Hmm, need to make a decision. Also need John Lewis to reduce the full size HomePod to £199 again.
Poll: ** The Official Apple HomePod/HomePod mini thread **
- Thread starter Feek
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Not that I’ve noticed - We’ve now got four minis and a stereo pair of the originals and if any of the family call, he always responds. If we say “Hey Siri, who am I?” He identifies us correctly.
It won't work, you'll plug it in, the top will flash red and it'll look angry.
The one in my office is powered by a generic multi usb-c block but I’ve used the official supplied power supplies with all the other ones I’ve got.
No, not at all but if you're not going to use it to actually play music then get a mini, not the full size one.
I don't think there's a single room in my house now apart from the bathroom that doesn't have a HomePod of some kind.
It can fill my kitchen with sound. My kitchen is also pretty small.
I've got two of the full size ones and if they were to drop down to £199 again, I'd buy another one tomorrow. This is a real shame.
My mini in the office is so good, I wouldn't be without it now. I have an automation set in HomeKit so when I say "hey Siri, wake up the office" from anywhere in the house, it turns on the power socket for the desk, switches the light on if the ambient level is below whatever I've got it set to and starts playing Boom radio through the HomePod mini. It never loses connection throughout the day and I've got it configured so it always comes on at just the right volume.
The only places in the house without some kind of HomePod now are the bathroom, the entrance hallway and the landing.
The only places in the house without some kind of HomePod now are the bathroom, the entrance hallway and the landing.
If you’re in one room and ask it to play, it’ll only play in the room you’re in. You can add other rooms and it’ll be in perfect sync.
Whichever hears your voice the loudest. I can stand in our hallway and be in range of a stereo pair of full size HomePods and two HomePod minis. Depending on which way I project my voice, I can predict which one will respond.
Yes it will.
"Hey Siri play virgin radio from tunein please" works.
It's not, really. It's just like any woman, you need to know how to speak to her
You won't get one now for £200 but previously, John Lewis had it on sale from time to time for £199.
I never fail to be impressed by the audio quality of the full size HomePod, stick something on, wind the volume up a tad and it sounds great. It certainly wasn't a miss due to the audio quality.
Just tried and I got the same song.
So I tried this.
"Hey Siri, play Virgin Radio UK from Tunein"
And it worked.
Like any woman, she changes her mind about things and gets stroppy if you don't get it just right
I've not noticed that - I have the HomePod mini in my office playing Boom Radio all day from when I get in until I finish for the day and I'd spot it if this were to happen.
The latest HomePod software is available.
Some of the new stuff.
- Select a single or pair of HomePod mini as the default speakers for your Apple TV 4K for rich room-filling sound and clear dialogue.
- Media playback controls automatically appear on your iPhone’s Lock Screen when a HomePod mini playing music is nearby
- Set a lower bass level to enjoy music without disturbing the neighbors
- Ask Siri to turn on your Apple TV, start playing a favorite movie, and control playback while you watch
- Siri automatically adjusts its speaking level based on the room environment and volume of the user - GOOD GOOD GOOD!
- Ask Siri to control smart home devices at a specific time like turning off the lights in 10 minutes
- Extend access to HomePod throughout your home by enabling Siri voice control on compatible HomeKit accessories
- Support for package detection with HomeKit Secure Video
Some of the new stuff.
- Select a single or pair of HomePod mini as the default speakers for your Apple TV 4K for rich room-filling sound and clear dialogue.
- Media playback controls automatically appear on your iPhone’s Lock Screen when a HomePod mini playing music is nearby
- Set a lower bass level to enjoy music without disturbing the neighbors
- Ask Siri to turn on your Apple TV, start playing a favorite movie, and control playback while you watch
- Siri automatically adjusts its speaking level based on the room environment and volume of the user - GOOD GOOD GOOD!
- Ask Siri to control smart home devices at a specific time like turning off the lights in 10 minutes
- Extend access to HomePod throughout your home by enabling Siri voice control on compatible HomeKit accessories
- Support for package detection with HomeKit Secure Video
What isn't Siri doing that you want? This sort of statement needs quantifying...
We've got HomePods in every room (except the bathroom) and to give an example of the sort of things that Siri is used for daily.
All commands naturally prefixed by "Hey Siri"
First thing in the morning
"What's my update?" - Gives me anything in my calendar for the day then plays the news.
"What's the weather forecast?"
"Fourbed" - This kicks off a Siri shortcut that plays Radio 4 in the bedroom
"Wake up the office" - Runs an automation that turns on the power to my office, plays Boom Radio on the HomePod and turns the light on if it's needed
"Countdown 90 minute dough timer" - Sets a timer for proving my dough. Then when it goes in the oven later
"Countdown 15 minutes" "countdown 30 minutes" - Sets the two timers so I know when to turn the oven temperature down
"Text my wife" - I texted Mrs. Feek yesterday to ask her to pick up my prescription on the way home
"Play xxx" play some specific music in the room I was in at lunchtime
"Tell me a joke" - For the lols, some are actually decent
"Is it going to rain this afternoon?" - I had washing to dry. In the end, it went in the tumble dryer because it rained
We use timers regularly when cooking.
"Switch on the front room Apple TV" - Pretty self explanatory
"Who is Lucy Beaumont?" - We were watching House of Games and I wondered who the doris with the whiney Hull accent was.
"Lumos" - Turns on the light in the front room
"Nox" - Turns off the light in the front room
"Lumos the back bedroom" - Turns on the light in the back bedroom
"Good night" - Runs an automation that turns off the lights in the landing, shack and bedroom and plays something on the bedroom HomePod
Yes, sometimes Siri mishears what you say and you get strange music playing but that's the same for all voice assistant things. Siri was pretty poor when it was first released but it's come along in leaps and bounds. It's not perfect but it's far from being absolute rubbish. I love that he can identify who's speaking so if I ask him to play music, he plays stuff I'll like, rather than some gash that the kids like.
Just tried it again.
"Hey Siri, play Virgin Radio UK from Tunein"
"Here's Virgin Radio UK provided by Tunein"
It works. Every time.
You should be perfectly good, we've got six minis and a stereo pair of full size ones - I've got multiple zones set up and one of the great things is being able to play exactly the same thing on all the speakers and have them playing exactly in sync.