With iOS 15, HomePod gets several new features like creating a stereo pair from two HomePod minis, controlling media playback on your Apple TV with Siri on your HomePod and much more. Here's everything new, enhanced and improved in HomePod Software version 15.
The HomePod lacks a screen or physical button, so restarting it to troubleshoot errors that might occur in regular use requires using your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Follow along as we show you how to restart your HomePod or HomePod mini.
If you don't have optional AppleCare+ extended warranty for the HomePod mini, Apple will charge you a fee of $79 per an out-of-warranty repair of the new $99 Siri-powered speaker — which is only $20 cheaper vs. buying a new one. Apple announced the new HomePod mini a month ago in an effort to widen the addressable market for its smart speakers. The full-size HomePod wasn't updated last month and continues to retail for $299.
Aside from the new iPhone 12 family, Apple's upcoming October 13 “Hi, Speed” event will serve as a launchpad for a smaller, more affordable HomePod speaker model, according to a serial leaker who also cautioned against a second-generation update to the current model.
Sonos' wireless speaker system is receiving the Sonos S2 operating system update this month. It will bring "new features, usability updates, and more personalization moving forward... to enable higher resolution audio technologies for music and home theater." But, not all Sonos products will receive the benefit. More concerning, if you have a collection of mixed compatible speakers, you may need two apps to enjoy your hardware.
As rumored back in January, Apple's Siri-powered HomePod smart speaker has gone on sale in India, a 1.35 billion people market, where it's sold for below the regular US pricing.
Following criticism that Apple's in-house software products get an unfair advantage over rival choices, the company is reportedly considering giving HomePod owners the ability to run third-party music software like Spotify or Pandora directly on their Siri-powered speaker.
Smart speaker maker Sonos announced Tuesday that it is phasing out development for several of its oldest products. The company said in a blog post that it will no longer update software or add new features for original Zone Players, Connect, Connect:Amp, first-generation Play:5, CR200, and Bridge devices beginning in May.
Amazon and Apple today expanded their existing partnership that enables Echo owners to use Apple Music by introducing support for Apple Podcasts.
If you own a smart speaker like HomePod or a similar device that comes with an always-on assistant, should you make visitors aware they might be recorded at all times?
Apple is reportedly working on a new model of its Siri-powered HomePod wireless speaker that is thought to feature just two tweeters instead of seven along with a lower price point.
According to a new report, Amazon customers in Germany who own an Echo smart wireless speaker or an Amazon Fire TV from the company, or an Alexa-enabled Sonos speaker, will be able to ask the Alexa assistant to play Apple Music content beginning later today.