How to know what song is currently playing on HomePod

HomePod is a cute little device for listening to music. However, due to the lack of a screen, you can’t see what song is currently playing on it. But that doesn’t mean you’re deprived of the important Now Playing information. In this tutorial, we will tell you four easy ways to find what’s playing on your HomePod.

Easy ways to know which song is playing on HomePod

How to find out what song is playing on HomePod

Immediately after setting up my first HomePod, I asked it, “Hey Siri, play some music.” Faithful to the voice command, HomePod started playing a song. I was surprised, wondering how was that possible considering I’m not an Apple Music subscriber!

From what music service was HomePod playing this song? I had not activated any free Apple Music subscription on buying a HomePod. Plus, I had not asked the HomePod to play music on any other streaming service that it natively supports, like Pandora, Deezer, TuneIn Radio, or iHeartRadio.

I immediately checked my iPhone Control Center and found nothing was playing there.

So, how could I figure out which song was playing on my HomePod? As it turns out, there is more than one way, and I’m here to share them with you.

1. Ask your HomePod

The easiest way is to ask, “Hey Siri, what song is this?” Irrespective of the music source, your HomePod will tell you the name of the song as well as the band that sings it.

Ask Siri on HomePod what song is playing

In my case, it was Every Breaking Wave by U2 from the album Songs of Innocence that Apple gave everyone for free! Since I’m not an Apple Music subscriber, my new HomePod played one of my purchased songs. Related: HomePod can play purchased iTunes music, stream Beats 1 and listen to podcasts without an Apple Music subscription

2. Check the Home app

Follow these steps to see what’s playing on your HomePod using the Home app:

  1. Open the Home app on your iPhone.
  2. Inside the Home app, tap HomePod or pick Speakers & TVs and select your HomePod.
  3. Now, you will see the Playing screen that shows what song is currently playing on the HomePod.
Three iPhone screenshots showing how to see what is playing on HomePod inside the iPhone Home app

It doesn’t matter where the music is being played from; the Home app will show the song info. For example, even when I AirPlay YouTube videos from my Mac to my HomePod, it still shows in the iOS Home app. All I need to do is ensure Wi-Fi is enabled on my iPhone. Related: 7 ways to pause/resume music on HomePod

3. Use Shazam on iPhone

The third method to know which song is playing on your HomePod involves using Shazam on your iPhone or iPad. Take the iPhone near the HomePod and do one of the following:

A. Open the Shazam app and tap the big Shazam button. In a moment, you will have the song’s name on your iPhone screen.

Use Shazam app on iPhone to find what's playing on your HomePod

B. Invoke Siri on your iOS or iPadOS device and ask, “What song is this?” Siri will automatically trigger Shazam (even if you don’t have the Shazam app), listen to the song playing on your HomePod for a few seconds, and name the tune for you.

Use iPhone Siri to find what's playing on HomePod

C. Swipe down on any Home Screen to enter Search. Here, type Shazam and pick its Shortcut. Your iPhone will automatically start listening and tell you the song name.

Use Shazam via Shortcut in iPhone Search

D. The fourth option is to use Shazam from the iPhone Control Center. You can use this method even if you don’t have the Shazam app installed on your iPhone. Start by going to the Settings app > Control Center and tap the green plus button next to Music Recognition. Once that’s done, open the Control Center and tap the Shazam icon. Your iPhone will listen for a couple of seconds and send you a notification with the song name.

Use Shazam in iPhone Control Center

4. Check your device

Finally, the last method of knowing what’s playing on HomePod involves manually checking the Control Center on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. It’s the central command that shows whatever media is playing on your device.

See Now Playing on HomePod in iPhone Control Center
iPhone Control Center
Now Playing in Mac Control Center
Control Center on Mac running macOS Big Sur and later

Alternatively, you may go inside the music and video apps to see what’s playing. While you’re at it, don’t forget to check the web browser in case YouTube, Netflix, or something else is streaming there.

Know what’s playing on your HomePod

Though the Home app shows what’s playing, it would be a better experience if it also showed the audio source. This would be especially helpful if you have multiple Apple devices. For example, if the office Mac or Living room iPad is AirPlaying music to the HomePod, the iOS Home app should let me know that my specific Mac or iPad is the source of music on my HomePod. Similarly, if HomePod is playing purchased music, the Home app should be able to tell that as well.

Other HomePod tips: