2025.7: Beta release notes

_config.yml

@@ -107,9 +107,9 @@ social:
 
 # Home Assistant release details
 current_major_version: 2025
-current_minor_version: 6
-current_patch_version: 3
-date_released: 2025-06-24
+current_minor_version: 7
+current_patch_version: 0
+date_released: 2025-07-02
 
 # Either # or the anchor link to latest release notes in the blog post.
 # Must be prefixed with a # and have double quotes around it.

source/_posts/2025-07-02-release-20257.markdown

@@ -0,0 +1,494 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "2025.7 Beta: That's the question"
+description: "Beta release notes for Home Assistant 2025.7"
+date: 2025-06-25 00:00:00
+date_formatted: "July 2, 2025"
+author: Franck Nijhof
+author_twitter: frenck
+comments: true
+categories:
+  - Release-Notes
+  - Core
+og_image: /images/blog/2025-07/social.png
+---
+
+<lite-youtube videoid="3MlaIzfRxCg" videotitle="Home Assistant 2025.7 Release Party"></lite-youtube>
+
+{% note %}
+
+**Welcome to the beta release notes for Home Assistant 2025.7** 🎉
+
+<br />
+
+Please note that these release notes are a work in progress. 👷‍♀️ We will be
+completing them over the next couple of days. Not all features might be final
+yet, and some features _**may not** make it into the final release_.
+
+<br />
+
+**Want to help test the beta?** Awesome! ❤️ We have documented how you
+[can join our beta channel and install the beta here](/common-tasks/os/#running-a-beta-version).
+
+<br />
+
+While running the beta, we highly recommend joining our _#beta_ channel on
+the [Home Assistant Discord chat](/join-chat)! 💬 Most developers and beta
+testers are in this channel during the beta period to share experiences, ideas,
+and iterate over new features, fine-tuning them before the final release.
+It's a really fun place to hang out. 😎
+
+<br />
+
+**Reporting issues**: As this is a beta test, you might encounter unexpected
+behavior or issues. 🐞 We use the GitHub issue tracker to track beta issues.
+You can find our issue trackers and the reported issues during beta here:
+
+<br />
+
+- [Report(ed) beta **dashboards/UI/frontend** issues](https://github.com/home-assistant/frontend/milestone/133)
+- [Report(ed) beta **integrations/automations/backend/core** issues](https://github.com/home-assistant/core/milestone/747)
+- [Report(ed) beta **documentation** issues](https://github.com/home-assistant/home-assistant.io/milestone/140)
+
+🙏 When reporting issues, **make sure to mention the exact beta version you are
+running** in the issue description. This will help us identify and track the
+issue correctly. Read more about [reporting issues here](/help/reporting_issues/).
+
+<br />
+
+Issues introduced in the beta are processed with priority. 🔝
+
+{% endnote %}
+
+{% tip %}
+
+Don't forget to [join our release party live stream on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MlaIzfRxCg) on
+July 2, 2025, at 20:00 GMT / 12:00 PT / 21:00 CEST!
+
+{% endtip %}
+
+Home Assistant 2025.7! 🎉
+
+Enjoy the (beta) release!
+
+../Frenck
+
+<!--more-->
+
+- [Let Assist ask a question!](#let-assist-ask-a-question)
+- [Redesigned Area card](#redesigned-area-card)
+- [Improving the Areas dashboard overview](#improving-the-areas-dashboard-overview)
+- [Integration sub entries](#integration-sub-entries)
+- [Integration page has seen an overhaul](#integration-page-has-seen-an-overhaul)
+- [Integrations](#integrations)
+  - [New integrations](#new-integrations)
+  - [Noteworthy improvements to existing integrations](#noteworthy-improvements-to-existing-integrations)
+  - [Integration quality scale achievements](#integration-quality-scale-achievements)
+  - [Now available to set up from the UI](#now-available-to-set-up-from-the-ui)
+  - [Farewell to the following](#farewell-to-the-following)
+- [Other noteworthy changes](#other-noteworthy-changes)
+- [Full screen code editors](#full-screen-code-editors)
+- [Need help? Join the community!](#need-help-join-the-community)
+- [Backward-incompatible changes](#backward-incompatible-changes)
+- [All changes](#all-changes)
+
+## Let Assist ask a question!
