35 HomePod Tips You Need to Know!

Here are over 35 tips and tricks to get more out of your HomePod. These Tips will help you with your music, smart home, calendars, notes, messages, calls, Apple TV sound and much more. These tips work for both the HomePod and HomePod mini.
🍿 HomePod vs HomePod Mini? Watch THIS Before You BUY! - • HomePod vs HomePod Min...
🍿 Top 10 Everyday Uses for the HomePod Mini! - • Top 10 Everyday Uses f...
🍿 Better TV Sound with HomePods! - • Better TV Sound with H...
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CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:12 1. Personal Request
01:16 2. Requesting Music
02:00 3. Adding Songs to Playlist
02:18 4. Volume Controls
02:48 5. Touch Controls
03:16 6. Navigating with Time
03:33 7. Control with iPhone
04:04 8. Moving Music
04:23 9. Create Zones
04:49 10. Hand off
05:27 11. AirPlay
06:07 12. Quick Recalibration
06:26 13. Stereo Pair
06:54 14. Pair with Apple TV
07:37 15. Using Alarms
08:01 16. Ambient Sounds
08:08 17. Multiple Timers
08:46 18. Intercom
09:23 19. News Updates
09:44 20. Find My Phone
10:17 21. Create Notes
10:36 22. Shared Reminder List
11:22 23. Calendar Events
11:58 24. Messages
12:39 25. Make & Receive Calls
12:58 26. Change Siri’s Voice
13:21 27. Audible Alerts
13:40 28. Stop Listening
14:19 29. Update HomePods
14:41 30. Reset HomePod
15:09 31. Use Automations & Scenes
15:31 32. Use Shortcuts
16:08 33. Lights on and off
16:43 34. Do something later
17:07 35. Room Temperature
17:51 36. Doorbell Chime
18:11 37. Sound Detection
#craigstechtalk

[@steve-ey4ol]

36 NOW !!!!! KZbin music now officially a default music service on the HomePod as of today 🎉🎉🎉

[@CraigsTechTalk]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing. It is good to see more options coming. Now if Spotify would deliver.

[@steve-ey4ol]

Spotify overrated - KZbin music 100 times better and more for your money than Spotify

[@SWOTHDRA]

​@@steve-ey4ol🧢

[@simonroyjonesuk]

This is the best homepod video. I've used every tip here and now gone completely homepod for my home audio (previously had a mix with Alexa and Google in different rooms). So nice to see a video that helps you get the best out of the kit you own. Thanks for making my purchases more valuable and enjoyable.

[@Dr_Cole]

Great video, Craig. I used verbal commands on my HomePods at least 30-50 times per day, but I’ll still forget commands. These videos help ensure I am being efficient. Two commands I like. 1: “How many home accessories are connected?” Will have Siri give you the synopsis. Just don’t do that when the wife is around, especially if she heard it three days ago but somehow 27 items less…. 2: “thanks, Siri” now has a wider array of replies and helps ensure the robots will think of you as a nice human when they take over. Bonus: “Open the pod bay doors” has a massive array of funny replies.

[@jsikke]

Great video. Thanks! I'd like to add rather than saying "Siri, lights on/off", you can just say "Siri, lights" and it will toggle the light(s) in that room.

[@Canadian_Living_in_Mexico]

Love your videos and appreciate that you use chapters. i go back to specific chapters after i watch your video to learn more in depth about a feature or topic.

[@MrDingleberry31]

Really nice video here. Learned a few new ones as well as how to get to some settings I didn’t realize i could access. Thanks!

[@PlantBasedPietro]

Thanks Craig!!! As always such a great tech video. I am ordering a pair of minis this week for my apple tv in my living room so this tutorial will come in handy!!! :)

[@nottoxicD2]

Perfect timing! I just ordered my HomePod 2 this past Friday. My OG HomePod has held up great, will be 4 years old this Black Friday. Got another newer unit to cover another room. Curious if the newer hardware and tweaks to the internals will make any noticeable differences. Love the addition of temperature and humidity sensors.

[@markwilkins9048]

Great video, thank you. The biggest problem/complaint I have is when I am in the house with my iPhone and Home Pod,,,,I can’t control which device responds to “Hey Siri.” Image 2 iPhones, 2 iPads and a HomePod in the living room,,,Lol. I realize you can disable the “Hey Siri” on your phone and iPad,,,but then you have to remember to enable when you leave the house. I wish there was a way to create a default when multiple devices are present.

[@ChicGeek222]

This video made me a Subscriber! 🤩Awesome information, thank you!

[@CraigsTechTalk]

Thank you very much🙏 I am glad it was helpful for you. Thank you for sticking around and for watching.

[@RonaldBrown59]

Great tip for the Homepod, thanks for sharing.

[@CraigsTechTalk]

Thank you very much. 🙏 I am glad it was useful. Thanks for watching.

