Launch public version of the Device Database #256

Problem statement

The Device Database has been live as a public Preview Edition since July 2026, under OHF Labs and flagged as Preview inside Home Assistant. The scope was kept deliberately narrow (protocols, integrations, local or cloud, browse and search), and the data keeps growing: around 21k unique devices, around 75k opted-in Home Assistant instances, around 500 integrations reported (as of September 2026).

The Preview label limits how far we can promote the database, how much people trust it, and whether partners and Home Assistant itself can build on it. To leave Preview and go fully public we need to resolve three things: how the community contributes and reviews device information, a finished visual design and a name the project can carry publicly, and clarity on what we publish and under which terms.

Target: public launch and exit from Preview and Labs in Q1 2027.

Community signals

• Preview uptake since July 2026: around 75k Home Assistant instances opting in to Device Analytics
• Labs survey (August 2026): demand for richer device pages and for contributing to device data (ref)
• Community engagement in the design preview threads (Foundation, Richer device pages, Accounts and editing) and in the contribution proposal discussion
• Questions in Discord and forum about when the Device Database "officially" launches and whether it can be relied on

Scope & Boundaries

In scope

Three tracks that must converge for launch:

• Contributions (Stage 03): editorial stance and review flow, accounts and attribution, contributor guidelines and wiki. Tracked in Stage 3: Enable contributions to enrich device pages #87
• Visual design and branding: a new visual language for the Device Database translated into a consistent UI and reusable component set (design system, tokens, light and dark, responsive, WCAG AA), plus name, wordmark and logo and the relationship to the OHF brands. Tracked in Device Database brand development #141 (branding) and Define and roll out a new visual design for the Device Database OHF-Device-Database/backlog-items#175 (visual design)
• Legal: data licensing and terms of use, trademarks and third-party content, agreements with contractors and partners

Plus the launch itself:

• Public information and marketing communication for the launch (Launch readiness for the public Device Database (public information, communication, Preview/Labs exit) OHF-Device-Database/backlog-items#35)
• Removing the Preview and Labs status from the public site and from the Home Assistant integration
• Clear launch criteria and a go / no-go checkpoint

Not in scope

• Consumption of device data inside Home Assistant and via the public API ((DRAFT) Stage 4: Make device data usable where decisions are made #257, Q2 to Q3 2027)
• Variants and goal-based discovery (later enrichment)
• Expanding the submission scope to integrations currently excluded from Device Analytics

Foreseen solution

Run the three tracks in parallel with regular sync, then converge into the launch:

• Contributions: deliver the first contribution iteration as scoped in roadmap#87 (Git-based data store, edit mode on the device page, Account 0.1 via GitHub, automated moderation)
• Visual design: 6 to 7 weeks starting 5 October 2026, covering Stages 01 to 03 as live in the Preview. Output: UI design language, components, tokens and interaction specs in Figma. Tokens are built brand-swappable so branding can follow the design work.
• Branding: decide name, identity and logo and the relationship to the OHF brands; contractor briefed so the result converges into the visual design once decided. Owner: Marketing
• Legal: licensing proposal to be reviewed with Legal. Owner: Legal & Project team
• Launch: communication plan and assets, updated public information (what the database is, how to use it, how to contribute), removal of Preview and Labs flags, announcement across OHF channels

Risks & open questions

• Three dependencies with different owners and timelines; a slip in any one delays launch
• Branding decision (name, logo) is on the critical path for communication assets even though design tokens are brand-swappable
• Licensing choices are being reviewed with Legal
• Contribution moderation rules are the least settled part of Stage 03; launching with contributions open requires them to work without OHF as bottleneck
• Image rights and third-party content in contributed data need clear terms before launch
• How Home Assistant surfaces the database once it leaves Labs (opt-in wording, settings) needs coordination with the Home Assistant release cycle
• Quarters after Q3 2026 are targets, not commitments; the Q1 2027 target should be re-checked at the end of Q4 2026

Appetite

Large, spanning Q4 2026 and Q1 2027.

• Q4 2026: Stage 03 focus; contribution model, visual design, branding and legal review in parallel
• Q1 2027: branding, logo and legal resolved, Stage 03 rolled out, out of Preview and Labs in Home Assistant

Execution issues

• Stage 3: Enable contributions to enrich device pages #87 Enable first iteration of contributing to the device database via the web interface
• Device Database brand development #141 Branding, name and logo (Marketing)
• Define and roll out a new visual design for the Device Database OHF-Device-Database/backlog-items#175 Define and rollout new Visual Design
• Launch readiness for the public Device Database (public information, communication, Preview/Labs exit) OHF-Device-Database/backlog-items#35 Have branding, legal, public information and communication ready for the public launch
• To be created: legal review of licensing and terms of use; launch criteria and go / no-go checklist; removal of Preview and Labs flags in site and Home Assistant

Decision log