+
+In our latest [roadmap](/blog/2025/05/09/roadmap-2025h1/), we shared our goal to make Assist more conversational.
+
+Until now, Assist was mostly transactional: say something, get a response, done (unless some LLM magic jumped in). With this release, we're taking a big step forward: meet the new Ask Question action.
+
+This lets you build custom conversations from the comfort of our automation engine. Ask a question, handle the answer, and keep the interaction going.
+
+**TODO**: Screenshot of the ask question bloc in an automation
+
+This action even allows you to define expected answers so that our extremely fast speech engine Speech-to-Phrase can train on them.
+Yes! Fully local, custom conversations! Here is a video of what this allows you to build.
+
+**TODO:** Video of Ask Question in action
+
+{% details "Example YAML automation actions" %}
+
+This example asks the user what kind of music they want to listen to, and then plays the selected genre or artist on a media player.
+
+{% raw %}
+
+```yaml
+actions:
+  - action: assist_satellite.ask_question
+    data:
+      entity_id: assist_satellite.living_room_voice_assistant
+      preannounce: true   # optional
+      preannounce_media_id: media-source://...   # optional
+      question: What kind of music do you want to listen to?
+      answers:
+        - id: genre
+          sentences:
+            - "genre {genre}"
+        - id: artist
+          sentences:
+            - "artist {artist}"
+    response_variable: answer
+
+  - choose:
+      - conditions: '{{ answer.id == "genre" }}'
+        sequence:
+          - action: music_assistant.play_media
+            data:
+              media_id: "My {{ answer.slots.genre }} playlist"
+              media_type: playlist
+            target:
+              entity_id: media_player.living_room_speakers
+      - conditions: '{{ answer.id == "artist" }}'
+        sequence:
+          - action: music_assistant.play_media
+            data:
+              media_id: "{{ answer.slots.artist }}"
+              media_type: artist
+            target:
+              entity_id: media_player.living_room_speakers
+```
+
+{% endraw %}
+
+{% enddetails %}
+
+## Redesigned Area card
+
+Originally introduced a few years ago, the [Area card](/dashboards/area/) offered a way to display an {% term area %} overview within the dashboard. However, it wasn't fully compatible with the [sections](/dashboards/sections/), which limited its practical use in that context.
+
+The card has now been completely redesigned with a look and feel similar to the [Tile card](/dashboards/tile/). It integrates seamlessly into Sections thanks to its flexible layouts. You can choose between a compact version that shows only an icon and the area name, or a more detailed view featuring elements like your camera feed and buttons to toggle your lights or fans.
+
+<img class="no-shadow" alt="TODO: Replace screenshot." src="/images/blog/2025-07/temp-area-card.png" />
+
+The control section itself has also been revamped, giving you the ability to choose which controls to include and to rearrange them as you want. As a result of these changes, you'll need to reconfigure the controls for your existing area cards.
+
+Additionally, the card now supports controlling [cover](/integrations/cover/) {% term entities %}.
+
+## Improving the Areas dashboard overview
+
+The April release introduced an experimental [Areas dashboard](/dashboards/dashboards/#areas-dashboard), designed to automatically generate a ready-to-use interface based on the configured areas within the home. But the preview could become cluttered if you have multiple devices.
+
+This release introduces an all-new overview that leverages the redesigned Area card, making it easy to view and control your main devices by room with a single click. It also acts as a navigation hub, giving you quick access to detailed views of each area.
+
+<img class="no-shadow" alt="TODO: Replace screenshot." src="/images/blog/2025-07/temp-areas-dashboard.png" />
+
+## Integration sub entries
+
+Ever wondered why you had to enter your API keys for every AI agent you created, while they were all using the same key? Or why you had to authenticate for every calendar you wanted to add for the same account? Or why you couldn't add MQTT devices from the UI?
