HomePod HomePod mini questions

[ssledoux]

Are these bluetooth or wifi? Thinking of picking one up for home, and being able to take it camping with me.

I know nothing about these. Is it basically just a speaker with Siri Capability? I don’t want anything recording my every spoken word Like Alexa. ;-p

I’ve read about them on the Apple site, but just wanted the basic info in plain ole’ terms for the techno challenged.

 

[Kenny99]

No they are NOT Bluetooth, they require AC power at all times to work You should look an Amazon or at Walmart for Bluetooth portable speakers.

 

[TimothyL]

They are not battery operated speakers so they do need to be plugged in at all times and also need to be connected to Wi-Fi to work I believe. They connect to your phone with Bluetooth almost like AirPods do and automatically connect if you hold your phone up to it. Great little speakers though!

 

[ssledoux]

No they are NOT Bluetooth, they require AC power at all times to work You should look an Amazon or at Walmart for Bluetooth portable speakers.

I’m okay with them needing power - just didn’t know if they need wifi or Bluetooth for playing.

 

[ssledoux]

They are not battery operated speakers so they do need to be plugged in at all times and also need to be connected to Wi-Fi to work I believe. They connect to your phone with Bluetooth almost like AirPods do and automatically connect if you hold your phone up to it. Great little speakers though!

So if they connect via bluetooth, do they play music from your phone that way, or do they have to be on wifi? I just don’t have great wifi, so I like to stream things via Bluetooth when possible

 

[TimothyL]

I could be wrong but I think they need to be on Wi-Fi. I brought mini in the camper last week and couldn’t use it since it said it wasn’t connected to Wi-Fi

 

[diego.caraballo]

So if they connect via bluetooth, do they play music from your phone that way, or do they have to be on wifi? I just don’t have great wifi, so I like to stream things via Bluetooth when possible

Hi!
Check this out: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-for-apple-store-pickup.2321137/post-30554494

 

[BobRey77]

HomePods are AirPlay speakers, not Bluetooth and they are not portable. To work, they must be plugged in and connected to a wifi network. You also have to have an iPhone to set them up and to stream music to them. If you are able to use them, they are great smart speakers. HomePods work best with an Apple Music subscription but that isn't required.