If you already have a HomePod or are thinking of buying one, you should know that it is much more than just a speaker. Whether it is the large model or the HomePod mini, these have Siri integrated, which gives it a very interesting extra feature. And yes, we already know that Apple’s assistant doesn’t work very well sometimes, but in this post we review 12 features in which it is very useful.
You can get the most out of your HomePod
These tricks that we are going to tell you are not unknown, far from it, but for the most novice with these speakers they can be very helpful. In fact, although there are many more, they are what we consider to be essentials to get the most out of HomePod.
- learn spelling just by saying “Hey Siri, how do you spell…?”. The wizard will start to spell it so you can write it correctly,
- Translate into many languages, either from Spanish or vice versa. The assistant speaks more and more languages and will be able to translate both independent words and phrases.
- listen to the news most important of the day just by asking. What it will do is play a podcast from a popular newscast in your area.
- Play a radio station just by asking. It supports both local and national stations as well as some from abroad. All this is done through Apple Music, a platform on which these stations are also hosted.
- “Who is the guitarist of this group?” is a very interesting question that you can ask the HomePod when a song is playing and you want to know information about the band. It can also tell you the vocalist or the drummer. Although unfortunately it does not contain the information of all the groups.
- Know what song is playing in the purest Shazam style. If a song is playing on another device, you can ask Siri to tell you what song is playing, and Siri will tell you.
- Set it up as a Mac or Apple TV speaker through the settings of these. In the case of Apple TV, you should know that from the 2021 model it is possible to configure one or more HomePods as an output source not only for the player, but for any other content on the television.
- Make the shopping listhaving only to create a list in reminders called “Shopping” and then using Siri on HomePod saying things like “Hey Siri, add carrots to the shopping list”.
- create notes that are synchronized with the rest of the devices by simply saying “Hey Siri, create a note that says…”.
- Control all home automation, as long as it is compatible with HomeKit. It is one of the most classic functions of these devices and yet many are unaware of it.
- Make calls or send text messages just by asking. Very useful when you do not have the iPhone at hand and want to contact someone.
- Change the voice of the assistant from the Home app by going to HomePod Settings > Siri Voice. You can choose a male or female voice, but also in different Spanish accents.
