The Apple HomePod is more than just a smart speaker; it’s a robust command center for all things music streaming, smart home, and Siri. The Apple HomePod made a comeback in 2023 with even more bass and clarity than its predecessor, and the HomePod mini is a great smaller option for those looking to get into an Apple ecosystem for less — the mini runs $99,versus $299 for the regular model. Both Apple speakers offer solid sound quality and a boatload of features and customizations, but did you know the HomePod can be paired with your TV?
Or that you can pair more than one HomePod speaker together for wireless stereo sound? We all know that smart speakers can play music and answer our questions, but the Apple HomePod portfolio is capable of so much more. Whether you’ve owned a HomePod for years or this is your first smart home purchase and you’re researching the major smart speaker brands, it pays to know that Apple devotees are in good hands with the HomePod. So, grab your iPhone or iPad, fire up AirPlay, and let’s dive into a few of the HomePod’s lesser-known talents.
Thanks to Siri’s voice recognition ability, anyone in your household with an Apple device can create a custom HomePod profile. This allows you to personalize the smart speaker based on your preferred streaming services, and lets you start an AirPlay session from your own Apple devices. To do so, each family member needs their device to be on the same Wi-Fi network as the HomePod. They’ll also need to have Two-Factor Authentication enabled, My Location set to “This Device”, and “Allow Siri When Locked” turned on.
Then, open the Apple Home app, tap “Home Settings,” and tap your name (under People). Enable “Recognize My Voice,” and toggle on “Personal Content” if you want Siri to read your messages, make phone calls, and more. Multi-user support is a godsend in bustling homes, as Siri can help wrangle individual and shared events, without messing up calendars and Apple Music accounts. The HomePod lets you create up to six user profiles, and guests without a dedicated profile can still play music (using the primary user’s account), set timers, ask about the weather, as well as a few other basics.
Walled-off tech ecosystems can introduce a lot of interesting features, and one of our favorites from Apple is the ability to transfer audio from a HomePod to an iPhone or iPad and vice-versa. This works with both media and calls, and requires enabling just one permission. Go into the Settings on your device, tap General > AirPlay & Continuity, and make sure “Transfer to HomePod” is toggled on. To actually transfer audio, hover your Apple device over the HomePod and audio should immediately move between the two.
You can also stream content to a HomePod — with all its new iOS 26 features — from the Apple Music or Apple Podcast apps by tapping the AirPlay icon and selecting your HomePod from the list of devices. Conveniently, if you’re using an iPhone 11 or later, the ultra-wideband chips Apple implemented should make the transfer process even faster. Just keep in mind that if you wander too far from a HomePod while it’s attempting to transfer audio, your media will stop playing.
Home theater audio is traditionally handled by a soundbar or multiple speakers connected to an AV receiver, but HomePod owners have another option. With an Apple TV 4K, it’s possible to connect one or two HomePods for wireless home theater audio. You’ll just need to make sure your Apple TV and HomePod devices are running the latest software. In this type of setup, the standard HomePod supports Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound, though the HomePod mini is limited to stereo playback when two are linked with an Apple TV 4K.
To make it happen, open the Apple Home app and assign your Apple TV and HomePod to the same room. In the Apple TV settings, set your HomePod as the Default Audio Output, and you’re good to go. Using a HomePod or HomePod mini in this configuration means you’ll be able to enjoy audio that isn’t downmixed to mono, which bodes well for everything from movies and video games to all your favorite music and podcasts.
When Apple released firmware update 16.3 for the HomePod in 2023, it added temperature and humidity monitoring to the HomePod’s list of tricks. This feature can provide insights into your at-home climate conditions, which could be used for home automations. To access temperature and humidity readings, launch the Apple Home app and tap the Climate button at the top of the first panel. The readings can be found toward the top of the screen.
Once you tap the readout, a menu should appear with customization options for changing the sensor name and creating automations. Unfortunately, the original HomePod doesn’t have the onboard sensors needed for temperature and humidity monitoring. But if you own a newer model — or the HomePod mini — you’ll be able to leverage temperature and humidity readings for various smart home automations. This could be as straightforward as a smart plug kicking on to power a desk fan when a certain temperature is met.
We’re all going to lose a phone, tablet, or pair of wireless earbuds at some point in our lives. Fortunately, you can use a HomePod and Apple’s Find My technology to search for missing devices that are on the same network. Tracking family and friends, who have shared their location in the Find My app, is also possible. Simply prompt your HomePod or HomePod mini with, “Siri, where is…” and insert the person or Apple device you’re looking for.
At that point, Siri should provide you with the location, complete with estimated distance away and a nearby address for reference. We like the fact that you don’t actually need to open the Find My app to start searching. And if your phone or other device is nearby — and has a built-in speaker — Siri may be able to play a tone to help you find it that much quicker.
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