+
+This release solves that with the introduction of integration sub entries. This allows you to add a sub entry to an existing integration entry. This means, for example, that your integration entry has your credentials, and all the sub entries use these credentials. In the sub entry, you can then configure what should be done with these credentials, such as fetching a specific calendar, adding 3 AI agents with different prompts using the same OpenAI account, or in the case of MQTT, configuring devices that are connected to your broker.
+
+<img class="no-shadow" alt="TODO: Replace screenshot." src="/images/blog/2025-07/temp-add-mqtt-device-using-sub-entry.png" />
+
+The following integrations now support sub entries as of this release: [Anthropic], [Google Generative AI], [MQTT], [Ollama], and [OpenAI Conversation].
+
+[Anthropic]: /integrations/anthropic
+[Google Generative AI]: /integrations/google_generative_ai_conversation
+[MQTT]: /integrations/mqtt
+[Ollama]: /integrations/ollama
+[OpenAI Conversation]: /integrations/openai_conversation
+
+## Integration page has seen an overhaul
+
+The integration page got a big overhaul! It now has support for sub entries, allowing you to easily add a sub entry to an integration entry and see which devices and services belong to which sub entry.
+
+But we took the opportunity to do more. Instead of just showing your integration entries, it now also shows the devices and services that are provided by that configuration entry. This makes it much easier to manage your devices and see the relationship between your devices and their integrations at a glance.
+
+<img class="no-shadow" alt="TODO: Replace screenshot." src="/images/blog/2025-07/temp-new-integrations-page.png" />
+
+## Integrations
+
+Thanks to our community for keeping pace with the new {% term integrations %}
+and improvements to existing ones! You’re all awesome 🥰
+
+### New integrations
+
+We welcome the following new integrations in this release:
+
+- **[Altruist]**, added by [@LoSk-p]  
+  Connect to your Altruist account to monitor your charitable giving and impact.
+- **[PlayStation Network]**, added by [@JackJPowell]  
+  Integrate with the PlayStation Network to track gaming activity and friends' online status.
+- **[Tilt Pi]**, added by [@michaelheyman]  
+  Monitor your Tilt Pi hydrometer for brewing temperature and specific gravity measurements.
+- **[VegeHub]**, added by [@Thulrus]  
+  Connect to your VegeHub system to monitor and control your hydroponic garden.
+
+[@JackJPowell]: https://github.com/JackJPowell
+[@LoSk-p]: https://github.com/LoSk-p
+[@michaelheyman]: https://github.com/michaelheyman
+[@Thulrus]: https://github.com/Thulrus
+[Altruist]: /integrations/altruist
+[PlayStation Network]: /integrations/playstation_network
+[Tilt Pi]: /integrations/tilt_pi
+[VegeHub]: /integrations/vegehub
+
+### Noteworthy improvements to existing integrations
+
+It is not just new {% term integrations %} that have been added; existing
+integrations are also being constantly improved. Here are some of the noteworthy
+changes to existing integrations:
+
+- Love that song? [@marcelveldt] added a button entity to [Music Assistant] that lets you add the currently playing item to your favorites with a single click. It works with queues, external sources, and even radio stations!
+- [ESPHome] now support sub devices! Thanks to [@bdraco], you can now represent multiple logical devices with a single ESP device in Home Assistant. This is particularly useful for RF bridges, modbus gateways, and other devices that can control multiple devices. Awesome addition!
+- [Paperless-ngx] now includes an update entity to keep your document management system up to date. Thanks, [@fvgarrel]!
+- Battery management control has been added to [HomeWizard] with [@DCSBL] implementing battery group mode, allowing you to modify the charging and discharging behavior of your HW batteries!
+- [Reolink] cameras received a ton of love (again) from [@starkillerOG]! New features include IR brightness control, baby cry sensitivity adjustment, privacy mask switches, and full support for both PoE and WiFi floodlights with multiple command ID pushes. Impressive!
+- [@mib1185] added an update entity to the [Immich] integration Nice!
+- The [Homee] integration expanded significantly! [@Taraman17] added a siren platform for security alerts and support for the HeatIt Thermostat TF056. Nice!