[@iGageit]

Great Job Craig! I use Siri all the time and I didn’t know some of these features you mentioned

[@WebVid]

Extremely helpful. Thank you.

[@CraigsTechTalk]

Thank you🙏 That is great to hear. have a great day

[@ronm6585]

Thanks Craig.

[@curtispazarjr4985]

great review!!!!!

[@BreakTime10101]

Great video. Have you figured out yet how many HomePods you can stream to at once?

[@thewordman1]

Great video sir. Lots of great tips. I do have a question regarding HomePod Mini and iPhone. Let's say I am listening to some music on the HomePod. My iPhone rings. Is there a way to have the HomePod automatically reduce its volume since there is an inbound call or if the call is answered? This would be similar to when you are in your car, your phone is wirelessly attached to the head unit and the volume of your audio source lowers when the phone rings. Thanks.

[@devlalvani9662]

We seem to like the same rock genre! Very helpful video. Thank you!

[@simonemancusoperc]

great video!

[@christianhotter]

I was hoping for a new HomePod with a screen for my kitchen and bedroom. I gave up after a couple years and just bought an orange HomePod Mini for kitchen timers and cooking music. I guess I could have gotten a MagSafe dock and use my phone with iOS 17 features, but it’s easier if everyone uses the same HomePod instead of their own device.

[@bartolaszlo]

Very clever!

[@CraigsTechTalk]

Thank you for watching.

[@jgnmtz]

Lots of great features for HomePod . When I visited my Apple Store and asked if the song playlists , and selecting an artist requires a paid membership they said yes , but it’s only $9.99/mo plus tax (about $145/ year) . I wish it was free with my Amazon prime membership which is now almost $150/yr

[@bryanparker6793]

Do you have a video review of those blinds?

[@tablefrog]

Hi, love your content. Sorry if you’ve already answered this, but do you use Apple Music or Spotify (both)

[@CraigsTechTalk]

Thank you very much 🙏 I use only Apple Music. Spotify doesn’t play with Apple devices as well. Like the HomePods.

[@Guide-Tu]

Would you recommend to get a pair of Ho mePod Mini for best results?

[@FidoTheGoldenRetriever]

Do you recommend Homepod mini as a M1 Mac Mini speaker?

[@SWOTHDRA]

Yes

[@FidoTheGoldenRetriever]

@@SWOTHDRA I actually got Edifier mr4 after some research.

[@SWOTHDRA]

@@FidoTheGoldenRetriever ok

[@astronomyguru9562]

I’ve got some original HomePods, and I noticed the volume has been changing. I used to set the volume at 10% when I went to bed so I could have music playing at a level that I could just barely hear. Now I have to have the volume set at 20% so I can hear it. Is there anyway to recalibrate the loudness? I’ve reset the HomePods several times, and I’ve even moved them around, but no luck.

[@19Jose91]

Disgusting apple doing that like they do with slowing phones

[@bccbear_]

Can anyone help me figure out if you can control Apple TV with Homepod and/or Siri on iPhone (vs using Siri on the TV controller)? I'd like to not have to touch anything to tell the TV to play a show on Netflix, for example. I'm switching from Chromecast and that's something I would miss. I know in the past it hasn't been possible but with recent updates, I am curious. Can't seem to find this answer anywhere.

[@methodicaljuan]

Holy Tish, it only took Apple for ever to get the calibration right. When I first bought my 2 minis, I had a hell of a time pairing them so I quit using them. I’m going to have to dig them out and try again.

[@dardiry1968]

I have a question Why when my friend opens his AirPods box it’s picked up in my iPhone Is it a general problem or does it have a solution? And is this problem in AirTag too?

[@HughJassle]

Stupid question time….I live with a roommate, I would love to do smart lights in my room and use Siri via my HomePod mini to turn on/off except I need to do it through the twist out lights in a fan, do they make smart lights for fans that will run through my HomePod mini? TIA 👍🏻

[@tylerezako9144]

I have a question, can you put the HomePod mini with the HomePod 2 as stereo system?

[@CraigsTechTalk]

No you cannot. They process sound differently and use different speakers. You can't pair a 1st and 2nd gen HomePods together. For the same reason.

[@jrex7486]

Can you get weather notifications on it? For example, the regular rain alerts, temperature details, or emergency alerts if there is a thunderstorm warning or tornado watch?

[@CraigsTechTalk]

No you cannot. There is no weather alerts. Thanks for watching.

[@jrex7486]

@@CraigsTechTalk shoot that really blows. I guess you could try it with using AirPlay. other than that this thing is pretty sick.

[@billligon4005]

How do we know if this thing is listening to conversation to determine what we'll buy so it can send information about that?

