Apple’s HomePod is off to a pretty good start according to most reviewers. The sound quality has been praised as one of the most acoustically accurate smart speakers on the market. It’s also been lauded for its easy setup process and beautiful design. However, there are some drawbacks, like lack of native support for Spotify and user pretty much need to be locked into Apple’s ecosystem already. Still, HomePods, by most accounts, have been flying off the shelves. If you’ve snagged one, chances are you don’t know everything the HomePod can do. Which is why we’ve put together this (ever expanding) list of the top HomePod tips and tricks you need to know.
Using HomePod: HomePod Touch Controls
Like all smart speakers, your primarily interact with the HomePod via voice control. But the HomePod also does give you a second interface: touch control. Though this interface is limited compared to your voice control options, it’s super hand when it comes to music controls. The top LED screen can be tapped once to play/pause a song, twice to skip to the next song, three times to skip to the previous song, and tapped and held to call up Siri.
Using HomePod: Stop The HomePod Listening In On You
One thing the tap controls won’t let you do it mute the HomePod. Mute controls are generally hardware switches on smart speakers that disable their listening function. But the HomePod can be muted; you just need to use a voice command. Simply say "Hey Siri, stop listening” and the HomePod won’t listen to a word you say.
Using HomePod: Get Around The Lack Of Multiple Timers
One limitation of the HomePod is its inability to set multiple timers. Multiple timers are essential for people who cook a lot–and most smart speakers support the function. Not HomePod, however. Well, not directly. You can get around this lack of multiple timer support by setting reminders instead. Say things like “Hey Siri, remind me to take the roast out of the oven in 10 minutes” and “Hey Siri, remind me to put the gravy on the hob in 5 minutes.”
Using HomePod: Keep Personal Information Private
HomePod is locked to one user’s iCloud account, which lets it access your calendar, texts, and more. But you might not want anyone in the house being able to ask the HomePod to read your texts to them. To protect against this open up the HomePod app on your iPhone and toggle the personal notifications settings to OFF.
Using HomePod: Stream Spotify or Pandora
The biggest drawback of the HomePod is lack of native Spotify and Pandora support. I guess that was a given due to Apple’s Music service. But because the HomePod is an AirPlay speaker you can stream any audio you want from your Mac or iOS device to the HomePod–including audio from the Spotify and Pandora apps.
Using HomePod: Use HomePod With Apple TV
And since HomePod is an AirPlay speaker you can use it in conjunction with the Apple TV to give your videos another sound source. To pair it, on the Apple TV when playing video swipe down on the remote and on the info screen swipe to audio sources and choose your HomePod.
Using HomePod: Retune Your HomePod
One of the best things about HomePod is that it automatically detects the environment in the room it is placed in and adjusts its audio settings appropriately. Every time you move it to a different position in the room it will automatically retune itself for optimal audio quality.
by michaelg via Featured Articles
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