Debating Getting the HomePod Mini? | Here Are 9 Ways It Improves Life
Credit: AppleApple's HomePod mini might not look like much, but it's one of the best smart speakers available right now. Despite its size, it packs amazing sound quality and many features that can make your life so much easier.
Still, many people aren't sure if a smart speaker is something they need, but once they give it a try, they'll realize what they were missing.
Whether you want a stereo system or an assistant that'll help you write emails or make phone calls, the HomePod mini is a must-have tool for your smart home. Read on to learn nine ways it improves life.
Use HomePod mini as an Intercom
This is one of the newest features of the HomePod. You can use your HomePod mini as an intercom to send messages to anyone around your house. You have the option to send messages to the whole house or to specific rooms.
What's cool is that you don't need to have more than one HomePod mini or HomePod for this to work. You can send intercom messages to and from your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, and even your iPod Touch. You can also send intercom messages from your car using CarPlay.
All you need to do is set it up and then ask Siri something like, "Hey Siri, intercom. It's time to go.'"
Make HomePod mini Your Assistant
If you have a lot of Apple products, then you know how annoying it is when you want to ask Siri a question, and three devices get triggered simultaneously.
The good news is when you have a HomePod mini, and you say "Hey Siri," the HomePod will know this and be the only one to respond to your call.
On the other hand, if you want to use Siri with your iPhone or another device instead, you can change the HomePod mini settings so that your iPhone is the one to answer you in a specific room.
Find Songs by the Lyrics
It's always annoying when you want to listen to a song, but you don't know the name and only remember part of the lyrics. Fortunately, the HomePod mini is smart enough to help you out with that.
You can ask Siri to "play a song that goes" and start singing the lyrics you remember. Your HomePod mini will immediately start playing the song—as long as you sang the correct lyrics, that is.
Discover New Music with the HomePod mini
Finding songs by lyrics isn't the only thing the HomePod mini is capable of. You can also discover new songs or ask for the ones you already know and love.
You can ask something like "Hey Siri, play something I like" or "Hey Siri, play something new," and your HomePod mini will start playing something that it thinks you might like or something entirely new for you to enjoy.
Another cool thing is that if you want to find out more about a singer, you can ask Siri to tell you more about an artist, and it'll give you some information about them.
Use the HomePod mini to Find Everything
Some of us are really bad at remembering where we left our keys, bags, or even our iPhones. But now, with the HomePod mini, we don't have to waste time looking for them.
If you can't find your iPhone, you can ask your HomePod mini something as simple as "Hey Siri, where's My iPhone," and the HomePod mini will make your iPhone play a sound so you can find it.
Likewise, you can also use your HomePod and Siri to locate your AirTags. You can say something like "Hey Siri, find my car keys," and the HomePod mini know which AirTag you're talking about. It'll then start playing a sound so you can find them. Spoilers, they're always in the last place you look.
Use More Than One HomePod mini for Stereo Sound
If you have one HomePod mini, you know how good the sound can be, especially for such a little device. However, you can take your experience to a different level by getting two or more HomePod minis.
Not only linking them together in the same place will give you an amazing sound experience, but you can also have them in separate rooms and play the same songs in different places at a time.
Control Your Smart Home with Your Voice
One of the main reasons to get a HomePod mini is to control your smart home. You can talk to Siri so you can control many smart devices around your house. From lights to smart vacuum cleaners, you can trigger everything just with the sound of your voice.
After you set up your HomePod mini, you can use it to control all the smart devices that support HomeKit. That includes smart locks, lightbulbs, plugs, and security cameras. You can even control the room temperature with the HomePod mini.
Use the HomePod mini to Communicate
The HomePod mini is a great tool to communicate with everyone without using your iPhone. You can ask your HomePod mini to send emails and dictate them on the spot. You can also send voice notes, in addition to the intercom messages we already mentioned.
And of course, you can also call your contacts just by asking Siri. It's a great feature, especially if you have your hands full.
Use Handoff with Your HomePod mini and iPhone
The handoff feature isn't something exclusive to the HomePod mini, but it works perfectly when you use it with your iPhone.
Imagine you're listening to a song on your iPhone, and you want to hear it on the HomePod mini. You could ask Siri to play that song on the HomePod mini, or you could use handoff and just bring your iPhone closer to your HomePod mini. The audio will immediately transfer from your iPhone to your HomePod mini in a matter of seconds.
Likewise, you can do the same thing and move the audio from your HomePod mini into your iPhone. How cool is that?