[@CraigsTechTalk]

Personally I have never received any weird emails or sales stuff after 6 years of using both Amazon and Apple. But my wife has had bizarre emails and has asked the same question. Was this thing listening? Everytime I ask if Facebook is running in the background on her phone. Facebook is the one I would worry about. I never use it on my phone and never had weird things happen. Plus my wife’s name and email aren’t tied to any of these devices. Mine is.

[@MrBass89]

Definitely as Craig mentioned Facebook/instagram are the one s collecting data. From my experience you talk about something and it will be shown as soon you go into either of them.

[@wozzle68]

Is it possible to set up a timer and save it to the homepod or in homekit then run it by just saying its name? For example a 15 minute timer called "Rice" then have siri start the timer by say "hey siri, start timer "Rice"

[@CraigsTechTalk]

I went into automations and there is no actions for timers that can be programmed. I don’t think you would be able to do it with shortcuts either. Thanks for watching.

[@AutomotiveInfluencer]

Can I make it display the audio in CapCut?

[@willy1957]

Listen to “ Questions From a Seeker” from Meshell Ndegeoo with the Homepod(s)

[@L8rCloud]

Can you pair 2 minis (left/right) with a HomePod (middle/principle/siri)?

[@CraigsTechTalk]

You can only pair two HomePods.

[@rpbertbailey286]

i like home pod

[@SWOTHDRA]

Do these things have spatial audio??

[@CraigsTechTalk]

The full size HomePod has Dolby atmos surround sound. I believe it has Spatial Audio too.

[@katsoutofthebox]

I just got a Homepod mini and I just can't get the automations to work... I make them but they don't trigger :( I must be doing something wrong.

[@KenAdams426]

I hope one day it will play XMRadio like the alexa does......by request.

[@cheapme1850]

The “Hey Siri, give me the latest news” got through so now I’m listening to the latest news.

[@CraigsTechTalk]

That's great. Glad to hear it worked for you. Thanks for watching.

[@sharonpeters7723]

Heeeeey, girlfriend. This video was so helpful. Thank you, Craig.

[@gamebr0s907]

How do not all other apple devices dont activate when you say „hey siri“? I have a apple watch ipad imac macbook…. Anyone a answer? Because sometimes my Imac recognize it and im talking to my apple watch.

[@CraigsTechTalk]

I have found when you have a HomePod, the other devices listen, but let the HomePod respond. As opposed to watch, phone and other devices don’t have a priority in which device responds.

[@gamebr0s907]

@@CraigsTechTalk Thanks🤝🏼Love you techtalk keep up the good work🔥

[@CraigsTechTalk]

Thank you very much.

[@xeloilriver9899]

Favorite features 0:16 Personal request 1:16 requesting music 4:51 Hand off 6:54 pair with apple tv 7:41 using alarms 18:11 sound detection 8:46 Intercom 16:04 lights on or off

[@matthewmiller4865]

Is there a difference between Siri on an iPhone vs Siri on a HomePod?

[@CraigsTechTalk]

No it is the same Siri. It is nice that it is a uniform experience from adding things to list, reminders and other Apple apps. When it goes into search and information, that Siri on the HomePod may pass you off to the phone for answers.

[@StuartBlessman]

How do I disable Siri and voice assistants on every single one of my devices

[@marlino8042]

i want to set an alarm on my phone and always this HomePod is taking the hey Siri command, why can't I just say Hey Siri HomePod or Hey Siri iPhone ?

[@CraigsTechTalk]

That is very annoying and it would be nice to specify. What I do when I want to talk to Siri on my phone is hold down the power button and make my request. That helps avoid using Hey Siri, but requires you to hold the phone.

[@BreakTime10101]

It would be nice if we could say “hey HomePod”

[@kevinyoung6729]

You can change one of them to Siri and leave the other as hey Siri

[@marlino8042]

@@kevinyoung6729 Mhh that would bring me definitely closer ! How do I change that?

[@levi.s722]

They would sell so much more if they would ad Spotify and other streaming services and at least an usb-c port to it.

[@CraigsTechTalk]

I learned recently, it is Spotify that is not making their app or using AirPlay 2 for apple devices. I thought it was Apple stopping them. KZbin music is available now on HomePods. KZbin jumped on to take advantage of the HomePods. I wish Spotify would too.

[@methodicaljuan]

God Dammit. I just tried adding a random item to my Walmart Shopping list in notes. TOTAL EFFING FAIL!

[@Katefakeversion]

thank you for blocking off part of the word, when you say "Hey Siri" in the video, to not toggle anyone's devices

[@CraigsTechTalk]

You are welcome. I try not to drive you crazy. I appreciate you watching.

[@Jossysnana]

why does siri is able to turn OFF my tv but not turn it back on?

[@targaW3007]

My tip is, just throw that thing at the wall because Siri is so stupid!

[@munakatareisi3199]

Seems like siri tips

[@djsnaz1]

stupid device !!! homepod 2 and homepod !! 😴