant OS is the underlying operating system that comes with Home Assistant pre-installed. It provides everything you need to run the platform on hardware such as a Raspberry Pi, mini PCs, or virtual machines.
Home Assistant OS 18.0: What’s new?
The biggest change in Home Assistant OS 18.0 is a move to the Linux 6.18 LTS kernel, up from Linux 6.12. The update also refreshes several core components, including Docker 29.5.3, containerd 2.2.4, and Buildroot 2025.02.14. These should help Home Assistant run more reliably, support newer hardware, and stay secure for longer.
The update also makes Home Assistant OS quicker to install. Installation images are now smaller and take less time to flash onto devices such as Raspberry Pi boards and mini PCs. Once the system boots for the first time, it will automatically expand and use all available storage space, so users don’t have to do anything manually.
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
Home Assistant OS 18.0 makes installing on virtual machines easier. Previously, users often had to manually increase the size of the virtual hard drive before starting Home Assistant for the first time. The new virtual machine images now come with 32GB of storage already allocated, so users can get up and running without any extra configuration.
Furthermore, Home Assistant OS 18.0 improves its memory management when a device runs low on RAM. Previously, the system automatically created a swap file equal to one-third of the device’s memory, which wasn’t ideal for every setup. The new version keeps the default swap file between 1GB and 4GB, helping it work more efficiently across a wider range of devices. Users who have manually customized their swap settings won’t be affected.
Raspberry Pi users are also gaining a notable new ability to check and update bootloader firmware directly from Home Assistant OS through command-line tools. A future release of the Home Assistant app, Home Assistant Core 2026.7, is expected to show these firmware updates directly in the user interface, making them easier to install.
There is one important warning for Raspberry Pi 5 owners, however. Home Assistant OS 18.0 requires bootloader firmware dated February 12, 2025, or newer. Systems running older firmware may experience display freezes in the boot process. Users are advised to update their bootloader before installing the new OS release.
Home Assistant has also improved the initial setup experience. During the first boot, users will now see a progress bar while Home Assistant Core downloads and installs. The company has also fixed early mDNS announcements, making devices discoverable by mobile apps sooner during setup.
Home Assistant OS 18.0 is available now, and the project recommends that all users update to the latest version. You can see the full changelog here.
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