HomePod “Hey Siri” - HomePod + iPhone + iPad - Any Issues?

[gatorknight904]

For those who have a HomePod, iPhone, & iPad do you have any issues activating the HomePod via “Hey Siri” when your iPad or iPhone is near?

I am getting a HomePod soon and was wondering if this would be a problem....

 

[Cinab1mt]

I currently have this issue and its really annoying.

I have a HomePod, iPad and iPhone X. The Homepod is in our Master Bedroom (upstairs) and I regularly have issues setting cooking timers in our kitchen (downstairs). The microphones on the HomePod are so good that my HomePod will pickup the "Hey Siri, start a 15 minute timer" instead of my iPhone or iPad sitting a few feet away from me. The only solution is to whisper or to physically hold your phone when your requesting commands from Siri which as one might notice, can be annoying when you have oven mits, water, raw meet on your hands etc. From what I've read the proximity of your iOS devices will come in to play and your HomePod will take precedence in responding assuming your other iOS devices are laying flat and your HomePod can hear the command.

Just my real world 2 cents worth...

 

[gatorknight904]

I currently have this issue and its really annoying.

I have a HomePod, iPad and iPhone X. The Homepod is in our Master Bedroom (upstairs) and I regularly have issues setting cooking timers in our kitchen (downstairs). The microphones on the HomePod are so good that my HomePod will pickup the "Hey Siri, start a 15 minute timer" instead of my iPhone or iPad sitting a few feet away from me. The only solution is to whisper or to physically hold your phone when your requesting commands from Siri which as one might notice, can be annoying when you have oven mits, water, raw meet on your hands etc. From what I've read the proximity of your iOS devices will come in to play and your HomePod will take precedence in responding assuming your other iOS devices are laying flat and your HomePod can hear the command.

Just my real world 2 cents worth...

Thanks for this explanation. I have so many iOS devices laying around my house. I figured this may be an issue. I have a pretty wide open floor plan. I can see the HomePod hearing everything and causing some conflict when I am trying to active my iPhone or iPad. Not even sure how the kids or wife’s devices would interact.

I guess I will hold off for a while longer. Maybe until the resale market drops below $200. Luckily the purchase I thought I had fell through (seller on the macrumors marketplace disappeared and possibly sold to someone else).

 

[Cinab1mt]

It should be noted, we love the sound/ease of use of the HomePod so much that this one minor issue does not outweigh this small annoyance.

 

[chabig]

Apple has clearly put a lot of thought into this scenario. Generally, Siri responds appropriately even with a lot of iOS devices around. But sometimes it doesn't work the way you'd expect. So your HomePod times the cooking instead of your iPhone? No big deal.

 

[Cinab1mt]

Apple has clearly put a lot of thought into this scenario. Generally, Siri responds appropriately even with a lot of iOS devices around. But sometimes it doesn't work the way you'd expect. So your HomePod times the cooking instead of your iPhone? No big deal.

It actually is a bigger deal than you think, especially when cooking. You have no idea if Siri actually heard your whole request, or just part of it. When your HomePod is on a completely different floor than you (or the rest of your devices), it can be an annoyance. The whole point of the eco system is make things easier and this is actually a case where it makes things more difficult and annoying...unless you like your cookies nice and burnt

 

[chabig]

You have no idea if Siri actually heard your whole request, or just part of it.

How so? Siri always replies by repeating the request and saying what she did. I just asked Siri on my HomePod, "Hey Siri, set a ten minute timer," she replied with, "Ten minutes, counting down."

 

[Cinab1mt]

How so? Siri always replies by repeating the request and saying what she did. I just asked Siri on my HomePod, "Hey Siri, set a ten minute timer," she replied with, "Ten minutes, counting down."

My HomePod is UPSTAIRS, I know that she's heard my some of my request when none of my other iOS devices accept the command...you're assuming not only that I heard that she has started the countdown, but that I can also hear when the timer is up (from a different floor). We cook and bake a lot and this is a real issue that we deal with on a weekly basis..

 

[CPTmom2wp]

I might suggest that you purchase a second Home Pod for downstairs. That Home Pod will then respond to your requests and you will also be able to hear it. I notice that my Home Pod (almost) always responds to my requests regardless of the phones and iPads in the vicinity. The other devices light up but defer to the Home Pod

 

[MistrSynistr]

My issue is my phone iPad seems to pick it up WITH my HomePod, I want the HomePod to answer the Hey Siri requests only! Anyone deal with this?

 

[CPTmom2wp]

I don't think it's possible to direct the "Hey Siri" prompt to a specific device. Siri (apple servers) listens on all devices that are Siri enabled. But according to Apple, the nearest one (to you) responds. I have noticed that if my phone is in my pocket (closer to me), Siri still responds on the HomePod nearest me. But if the phone is next to me on the desktop or counter and the HomePod is e.g., 10' away, the phone responds. Maybe you could disable Siri in your Settings on all devices except your HomePod, but that would cause you to lose Siri functionality outside the house or in the car.

 

[tromboneaholic]

If you pick up your phone and say "Hey Siri" the command will execute on the phone. Siri will activate on the device you are interacting with.

However, HomePod will be the default device if you aren't interacting with any of your other devices.

 

[cynics]

For those who have a HomePod, iPhone, & iPad do you have any issues activating the HomePod via “Hey Siri” when your iPad or iPhone is near?

I am getting a HomePod soon and was wondering if this would be a problem....

All your devices are communicating with each other. All your iOS devices hear you and they direct the "hey siri" call to that the device that heard you best. The microphones are much better in the HomePod so it will be favored, even a device in your hand will be ignored.

Sometimes you'll see other devices screens light up for a brief second and go back out as the HomePod takes the request.

With Personal Request turned on the only issues would be timers and alarms that were haphazardly set. Other things are shared on your cloud so it doesn't matter, so if you say "hey siri remind me to do something at 12" and then you walk out the door you'll get that reminder on your iPhone.