The latest hardware release from Apple is bringing a major upgrade to home theater setups. The new fourth-generation Apple TV 4K now officially connects with up to four wireless speakers at the same time. This means users can finally position devices in the front-left, front-right, rear-left, and rear-right corners of their viewing area. This layout […]
In a MacVoices After Dark supplemental, members of the panel continue their discussion of Apple’s HomeView and Apple TV announcements. Pricing, functionality, and real-world value are debated as they examine HomeView’s potential as a smart home controller, its limitations compared to an iPad, and possible future capabilities. Apple TV’s higher price raises questions about performance, […]
For years, the HomePod mini has been my go-to speaker for everyday listening at home. It sounds great, looks sleek, and deeply integrates into the Apple ecosystem—all for just $99 (at least back I bought one when it launched). When Apple unveiled the HomePod mini 2 last week, I was tempted to replace my fully functional stereo pair solely to get the new software exclusives, such as Siri AI. That was until I installed the OS 27.2 update, which brings enough of the second-generation experience to the original HomePod mini to minimize my urge to upgrade.
Quite the glow-up
Sound Glow essentially brings the Dynamic Island’s animated waveform to the HomePod. The brand-new feature extracts the most prominent colors in a playing song’s album art and displays them on the HomePod’s touchscreen. The hues dynamically pulsate in sync with the track’s rhythm, reflecting the bass and treble in real time. While it technically doesn’t change how a song sounds, it does make the listening experience significantly more immersive and enjoyable.
I had assumed Apple would restrict Sound Glow to the HomePod mini 2, as my first-generation stereo pair is always within my sight when working, and such a feature would matter to me. The Music app on my Apple TV 4K 3 already provided a similar visualizer on the big screen; having my HomePod minis react with the same palette would contribute to the overall ambience.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Sound Glow is actually supported on all HomePods—excluding the original full-size model. After installing iOS 27.2 on my iPhone and its HomePod equivalent on my speakers, I was able to turn on and use Sound Glow on my 2020 minis just fine. Now they feel significantly more vibrant and energetic when blasting bops on them.
My old HomePod mini is getting new lights and features to match the 2nd-gen model.
Mahmoud Itani / Foundry
Ghost buster
Many users have had to discard their otherwise functional HomePods because of the somewhat widespread phantom touch issue. The flaw repeatedly triggers the affected HomePod’s touchscreen without any user input, pausing/playing music and controlling the volume in a chaotic manner.
The latest OS update fixes the issue with a Lock Controls toggle in the Home app that optionally disables the touchscreen. So, whenever your HomePod starts misbehaving, you can kill touch input altogether and continue to rely on the otherwise functional speaker using voice commands or your iPhone.
Turning a blind AI
While OS 27.2 does not activate Siri AI on my original HomePod minis, the feature is arguably inessential in this context. The classic Siri generally works well for basic audio playback commands, and I tend to have longer, more complicated conversations with Siri AI using the keyboard on my iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Plus, the new HomePod mini 2 sells for $149, so upgrading my stereo pair would cost me another $300. It would make more sense to maintain my current HomePod setup and instead buy a HomeView for a similar price. This would unlock Siri AI and provide an always-on display as a bonus. Until Apple releases a meaningful upgrade, I will continue to rely on my trusty 6-year-old HomePod minis without a problem.
HomePod Software and iOS 27.2 will launch to the general public next week—potentially on Monday, October 26—with the Sound Glow and Lock Controls features. To try them early, you can sign up for Apple’s beta program and download the Release Candidate builds currently available.
Apple is rolling out a software update that gives your smart speaker a bit more personality. The new Sound Glow feature turns the top touch surface of your Apple HomePod into a colorful light show based on whatever music or podcast you are playing. Instead of a basic white light, the speaker now pulls two […]
Apple’s new HomePod mini 2 and Apple TV 4K spark debate over pricing, surround sound capabilities, compatibility, and the value of upgrading. The MacVoices Live! panel examines Apple’s premium streaming experience, compares competing devices from Roku and Amazon, and disagree about whether new features justify higher costs. Storage, performance, advertising, and smart TV privacy concerns round out a discussion of the latest iteration of Apple’s home entertainment strategy.
Apple today announced HomePod mini 2, featuring Siri AI, gorgeous new colors, and enhanced audio experiences. Siri AI, coming to HomePod mini 2 in a future software update, is a profoundly more capable and conversational assistant with personal context understanding, broad world knowledge that powers tasks like richer music discovery, and the ability to tap into even more apps — bringing a whole new level of capability to HomePod mini.
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With Sound Glow, the top of HomePod mini transforms into a visual canvas that glows and pulses in sync with the music, reacting in real time to bass and treble.
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Sound Recognition gives HomePod mini users peace of mind by listening for a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm and, if one is detected, sending a notification immediately to the user’s iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.
The price has increased from $99 to $149. Our HomePod is placed high enough that the top isn’t visible, anyway. I assume it still can’t play all my purchased music.
Among its smart home product announcements on Tuesday, Apple announced the new HomePod mini 2, priced at $149 and powered by an S10 chip (introduced in the Apple Watch Series 10). Curiously, its banner feature—support for Siri AI—will not be available when the product ships on October 30.
According to Apple, Siri AI will come to the HomePod mini 2 “in a future software update.” When it does, Apple’s press release hints that it will be able to tap into personal context when paired with an Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone or iPad. When there’s no such device available, it’ll still have access to broader Siri AI functionality, but won’t have access to the treasure trove of data that rides with your device.
Of course, since home accessories are the order of the day, Apple has touted the HomePod mini 2’s integration with the broader home experience. Like its predecessor, you can use it to control home devices via voice commands. Apple’s also supporting a new four-speaker surround sound setup, when four HomePod minis are connected to the new Apple TV 4K.
Apple also continues to tinker with that little glowing circle at the top of the HomePod, that’s not quite a display but is… something. The new Sound Glow feature turns it into a visualizer that is based on the sound of the currently playing song, and its color scheme will match the song’s associated album art.
In a post by Greg Joswiak on X and email to creators and media outlets, Apple has said it will hold an ‘Experience’ in Tribeca, New York on Tuesday, October 13 at 09:00 am Eastern.
Speculation and rumors have circulated for months that a home hub product is imminent. The latest reports from Mark Gurman suggest it will sit on a semi-circular base reminiscent of an iMac G4 and control your HomeKit devices, incorporates SiriAI, and uses voice and facial recognition to identify with whom it is interacting. There have also been rumors that a new HomePod mini and Apple TV 4K may be launched. The ‘Welcome home’ tagline of the event certainly seems to suggest the announcements will be HomeKit-related.
As always, MacStories will be covering the event, so stop by next Tuesday for all the news.
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