On every post I’ve read related to the new HomePod surround feature, I’ve been seeing the same comments repeated over and over, something along the lines of “this is a big waste of money and you should just get an AVR”. Huge news flash to these people: not everyone wants a dedicated AVR setup, let alone even a higher-end soundbar system like a Sonos Arc/Samsung Q990.

Most people have their primary TV in a living/family room, and don’t want a big honking AVR under their TV with speaker wire and speakers all over the room. Even the higher-end soundbar systems are not the most aesthetically pleasing, just big black plastic boxes all over your room, and a lot of people don’t want all these “techie” items strewn about their homes. There’s already a market for “better than TV audio, but won’t ruin my aesthetic” like the Samsung HW-S800 slim soundbar, and HomePods fit that exact same category as they can blend much more seamlessly into existing decor than existing solutions.

Will 4x HomePods sound as good as a dedicated AVR/high-end soundbar system? Absolutely not, but they don’t have to. There’s absolutely a market for something to exist between the rock-bottom quality of TV speakers and a “proper” surround setup with an AVR and dedicated physical speakers for all channels. So just a friendly reminder: not everyone has a dedicated theater room, and different solutions can exist for different people’s priorities.

I’m 41, and I have no idea what it’s like to have a proper home theatre. 😅 never had one, never tried it either.

Is it worth spending 1.5k on 2 HomePods, 2 HomePod minis, and the new Apple TV?

I currently watch movies on my MacBook Pro with my AirPods and listen to music on my AirPods Pro 3, and I’m perfectly okay/(happy?) with both.

But the real question is: am I missing out on something amazing by not having a proper home theatre setup? Is the experience really that much better?

First, Sound Glow and the new lock controls are nice additions. But what really caught my attention is the sound itself. The audio feels fuller, and the bass seems to hit harder than before. The difference is quite noticeable, at least to my ears.

Could Apple be preparing the HomePod for the quad-HomePod cinematic experience by enhancing the sound?

Also, something I haven’t seen anyone mention yet: there’s now a toggle to turn the Siri sound and light on or off! A small addition, but a welcome one.

Has anyone else noticed the difference in sound after updating to OS 27.2?

Isn’t there another event in October? Hopefully then 🤞🏻

Here’s the splash screen for Home Theater on iPhone.

You’ll use Apple TV to set up and calibrate your surround setup. iPhone will offer to open Apple TV Remote to continue.

When paired with HomePod (2nd generation), HomePod mini 2 speakers can only serve as rear speakers.

This screen doesn’t ship in iOS 27.2 beta 4, but was added by Apple in an iPhone Duo simulator.

With Siri Ai, idk if I should really invest in another pair of second gen which is pretty expensive here (500usd each) and gen 3 will get released on February with better sound and all the Ai features. I don’t really care about the Ai but better sound for sure! And they will definitely update the HomePod to 3rd gen soon enough as the second gen is going to be the only device that has the dumb siri.

Moreover, I already have 2 first-gen and 2 second gen HomePod, like them for what they are. I rarely use the first gens, i wished Apple could make them work as surrounds but now I gotta sell them to get the new devices.

...But maybe offering a wall-mount version with less-audio fidelity is why they didn't actually name it HomePod touch.. But man, that makes so much more sense in an Apple ecosystem than HomeView. Someone at apple is starting to humor the letter V.

Either way, I don’t know if this has already been posted, recently or ever before. I didn't even search. I just made this image and thought "I must share this now and ask opinions on what everyone else thinks a better name would be"

That commercial was very surreal. Why did Apple remove it?

Can't find on YT due to strong copyright ID claims.

Thought this might be interesting to some people here.
My dad has been working on something called AutoStream. I’m his son and wanted to share it around a bit because I think it’s genuinely pretty cool, especially for people who like physical music but use HomePods around the house.
Basically, it lets you connect a turntable, CD player or pretty much any analogue audio source to a Raspberry Pi and stream the audio directly to HomePods/AirPlay speakers.
The part I like is that you don’t need to get your phone out or leave an iPhone/iPad running. You can just put a record on or press play on the CD player and it automatically detects the audio and starts streaming. When you’re finished, it stops automatically too.
He’s even built it directly into an old Technics turntable and a vintage CD player, so from the outside they’re basically just normal old-school Hi-Fi equipment that happens to connect wirelessly to HomePods.
It supports multiple AirPlay speakers/stereo pairs, runs locally on your network, and doesn’t require an account, cloud service or subscription.
He’s released the software for free for personal use as well, so anyone who likes messing around with Raspberry Pis/Hi-Fi stuff can build one themselves.
Not trying to pretend this is my project, I just think my dad made something pretty sick and I’d like to get it in front of some people who’d actually appreciate it.
Website/build info if anyone wants to look:
lo-tech . co . uk / autostream
(remove the spaces)

I didn’t know what it was at first, I had to do some research lol with that being said, what do YOU use your HomePod for? What cool things can I do with it?

Edit: Yes it works perfectly ! :D

I’ve had a HomePod for multiple years and I 99% use it for white noise. I just pick my go to white noise track from
Apple Music and put it on single repeat.

Since the update, every time any white noise track loops back it either increases in volume for a few seconds, does and audible crackle or both.

I had never had this happen before, and I have this thing running 24/7 with white noise. Now I hear the crackle and volume uptick every 3 or so minutes.

