Apple Releases New 11.4 Software for the HomePod Enabling Stereo Support, Multi-Room Audio Through AirPlay 2

[Gorms]

Picked up a HomePod last week, I’m returning it now within the 14 day window.

But only because my mobile carrier are doing 20% off HomePod and I’d prefer to save 20%. These things sound insane. i was not expecting them to sound this good. It’s so good, that with the 20% off, I ordered 2. I cannot wait to hear what these things can do with full stereo separation. Very excited.

If you like music, and have been like “well, will they really sound that good?”. To my ears, yeah, they definitely sound that good.

 

[eoblaed]

Whoops. Forgot to remove my beta profile. I can see it now.

And for those that are curious, the build number is 15F79.

 

[csurfr]

Sound is down to the individual. For me stereo with the HomePod brings with it a much more fuller sound and fulls the room. One HomePod never produced stereo and it’s no good Apple pretending otherwise. This update moves the HomePod up a another level, that’s if you want that. Two HomePods £638 Uk, but they do produce the goods and from being a little disappointed I am how very happy with what I have.

I couldn’t agree more. I had my first HomePod on launch day and picked up my second one about a week ago. It had been relegated to bedroom use, but moved it into the living room with the other one this afternoon. The sound with two of them in a stereo pair is night and day different. Very pleased!

 

[tongefactor40]

I don’t know about for music but for video via Apple TV it should sound completely different since one HomePod was mono and had no positional audio.
[doublepost=1527624067][/doublepost]Also music sounds more bassy than before, maybe they reverted the sound profile changes they made. Sounds as good as when it first came out to me.

I use my single HomePod for appletv, it doesn't sound all that great. Have you noticed a mark improvement in quality with a second HomePod + stereo pairing?

 

[toddsimon]

Apple Support on twitter LOL

 

[Nickash28]

I use my single HomePod for appletv, it doesn't sound all that great. Have you noticed a mark improvement in quality with a second HomePod + stereo pairing?

It doesn’t work with Apple TV for me. Even after creating a “stereo pair” in the home app I can only play Apple TV through one or the other. I can airplay and stream music to stereo but not movies.

 

[shk718]

Apple has a big hey need to fix. I have two HomePods pared with my Apple TV on stereo. When I ask Siri to play music the tv turned on.
[doublepost=1527653802][/doublepost]

Can you ask Siri to turn off an Apple TV with this update?

Nope

 

[ErikGrim]

It doesn’t work with Apple TV for me. Even after creating a “stereo pair” in the home app I can only play Apple TV through one or the other. I can airplay and stream music to stereo but not movies.

That is a serious drawback. In fact, knowing this just stopped me from pulling the plug on a second one.

 

[gthorson]

How do you play Spotify through HomePod after upgrading to 11.4? I can no longer find the option to stream music to the HomePod.

 

[ErikGrim]

How do you play Spotify through HomePod after upgrading to 11.4? I can no longer find the option to stream music to the HomePod.

Control centre?

 

[gthorson]

How do you play Spotify through HomePod after upgrading to 11.4? I can no longer find the option to stream music to the HomePod.

My bad. My phone wasn't connected to the same wifi connection as the HomePod.

 

[ErikGrim]

Any sign of this promised feature?

Furthermore, with AirPlay integration in Home, users can operate a shared “Up Next” play queue, meaning everyone can add their favorite songs to the queue from their own device.​

[doublepost=1527656532][/doublepost]

That is a serious drawback. In fact, knowing this just stopped me from pulling the plug on a second one.

Never mind. I was getting one anyway :{
[doublepost=1527657787][/doublepost]

It doesn’t work with Apple TV for me. Even after creating a “stereo pair” in the home app I can only play Apple TV through one or the other. I can airplay and stream music to stereo but not movies.

It seems to be working for others. Can you test this advice?

It appears the default setting of Auto surround sound gets in the way of AppleTV volume. After changing it in the settings to Stereo, the volume is much better in movies.
Music = wonderful. AppleTV = sounds good after setting changing Auto to Stereo.

[doublepost=1527658424][/doublepost]

Any change to the sound signature again? Thank you.

Reports on Reddit say bass has been adjusted again (to be closer to pre 11.3).

 

[Regime2008]

It was not "mono" nor "stereo" but something in between.
[doublepost=1527626870][/doublepost]

It doesn't produce mono either, so not sure wth you are talking about.

What would be in between mono and stereo, out of curiosity? I have listened to a single homepod a couple of times, in different settings, and it was definitely mono. Demoed a bunch of tracks with good panning of the channels, and the panning was non-existent P.S. I do alot of work with audio, building systems, car audio, home audio, etc.