+- Energy monitoring got better in [Adax] with [@parholmdahl] adding energy sensors, so you can track your heating consumption!
+- [@ViViDboarder] made [Ollama] more flexible by adding a config option for controlling the think parameter. More control over your local AI!
+- Samsung refrigerator owners! [@mswilson] added ice bites control and water filter replacement/usage sensors to the [SmartThings] integration.
+- [Russound RIO] got a major upgrade from [@noahhusby], adding sub-device support plus new number and switch entities for enhanced zone control.
+- [@chemelli74] expanded [Alexa Devices] with sensor platforms and additional binary sensors. Now you can get more data from your Echo devices!
+- [Matter] keeps growing! [@lboue] added dishwasher alarm support and battery storage capabilities. Thanks!
+- YAML fans will appreciate [@frenck] adding unique ID support to [Trend] integration configuration.
+- The [LaMetric] Time got an update entity now as well, thanks [@joostlek]!
+- [Google Generative AI] now defaults to the newer, faster Gemini 2.5 Flash model. A noteworthy performance boost by [@tronikos]!
+- [Enphase Envoy] users get detailed DC voltage and current readings from their solar panels thanks to [@Bidski]. This is perfect for monitoring individual panel health and optimizing production!
+- [@zerzhang] brought evaporative humidifier support to [SwitchBot], expanding your climate control options.
+
+[@bdraco]: https://github.com/bdraco
+[@Bidski]: https://github.com/Bidski
+[@chemelli74]: https://github.com/chemelli74
+[@DCSBL]: https://github.com/DCSBL
+[@frenck]: https://github.com/frenck
+[@fvgarrel]: https://github.com/fvgarrel
+[@joostlek]: https://github.com/joostlek
+[@lboue]: https://github.com/lboue
+[@marcelveldt]: https://github.com/marcelveldt
+[@mib1185]: https://github.com/mib1185
+[@mswilson]: https://github.com/mswilson
+[@noahhusby]: https://github.com/noahhusby
+[@parholmdahl]: https://github.com/parholmdahl
+[@starkillerOG]: https://github.com/starkillerOG
+[@Taraman17]: https://github.com/Taraman17
+[@tronikos]: https://github.com/tronikos
+[@ViViDboarder]: https://github.com/ViViDboarder
+[@zerzhang]: https://github.com/zerzhang
+[Adax]: /integrations/adax
+[Alexa Devices]: /integrations/alexa_devices
+[Enphase Envoy]: /integrations/enphase_envoy
+[ESPHome]: /integrations/esphome
+[Google Generative AI]: /integrations/google_generative_ai_conversation
+[Homee]: /integrations/homee
+[HomeWizard]: /integrations/homewizard
+[Immich]: /integrations/immich
+[LaMetric]: /integrations/lametric
+[Matter]: /integrations/matter
+[Music Assistant]: /integrations/music_assistant
+[Ollama]: /integrations/ollama
+[Paperless-ngx]: /integrations/paperless_ngx
+[Reolink]: /integrations/reolink
+[Russound RIO]: /integrations/russound_rio
+[SmartThings]: /integrations/smartthings
+[SwitchBot]: /integrations/switchbot
+[Trend]: /integrations/trend
+
+### Integration quality scale achievements
+
+One thing we are incredibly proud of in Home Assistant is our
+[integration quality scale]. This scale helps us and our contributors to ensure
+integrations are of high quality, maintainable, and provide the best possible
+user experience.
+
+This release, we celebrate several {% term integrations %} that have improved
+their quality scale:
+
+- **1 integration reached platinum** 🏆
+  - [Bosch Smart Home], thanks to [@sanjay900]
+
+- **1 integration reached gold** 🥇
+  - [ista EcoTrend], thanks to [@tr4nt0r]
+
+- **1 integration reached silver** 🥈
+  - [KNX], thanks to [@farmio]
+
+- **2 integrations reached bronze** 🥉
+  - [Samsung TV], thanks to [@chemelli74]
+  - [Telegram Bot], thanks to [@hanwg]
+
+This is a huge achievement for these integrations and their maintainers. The
+effort and dedication required to reach these quality levels is significant,
+as it involves extensive testing, documentation, error handling, and often
+complete rewrites of parts of the integration.
