Apple’s iOS 17 release will open up new voice control options for users of the company’s HomePod speakers.
Until now, the HomePod has been tougher to recommend for people outside of the Apple Music ecosystem because Siri controls only support the home team and a few select others.
That is going to change in iOS 17 with the company leveraging the AirPlay tech to give Siri access to other third-party apps that are installed on the user’s iPhone and iPad.
So, effectively, HomePod owners could ask Siri to play content from Spotify with the content coming directly from the iPhone/iPad rather than being streamed independently. Apps that do have native support will continue to play directly from the cloud, but this is a good way to get around the limitations.
Apple teased this functionality at WWDC 2023 earlier this month and now 9to5Mac has delved deeper into the possibility. Effectively, it means the HomePod is about to get far more useful for non-Apple Music subscribers.
“Once HomePod processes a request, a SiriKit intent is sent to the iPhone, where Siri starts your app and AirPlays content back to the speaker,” Apple explains. In other words, Siri on the HomePod will use your iPhone to automatically play what you have requested via AirPlay,” a support document reads.
So, while Spotify doesn’t have an app for the HomePod, its iPhone/iPad app does support the SiriKit API, making it quite a handy workaround if you love the idea of having a HomePod to join your home entertainment line-up (perhaps with an Apple TV), but don’t want to ditch Spotify or Tidal, for instance.
Might this update convince you to grab a HomePod mini or HomePod (2nd Gen) or two? Let us know @trustedreviews on Twitter.
