How to rename the room your HomePod is in

Learn how to change the name of the room your HomePod is kept in using the Home app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

HomePod kept on a table

You may have changed the name of your speaker from “HomePod” to something less boring, so now’s the time to rename the HomePod room.

As part of the Automatic Setup for HomePod, you select the room the speaker is in by choosing from a pre-populated list of room names like Living Room, Bedroom, Kitchen, and so forth.

The device is then added to the Home app and assigned to the room you’ve specified during the initial setup. I always make sure to rename a brand new Apple device after setting it up so that it’s easier to identify in the Control Center and various menus, such as AirDrop and AirPlay.

If the built-in HomePod room names sound too boring to you, you can create a fancier room name for the device, such as Man Cave, Garage, Skunkworks Lab, and what have you. Here’s how.

Rename the room your HomePod is in

With HomePod doubling as a HomeKit hub for remote control of your smart home accessories, you’re required to assign it to a room during the setup process. You can later use the Home app to rename your HomePod, change its room assignment, and adjust other settings.

1) Open the Home app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. We’re using the iPhone.

2) Tap the HomePod tile in the Home section of the app.

3) Now, tap the gear icon from the bottom right.

Select HomePod in iPhone Home app and tap gear icon

4) Tap the entry labeled Room to change your HomePod’s room using the scroll wheel. You can select one of the existing rooms.

Pick Room for HomePod or create new room

5) Alternatively, you can tap Create New to set up a new room.

Give name for new Room in Home app and save it

It may take a few seconds or minutes for the newly assigned HomePod name to synchronize through iCloud across all your connected Apple devices, apps, and services.

After changing your HomePod room assignment, don’t forget to use the new room name when controlling your smart home accessories through Siri utterances.

For instance, if your HomePod is in the living room but you’ve created the custom room name “Man Cave,“ asking Siri to dim the lights in the living room won’t yield the desired results. Instead, you’ll probably want to say something like, “Hey Siri, dim the lights in the Man Cave.”

A simpler form of the above command — “Hey Siri, turn off the lights in here” — also does the trick because Siri knows which accessories are in the same room as your HomePod.

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