+
+A big thank you to all the contributors involved! 👏
+
+[integration quality scale]: https://www.home-assistant.io/docs/quality_scale/
+[@chemelli74]: https://github.com/chemelli74
+[@farmio]: https://github.com/farmio
+[@hanwg]: https://github.com/hanwg
+[@sanjay900]: https://github.com/sanjay900
+[@tr4nt0r]: https://github.com/tr4nt0r
+[Bosch Smart Home]: /integrations/bosch_shc
+[ista EcoTrend]: /integrations/ista_ecotrend
+[KNX]: /integrations/knx
+[Samsung TV]: /integrations/samsungtv
+[Telegram Bot]: /integrations/telegram_bot
+
+### Now available to set up from the UI
+
+While most {% term integrations %} can be set up directly from the Home Assistant
+user interface, some were only available using YAML configuration. We keep moving
+more integrations to the UI, making them more accessible for everyone
+to set up and use.
+
+The following integration is now available via the Home Assistant UI:
+
+- **[Telegram Bot]**, done by [@hanwg]
+
+### Farewell to the following
+
+The following {% term integrations %} are also no longer available as
+of this release:
+
+- **JuiceNet** has been removed as they shut down their API services.
+
+## Other noteworthy changes
+
+There are many more improvements in this release; here are some of the other noteworthy changes:
+
+- [Shopping list] now has a complete intent function that allows you to check off/mark items on your shopping list completed, making it easier to interact with your shopping lists using voice commands. Thanks, [@Lesekater]!
+- Device and entity management got better! [@emontnemery] made it so Home Assistant now restores user customizations when you re-add deleted devices or entities. No more losing your carefully crafted names and settings!
+- The [Template] integration received a major boost from [@Petro31]! You can now use variables, icons, and pictures across all compatible template platforms, create trigger-based template alarm control panels, locks, vacuum entities, and fans. Plus, there's a new `label_description` template method that allows you to dynamically fetch the description you've added to a label from your templates. This is a noteworthy enhancement for better template organization.
+- Camera snapshots just got better! [@edenhaus] added support for taking snapshots via [go2rtc], and this happens automagically for better out-of-the-box experience.
+- [Object selectors] now support fields and multiple selections, thanks to [@piitaya]. These additions are particularly interesting for integration and blueprint developers, as they provide much more flexibility in your UI representations.
+- Wind direction sensors got a visual upgrade with [@edenhaus] adding range icons for the `wind_direction` sensor device class. Different icons are now shown depending on the state of wind direction sensors, which is indeed a nice visual upgrade!
+
+[@Lesekater]: https://github.com/Lesekater
+[@emontnemery]: https://github.com/emontnemery
+[@Petro31]: https://github.com/Petro31
+[@edenhaus]: https://github.com/edenhaus
+[@piitaya]: https://github.com/piitaya
+[Shopping list]: /integrations/shopping_list
+[Template]: /integrations/template
+[go2rtc]: /integrations/go2rtc
+[Object selectors]: /docs/blueprint/selectors/#object-selector
+
+## Full screen code editors
+
+Working with snippets of YAML or templates in Home Assistant just got better! We've added a new full screen mode for all code editors throughout the interface.
+
+<lite-youtube videoid="VfwcYp7zQzo" videotitle="Full screen code editors in Home Assistant"></lite-youtube>
+
+Whether you're editing automations, scripts, templates, or any other YAML configuration, you can now expand the code editor to take up your entire screen. This is especially helpful when working with longer configurations or when you need more space to see your code clearly.
+
+Simply click the maximize button in the top-right corner of any code editor to enter full screen mode. Press the button again to return to the normal view.
+
+This makes building a more complex and advanced smart home more comfortable and productive, especially on smaller mobile or tablet screens where every pixel of editing space counts!
+
+## Need help? Join the community!
+
+Home Assistant has a great community of users who are all more than willing
+to help each other out. So, join us!