 

[shk718]

That is a serious drawback. In fact, knowing this just stopped me from pulling the plug on a second one.

It works fine with Apple TV.

 

[ersan191]

Out of curiosity, has anyone asked Apple Support about this? Seems a lot of us use the remote to control volume (I know I do), and not being able to is a huge issue.

Editing to add: Odd ... it seems to work for me, although the volume through the HomePod is lower than through the TV speakers.

You can use the volume rocker to control volume via the control center remote? I can’t, not since updating to 11.4 - not on an iPad or iPhone X

Edit: holy crap it just started working again after rebooting the phone and Apple TV, hooray!
[doublepost=1527665197][/doublepost]

It was not "mono" nor "stereo" but something in between.
[doublepost=1527626870][/doublepost]

It doesn't produce mono either, so not sure wth you are talking about.

When playing video it is absolutely mono. When playing music it makes a soundstage that I would not consider mono.

 

[Baymowe335]

I've been waiting. Looks like I will be ordering several Homepods now.

But but but HomePod is a DOA product that will vanish in 6 months because it isn’t selling well as reported by news outlets that are consistently wrong about iPhone sales.

What will you do with a product Apple will give up on in 6 months?

 

[ersan191]

Any sign of this promised feature?

Furthermore, with AirPlay integration in Home, users can operate a shared “Up Next” play queue, meaning everyone can add their favorite songs to the queue from their own device.​

Shared up next has worked since the beginning, me and my gf use it occasionally.
[doublepost=1527665793][/doublepost]

I use my single HomePod for appletv, it doesn't sound all that great. Have you noticed a mark improvement in quality with a second HomePod + stereo pairing?

I don’t have two yet - but I would imagine it sounds significantly better

 

[The Game 161]

Wtf happens to music playlist

Just plays my music in random order now

 

[Marc23]

Same issues for me
Now airplay from my iPad to my apple TV will only show picture not sound as well through the HomePod.
Playing Youtube / netflix etc from the apple TV, the sound will play out of HP. As of the new update airplay from my iPad does not working for both picture and sound.

 

[obiwan]

Why would you balance your phone on a plant tho?

Wireless charging through photosynthesis perhaps?

 

[The Game 161]

Picked up a HomePod last week, I’m returning it now within the 14 day window.

But only because my mobile carrier are doing 20% off HomePod and I’d prefer to save 20%. These things sound insane. i was not expecting them to sound this good. It’s so good, that with the 20% off, I ordered 2. I cannot wait to hear what these things can do with full stereo separation. Very excited.

If you like music, and have been like “well, will they really sound that good?”. To my ears, yeah, they definitely sound that good.

Which carrier you With?

 

[gabicava83]

Which carrier you With?

Same, I am in the UK and I have not seen any discounts.

 

[Keirasplace]

You can use the volume rocker to control volume via the control center remote? I can’t, not since updating to 11.4 - not on an iPad or iPhone X

Edit: holy crap it just started working again after rebooting the phone and Apple TV, hooray!
[doublepost=1527665197][/doublepost]
When playing video it is absolutely mono. When playing music it makes a soundstage that I would not consider mono.

If it has more than one speaker and sends info from both channels through them by bouncing sounds from walls in a way to create a defined image it can't be mono even it is from one location. Those kind of speakers are different and people need to change their ways of defining things. As for video for audio, not sure why it would make a diff unless the Homepod is treating the sources differently (Airplay vs streamed directly).
[doublepost=1527688969][/doublepost]

What would be in between mono and stereo, out of curiosity? I have listened to a single homepod a couple of times, in different settings, and it was definitely mono. Demoed a bunch of tracks with good panning of the channels, and the panning was non-existent P.S. I do alot of work with audio, building systems, car audio, home audio, etc.

It's not, both channels go to the speaker and it bounces those channels off the wall, so it's not.
Everything else you just said is just blah blah blah, you're response tells me it's a lot of self aggrandizement.

 

[Azmazz]

What would be in between mono and stereo, out of curiosity? I have listened to a single homepod a couple of times, in different settings, and it was definitely mono. Demoed a bunch of tracks with good panning of the channels, and the panning was non-existent P.S. I do alot of work with audio, building systems, car audio, home audio, etc.

Called Strereno

Seriously though, I am mystified.
How did Apple ever think that making a mono system would be acceptable ?

 

[vipergts2207]

Called Strereno

Seriously though, I am mystified.
How did Apple ever think that making a mono system would be acceptable ?

It is what it is. You'll never get good stereo imaging from single unit speakers anyway because you need physical separation between left and right channels and they don't provide that. I have a Klipsch The One and even though it's stereo, it might as well be mono because the drivers are so close together. That's what floorstanding speakers in the living room and bookshelves in the bedroom are for.