What can you do with an Apple HomePod?

What can you do with an Apple HomePod?

Apple's HomePod offers a few features that set it apart from other smart speakers. Its sound quality is superior to that of most Alexa and Google Home devices. The HomePod is the only smart speaker that uses Siri. There are several smart speakers built by audio businesses that focus on sound quality and include the option to use one or more voice assistants, but the HomePod is the only one that uses Siri. If you're already a fan of Apple, this is a solid incentive to stick with it.

In this article, I'll show you how to control your HomePod, including how to instruct it to play music, provide information, make phone calls, and more.

How to set up an Apple HomePod

To set up your HomePod, open the Home app on your iOS device, hit Rooms, pick the room to which you've assigned your HomePod, and then press and hold on to the tile of your HomePod. A play controller appears; to access the device's settings, swipe up or tap the gear symbol at the bottom of the screen. Right-click the HomePod tile on the Mac and select Settings.

You'll notice several options here, including the device's name, the room it's in, and the account it uses to access music (if you have Apple Music or use Cloud Music Library) and your personal data.

Swipe down a little more to view additional options:

You'll find Siri settings, location settings, and more in this section. You can enable a setting to access Siri by touching and holding the top of the device if you want to utilize Hey Siri; if not, you can enable a setting to access Siri by tapping and holding the top of the device. (You won't have to say "Hey Siri" with each command if you do this.) You don't have to utilize Siri to play music on the device; if you don't, you'll have to send it from an iOS device or a Mac.

How to play or stream music on a HomePod

The HomePod's primary function is to play music. You can achieve this in a variety of ways with Siri. Consider the following scenario:

• Hey Siri, play the new Taylor Swift album.
• Hey Siri, play some upbeat music.
• Hey Siri, play some classic rock.
• Hey Siri, play the Frozen soundtrack.

If you use Apple Music, you can also have Siri play your "own radio station." “Hey Siri, play some music,” is all you have to say. This will play a mix of music from your music library, as well as songs you've enjoyed in the past and some similar tracks. It's a good approach to listen to music when you're not sure what you want to hear.

How to send audio to a HomePod via AirPlay

But what if you want to listen to music on your iPhone or via a different app, like Spotify? You can stream music to the HomePod because it is an AirPlay speaker. Start listening to music and then tap the round AirPlay icon at the bottom of the play screen. You'll see something like this; select the speaker(s) you want to listen to the music via. I'm streaming music from my iPhone to my living room's HomePod.

Because I don't want Siri on my HomePods, I choose music on my iPhone or iPad and then stream it to the HomePod this way.

Another option is to start playing music on your iPhone and then bring it within a few inches of the HomePod; the audio will be "handed off" to the HomePod and streamed from that speaker.

Note that the AirPlay interface in the above screenshot allows you to play music and stream to many speakers, so if you have multiple HomePods or other AirPlay speakers, simply tap each one to pick it.

You can tell Siri to pause or restart music, skip tracks, and change the volume while listening to music on a homepage. Even when the music is loud, the HomePod appears to have a remarkable ability to hear commands. You can make use of the following resources:

• Hey Siri, next song.
• Hey Siri, make it louder.
• Hey Siri, set the volume to 50%.
• Hey Siri, stop.

There are numerous other Siri commands for music available; read this Apple paper for more information.

How to play podcasts and other audio on HomePod

You may also instruct Siri to play podcasts on the HomePod: "Hey Siri, play Fresh Air." Say, "Hey Siri, what's in the news today?" if you want to hear the news. You can ask Siri to play a specific news source, such as "Hey Siri, play NPR News" or "Hey Siri, play sports news."

Rain, stream, forest, ocean, white noise, fireplace, and night are some of the ambient noises that the HomePod can play. To have a calm background, say, "Hey Siri, play forest noises."

How to control your home with HomePod

Everything you can do with Siri on an iPhone or iPad is now available on the HomePod, including controlling smart home devices. If you have smart lights set up in the Home app, for example, you can instruct Siri to turn them on or off:

• Hey Siri, turn on the living room lights.
• Hey Siri, turn off the outdoor light.

Any HomeKit device may be controlled by Siri; for more information on the Home app and Siri, read this Apple document.

You can even utilize your HomePod as a HomeKit hub, as we stated in another blog recently:

Automate and secure your house using Apple HomeKit.

Personal requests: Using HomePod as a virtual assistant

The HomePod can also manage "personal requests," like messages, reminders, contacts, calendars, and notes. Personal Requests must be enabled in the settings to use this function; see the second screenshot above.

Reminders are a Siri tool that I use frequently. When I'm cooking and need to remember something, I ask Siri to remind me. “Hey Siri, remind me to check the oven in 20 minutes,” I tell her.

Siri, on the other hand, is capable of much more. Some instances are as follows:

• Hey Siri, read my unread messages.
• Hey Siri, send a message to Angela, saying that I’ll be ten minutes late for our appointment.
• Hey Siri, add cardamom to my shopping list.
• Hey Siri, add a note called “Things to fix,” and Hey Siri, add “Replace kitchen light bulbs” to my “Things to fix” note.
• Hey Siri, what’s on my calendar today?

You can also use timers, which are very useful in the kitchen. Set a timer for three minutes by saying, "Hey Siri, set a timer for three minutes." Your boiled eggs will be perfect.

Also, set alarms for Siri to get you up in the morning. “Hey Siri, set an alarm for 6:30 a.m.” Say "Hey Siri, snooze" if you don't want to get out of bed straight immediately.

See this Apple document for more information on using Siri on the HomePod.

How to make and answer phone calls on the HomePod

The HomePod can't make phone calls by itself, but it can be used as a speakerphone if you have your iPhone nearby. Say, "Hey Siri, answer the phone," and you'll be able to talk to your correspondent. Say "Hey Siri, hang up" or tap the top of the HomePod after you're done.

If you have a contact called Max, you can say, "Hey Siri, call Max," or you can read out a phone number by saying, "Hey Siri, call 555-1247."

As you can see, the HomePod is not just a terrific way to listen to music, but it's also a great way to use Siri. Learn how to use its various functions to make your day go more smoothly.