It’s Not Just the HomePod mini: 9 Exciting Features Also Coming to Full-Sized HomePods

Although yesterday’s big event was almost entirely about the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, Apple did have one other surprise that it dropped right at the beginning in the form of the much-anticipated HomePod mini, and while Apple focused almost entirely on the new speaker, in the process it also gave away a few more things that will soon be coming to the bigger HomePod as well.
Generally, Apple’s “HomePod OS” updates have always lagged a bit behind the corresponding iOS versions, and this year has been no exception. However, Apple clearly has its reasons for that this time around, since it obviously didn’t want to tip its hand before announcing the new HomePod mini, which will undoubtedly ship with the HomePod equivalent of iOS 14 preinstalled.
When Apple announced all of its major software updates back at June’s Worldwide Developers Conference, it really didn’t have much to say about what was coming to the HomePod. Instead, it wrapped everything up in a Smart Home presentation, with the only reference to the HomePod being a passing mention that it would be gaining the ability to let you know when somebody was at your front door, using facial recognition to try and identify them by name as well (assuming you have a supported doorbell camera, of course).
There have also been sporadic rumours that you’ll soon be able to use other music services as defaults, but Apple never officially confirmed whether or not this would be the case, or exactly how it would work. It’s already possible to use Spotify and other services from the HomePod by appending “with Spotify” to your requests, just like you can from your iPhone, but this simply uses SiriKit, just like any other third-party app, and therefore also requires your paired iPhone nearby.
During yesterday’s event, however, Apple announced a few new interesting features for the HomePod mini that the company has also confirmed will be coming to its bigger sibling in the HomePod OS 14 update as well, and although Apple hasn’t indicated when these will arrive, it’s a safe bet that they’ll likely come around the same time the HomePod mini goes on sale in November. Read on for 9 exciting features that will soon be coming to your HomePod.