HomePods Software 17.4 adds new default media service feature
Rather than having to assign a default, HomePod will now automatically launch the user’s preferred app for music, podcasts, and audiobooks for the relevant Siri command with the incoming 17.4 update.
According to a Threads post from user @mahmoudzitani, the HomePod Software 17.4 RC removes the default service menu from the Home app in favor of a more automatic solution. Apple says Siri will learn your preferred media service for music, audiobooks, and podcasts.
Users have been able to sign into apps like Pandora and set them as the default destination for music commands. Or, if the app is signed in, the user could give a command that ends with “on Pandora.”
That changes with the new update. Now, users sign in to services within the Home app, and Siri learns which app is used for different media and automatically plays from there.
Apple’s solution seems to be an attempt to take some of the manual setup out of users’ hands. However, the ambiguity of the feature and lack of menus for manual control of defaults may frustrate users.
