In announcing the full-size HomePod (2nd Gen) on Wednesday, Apple also confirmed the HomePod mini counterpart would be upgraded to support some of those fancy new features.
The headline-making temperature and humid sensors on the HomePod 2 have apparently been sitting dormant within the HomePod mini all along and will be enabled in a future update (MacRumors reports).
These sensors, Apple says, will help users with smart home automation. So, if you have a HomeKit or Matter compatible fan or heater, for example, you’ll be able to program it to be activated when HomePod detects a certain temperature has been reached.
“With its built-in sensor, HomePod can detect and tell you the temperature and humidity of the room.8 And you can set it in automations so the blinds close if the temperature hits 80 degrees,” Apple says on the HomePod product page.
The presence of the sensors has been mooted for over a year now. iFixit found the sensors in its teardown of the HomePod mini, for instance. So, it seems Apple has been planning this feature for quite some time now and is now able to activate it.
Another HomePod 2 feature coming to the HomePod mini is the Sound Recognition tool, a new home safety feature Apple is introducing. HomePod has learned to detect noise from smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms. You’ll be notified on your iPhone or Apple Watch.
That feature will be brought to HomePod mini with a software update later this year, Apple says. Users will need the latest version of the Apple Home app, which should be re-released soon.
So, if you were thinking of buying the full size HomePod (2nd Gen) to replace your HomePod mini, just know you’ll be getting some of its best features in these updates.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