+
+Our very active [Discord chat server](/join-chat) is an excellent place to be
+at, and don't forget to join our amazing [forums](https://community.home-assistant.io/).
+
+Found a bug or issue? Please report it in our [issue tracker](https://github.com/home-assistant/core/issues),
+to get it fixed! Or, check [our help page](/help) for guidance for more
+places you can go.
+
+Are you more into email? [Sign-up for our Building the Open Home Newsletter](/newsletter)
+to get the latest news about features, things happening in our community and
+other news about building an Open Home; straight into your inbox.
+
+## Backward-incompatible changes
+
+We do our best to avoid making changes to existing functionality that might
+unexpectedly impact your Home Assistant installation. Unfortunately, sometimes,
+it is inevitable.
+
+We always make sure to document these changes to make the transition as easy as
+possible for you. This release has the following backward-incompatible changes:
+
+{% details "Google Calendar" %}
+
+The previously deprecated Google Calendar `add_event` service has been removed and replaced by the `create_event` entity-based service.
+
+([@epenet] - [#146432]) ([google docs])
+
+[@epenet]: https://github.com/epenet
+[#146432]: https://github.com/home-assistant/core/pull/146432
+[google docs]: /integrations/google
+
+{% enddetails %}
+
+{% details "Meater" %}
+
+The states of the Meater probe cook state have been changed, in order to
+support translations and make them more consistent with other integrations.
+
+The following states have been changed:
+
+- `Not Started` -> `not_started`
+- `Configured` -> `configured`
+- `Started` -> `started`
+- `Ready For Resting` -> `ready_for_resting`
+- `Resting` -> `resting`
+- `Slightly Underdone` -> `slightly_underdone`
+- `Finished` -> `finished`
+- `Slightly Overdone` -> `slightly_overdone`
+- `OVERCOOK!` -> `overcooked`
+
+If you use these states in your automations or scripts, you will need to update them to use the new state values.
+
+([@joostlek] - [#146958]) ([meater docs])
+
+[@joostlek]: https://github.com/joostlek
+[#146958]: https://github.com/home-assistant/core/pull/146958
+[meater docs]: /integrations/meater
+
+{% enddetails %}
+
+{% details "Miele" %}
+
+The internal representation of states for hob plates has changed. This is a breaking change when these states are used in automations or templates.
+
+No user action is needed if these hob state sensors are used for visual display only.
+
+Please review and update applicable automations and templates according to this table:
+
+|  Old state  |  New state  |
+|-------------|--------------|
+|  "0"   |  "plate_step_0"  |
+|  "1"   |  "plate_step_1"  |
+|  ...  |  ...  |
+|  "18"   |  "plate_step_18"  |
+|  "110"  |  "plate_step_warm"  |
+|  "117"  |  "plate_step_boost"  |
+|  "118"  |  "plate_step_boost"  |
+|  "217"  |  "plate_step_boost"  |
+|  "220"  |  "plate_step_warm"  |
+
+([@astrandb] - [#144992]) ([miele docs])
+
+[@astrandb]: https://github.com/astrandb
+[#144992]: https://github.com/home-assistant/core/pull/144992
+[miele docs]: /integrations/miele
+
+{% enddetails %}
+
+{% details "Plex Media Server" %}
+
+The previously deprecated `plex.scan_for_clients` service has been removed in favor of the "Scan Clients" `button` entity. If you use this service in your automations or scripts, you will need to update them to use the new entity instead.
+
+([@epenet] - [#146608]) ([plex docs])
+
+[@epenet]: https://github.com/epenet
+[#146608]: https://github.com/home-assistant/core/pull/146608
+[plex docs]: /integrations/plex
+
+{% enddetails %}
+
+If you are a custom integration developer and want to learn about changes and
+new features available for your integration: Be sure to follow our
+[developer blog][devblog].
+
+[devblog]: https://developers.home-assistant.io/blog/
+
+## All changes
+
+Of course, there is a lot more in this release. You can find a list of all changes made here: [Full changelog for Home Assistant Core 2025.7](/changelogs/core-2025.7)