My solution right now is to find a white noise track that last multiple hours so I hear the “loop” less often but almost very white noise track offered by Apple Music is around 3 minutes long. They’ve sabotage their whole wellness section on Apple Music imo.

Anyone else experience this?

I’m planning to use the new Apple TV 4K (2026) with two HomePod 2s in front and two HomePod mini 2s in the rear.
Will I get true surround sound with separate rear channels and Dolby Atmos when gaming on my PS5 via HDMI eARC, or will it only output stereo?
Has Apple confirmed this yet?

https://x.com/BetaProfiles/status/2112604349256147002?s=20

I’ve always wondered why Apple hasn’t pushed the Apple TV and HomePod integration further. You can pair two HomePods for “Dolby Atmos,” but let’s be honest, it’s not real Atmos. It sounds good, but it’s still just a virtual front soundstage.

Why not let us build an actual 5.1 or 7.1 surround setup using multiple HomePods and even HomePod minis? They could use the built-in mics on each speaker to detect placement, auto-calibrate EQ, and adjust the sound based on your room. It would be super seamless and totally something Apple could pull off.

Feels like such a missed opportunity since they already have the hardware and ecosystem to make it happen. Would you guys use something like that if Apple added it?

I currently use a HomePod mini as a TV speaker and really like it. I was planning to get a pair of the new HomePods when they come out, but if the rumors are true that they aren't launching this month, I'm reconsidering.

Would I be missing out on much if I just buy a pair of the upcoming HomePod mini instead?

Apple Music sound quality is excellent -and consistent- in both lossless and Atmos tracks; Airplay and Handoff reliability has been considerable improved, and Siri is giving me answers about a wide range of topics instead of telling me that she has sent the answer to my phone.

Lastly, the Homepods as Apple TV speakers are greatly improved as well, with a higher maximum volume, and a fuller, rounder, and overall more impactful sound.

The update itself took two and a half hours to download and install, though. The installation part in particular took longer than any homepod update in recent memory. My advice is that you let it be and go on about your day.

Hi everyone, I've been an Apple user since the iPhone 3 and have generally loved their products. But, I've got to say, the HomePod has been a huge letdown for me. It's been nothing but trouble since I got it.

First off, it just won't stay connected. I've lost count of how many times it has disconnected on its own. And the sound? It's so inconsistent. One moment it's fine, the next it's either gone or just poor quality.

Another big issue is its reliance on Wi-Fi. If your Wi-Fi is down, forget about using the HomePod. This lack of versatility is really frustrating.

I've never been this annoyed with an Apple product before. I'm starting to regret my purchase. Is anyone else experiencing these issues? Or am I the only one feeling this way about the HomePod?

Edit: I have fast wifi, 1000 Mbps

Am I crazy or does everything sounds better on audioOS 27? Clearer, better midrange, a tad louder. Also noticeable when the Homepods are set as the default speakers of an Apple TV 4K even if the Apple TV itself is still on tvOS 26.6

Hey everyone. This group is what made me go with dual HomePods, it was an investment but I absolutely do not regret going this route. I see a gen 2 mini is set to come out, I am curious would 2 mini’s in stereo compliment 2 HomePods in stereo or would that be overkill?

I think the HomePods would be perfect if they had a built in equalizer like AirPods, even something simple like that. They are pretty balanced but some audio feels pretty bass heavy after awhile and thats where I’m considering the minis to add more balance to the set up.

Anyone?

I bought 3 HomePods, all at the same time in 2021, all three have broken within 2 months of each other with the ghost touch failure. All the exact same issues.

Meaning I have to now repurchase 3 more HomePods as they’re designed to not be taken apart as well. (I know there are ways).

Coincidence or by design?

So it is my understanding that HomePod is using the “old” version of Siri, pre-Apple Intelligence. It will remain that way because the chipsets are not capable. The “new” Siri still kind of sucks, but it’s way better than the “old” Siri.

I might disable Siri on all HomePod and only use mobile devices with Apple Intelligence. Any thoughts from the community? How do you cope or remedy the poor performance of “old” Siri?

After updating my HomePod Gen 2 to HomePod Software 27, it is no longer able to connect to my WiFi. My 2 HomePod minis on 26.6 continue to work fine and I’m not going to risk updating them until I get the big one working.

I suspect this has something to do with a bug in the new software somehow breaking support for modern WiFi networks. I have a WiFi 7 network with 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz merged into one SSID, and in WPA3 Compatibility mode. If anyone else runs into this issue, leave a comment with the generation and security mode your network is set to.

If I’m right then I’m sure there will be lots more reports of this in the coming days as the new software is rolled out widely.

I tried factory resetting, but it wouldn’t reset because the HomePod couldn’t connect to the internet. Mine has a broken touch panel (of course), so I couldn’t manually reset either. I was able to get it to reset by turning off my WiFi access point and renaming my phone to the SSID of my WiFi and setting the personal hotspot password to match as well, and turned on maximum compatibility. After restarting the HomePod it eventually reset automatically after 5-10mins. Now that it’s reset, the pairing process fails when trying to set up the WiFi network (shocker).

Edit: For anyone providing advice on how to fix this, I already have the HomePod connected to a (hopefully temporary) dedicated 5GHz WPA2 network. I’m just trying to see if anyone else is experiencing the same issue so that Apple can fix it if it’s not isolated.