Even if there was another service that allowed multiple plays it wouldn't be much use to HomePod owners.
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HomePod Now Counts Toward Apple Music Device Streaming Limits for Single Memberships, Apple Encouraging Family Upgrades
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It would totally be. You see, you just use one iOS device to AirPlay to the HomePod and have your phone with you while you’re out. It’s not that difficult.
That sort of defeats the whole idea of the HomePod though as a stand alone Apple Music player with Siri voice control.
This analogy is nowhere close to the HomePod situation. A closer analogy would be if your cable provider mis-programmed all of a certain digital set top box model so you could get free HBO without a subscription. Word got around and a lot of people asked for that model box so they could get free HBO too. Then the cable company got a competent programmer and shut off the free HBO - and now everyone that got THAT model box because they could get free HBO is pissed that they can't any more.
I see a lot of the people that are complaining in this thread are all using the word "family" in their use-case reasoning as to why they are now mad at Apple - when Apple definitely has a "family" plan they can get.
Exactly. Allow HomePod to have multiple accounts and then this isn’t a problem.
But now, everyone in my home is an adult, not eligible for family plans (requires ALL apple payments via the one primary holder.).
Now, when I am out listening to music. No one can use the HomePod for “hey Siri, play”... it’s now just an AirPlay device.
Open multi user before closing “loop holes” that made the HomePod that one bit useful.
I recently signed up for the family plan anyway so this doesn't affect me now, however I don't see it as a big deal? Spotify acts in the same way. I think £14.99 for a family plan is amazing value for five different accounts...
On another note, I love my HomePods. Brilliant speakers even when I use AirPlay. Just bought my second.
On another note, I love my HomePods. Brilliant speakers even when I use AirPlay. Just bought my second.
I’m signing up for a family plan at the end of my current billing period as my husband has a separate Apple Music subscription on his android phone so it doesn’t make sense to have 2 bills. My only bone of contention is that you didn’t need a family account to do this for a year and now you do. However I agree they are all the same. It was only Apple that was the exception in the past.
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I don’t think that’s really the same because in that scenario it was clear from the start that HBO is a subscription service and that there has been an error somewhere. In the case if the HomePod it was a new product so it’s fair that people might have assumed it might act in a different way with regards to simultaneous streaming.
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... Third party quotes that Apple made no effort to correct, contradict or clarify.
This was clearly an intentional feature, not an accident, but they wanted to reserve the right to yank it later. Which they are now doing quietly and gradually to try and mute the reaction.
I guess their calculation now is that the (HomePod sales lost to policy change) < (additional Apple music revenue). But they are still better off selling more HomePods to encourage new subscribers. So IMHO Apple should have paired the policy with a HomePod price cut, or with a 2nd-gen model announcement (particularly if lower-end.) And maybe allow the 1st gen HomePods to continue on the old policy.
Despite this I'm still not sorry I got my HomePod, even given the problems with Siri and HomeKit. But when Apple stoops to this kind of behavior it is a slap in the face. I expect more from them. They should simply have told customers up front it was a limited promotion instead of hedging bets and keeping us in the dark.
One more reason to NOT buy one, I guess. Overpriced, Siri (not working) etc.
[doublepost=1547578937][/doublepost]Way to go Apple to make your share values improve. Maybe try something else. Maybe something, I don't know - NEW?
[doublepost=1547578937][/doublepost]Way to go Apple to make your share values improve. Maybe try something else. Maybe something, I don't know - NEW?
But surely if more than one person in the family uses Apple Music then the family share price surely makes the most sense anyway?
Let me help you:
- HomePod + Apple Music (both OWN by Apple) did not count as a device for 12 months.
- Apple changed the policy and now it does.
- I have no qualm if that was the policy from the beginning.
Does insulting people make you think your position is better? Does it make you feel superior?
You in politics by any chance? Nice side step, Kevin is right on the money here, the problem is the bait and switch Apple has pulled which you continue to completely ignore even though THAT is the whole issue, not the fact it counts as a stream but the fact it didn’t and Apple said nothing about that being wrong, when many bought it with that in mind. If Apple had said at launch that this is a bug so it will count as a stream in the future and you won’t be able to play something from Apple Music on the HomePod and another device from the same subscription at the same time then me and others would not have bought it.
They didn’t change it in a year when it’s clearly something they could have fixed before the HomePod even released, why is that so hard to get your head around? oh and pot meet kettle.
Again, you are ignoring the actual issue here, why is that? Are you the type of person that says “there is no problem, must be you” just because you don’t have the issue? You are I’m sure, your no help to anyone, just a waste of time.
No, I’m the type of person that realizes if everyone else has the policy that it was only a matter of time for Apple to have it as well. Because you can complain why Apple isn’t better than everyone for the same price, but be honest about it.
And manages to ignore the ACTUAL issue once again, well done, might be a record.
Then pretend I’m an idiot. Explain to me why this is worth so much outrage? Because I have a huge pile of things to be outraged about right now and that pile is getting tall.
If you can’t work it out when several people have explained it to you already when in fact it doesn’t even need explaining to see the issue and why people have a good reason to be annoyed by this then as I said you’re just wasting everyone’s time including yours.
Your solutions to an issue that never existed on said product at launch and for a whole year are to either pay for a family subscription which wasn’t needed and pay 50% more AND have everyone elses Apple purchases tied to my card, which is absolutely never going to happen, or pay twice the price, £200 each year just to put that ability back which was there when a lot of people bought the product and Apple said nothing, if you can’t see an issue with that then you have a bigger problem than this and maybe more money. (By the way, I HAVE bigger problems than this just in case you want to go down that road).
For some people it’s very easy to not see a problem if they don’t have it, me, even if I wasn’t one of the people who bought this device in good faith largely on the ability of the device AS IT WAS SOLD, I would have still been understanding and sympathetic to those who did, but some like you seem incapable of such a thing so go deal the problems you DO have instead of being unhelpful and insulting here, that would be a win win.
You’re right. Im not sympathetic to people who buy a 700-ish dollar phone and a 350$ speaker (or multiple) but then refuse to pay the right amount for the songs they stream. Glad you feel entitled to the work of others.