5 HomePod Shortcuts and Hacks

Zachary Amos, Contributor

Investing in the HomePod or HomePod Mini is a no-brainer for smart home enthusiasts and Apple collectors. The HomePod has versatility and customization options, making it shine within a suite of other Apple products. Here are some of the best shortcuts and hacks for the HomePod that will increase the value and experience in no time.

1.  Review HomeKit Compatible Devices

If you’re building a smart home and want your HomePod to be the hub, you’ll need to do some research. Everyone knows a virtual assistant can connect to smart devices to perform home actions, but the real hack is using HomePod as a reference for what to buy in the future.

You can connect HomePod to other smart devices like lights and outlets. However, they must  have HomeKit compatibility for Siri voice commands to execute. If you already have smart home tech, cross-reference with the list to see what will work with HomePod and what won’t — this shouldn’t be an issue, as the list has relatively endless expansion potential.

2.  Double Up for Stereo Sound

The high-quality speakers work better in pairs because you can get a fuller, all-encompassing audio experience. With two HomePods or Minis, you must place them close to each other — it should work so long as they’re in the same room together. Then, set up stereo pair by going to the Home app and selecting “Create Stereo Pair.” The option should be there automatically.

Choosing the correct placement will level up any living room into a professional movie theater. However, other regular operations, like asking for news updates or sending texts, will only come from a single HomePod instead of both.

3.  Set Up Spotify

Music fans with a HomePod probably saw this coming — the assistant’s standard settings only allow users to stream music through Apple clients, like iTunes or iCloud libraries. However, restrictions like this don’t stop Spotify fans from finding workarounds.

You may not be able to ask Siri to play or control Spotify with voice commands, but you can use AirPlay as a loophole. Open Spotify on any Apple device from Macs to iPads, search “Devices Available” and “More Devices” until you find your HomePod — connected to the same Wi-Fi as your phone — and select it to begin jamming. Additionally, you can restrict who has access to AirPlay to the HomePod, just in case you don’t want other household members to ruin a perfect playlist.

You can also find third-party applications that convert Spotify content to formats you can import into Apple clients. Running this extra mile will net you Siri functionality with a Spotify library.

4.  Automate Your Life With Shortcuts

The Shortcuts app was one of the most revolutionary aspects of the iOS 12 release — it gave Apple users Automations and customization options never-before-seen on an Apple device.

Every Shortcut and Automation you have scripted in your iPhone or iPad can work seamlessly with the HomePod.

Here are some prevalent examples of script examples that amplify value the value of HomePod with voice commands:

• Sending emails to yourself as
• Set activity-specific timers like focusing or cardio or reminders to perform these actions
• Send preset texts, such as to a boss, if you’re running behind for a
• Ask Siri to read the top headlines from your preferred publication every morning at a set time.

 

5.  Ask “What’s My Update?”

Most users find HomePods extra useful because they can get calendar reminders or ask Siri how far away work is that day with traffic. Apple noticed how HomePod users were getting the most out of the device and combined these user questions into one feature called What’s My Update.

This feature lets people ask Siri several requests and combines all of the answers. What’s My Update is customizable, and it provides the following:

• Weather report
• Calendar appointments
• Commute and other travel estimates
• Reminders
• News briefs

Make sure to enable Location Settings to get full functionality from this feature. Get extra bang for your buck if you set this up as an Automation to occur every day when you wake up.

Programming a Personalized, Automated HomePod

Apple is known for gradual feature expansion, so there’s certainly more in store for the HomePod with future updates and versions. Right now, Apple fans can experiment with shortcuts to test the limits of a virtual assistant that seamlessly integrates with other Apple hardware. These hacks and customization abilities make the HomePod an ideal option when choosing the right virtual assistant.

Tags: Homepod

Categorised in: Technology Information

This post was written by Megabite