HomePod Owners With an iTunes Match or Apple Music Subscription Can Access Their iCloud Music Library Using Siri

[MacRumors]

Apple began taking pre-orders for its HomePod on Friday, but the company has remained unusually reticent regarding some of the Siri-based smart speaker's finer functions.

Last week we learned that HomePod can play songs purchased through iTunes Music as well as stream podcasts and Beats 1 radio, but Apple didn't address questions about the device's handling of iTunes Match content stored in iCloud Music Libraries.

For those unaware, iCloud Music Library lets users upload or "match" up to 100,000 songs from their personal music library with the DRM-free iTunes Store catalog, without eating into their standard iCloud storage allocation. The feature comes as part of Apple's iTunes Match service ($24.99 a year) and is also included with every Apple Music subscription ($9.99 monthly).

As it turns out, both iTunes Match and Apple Music subscribers will be able to use HomePod's Siri voice-based activation to access tracks stored in iCloud Music Library. The detail was seemingly confirmed on Sunday by Apple, as relayed by iMore's Serenity Caldwell in a tweet. Also Sunday, Daring Fireball's John Gruber reported hearing similar iCloud Music Library support from "a friend seeded with HomePod", although how Siri works with cloud-stored tracks not matched with the official iTunes Store catalog remains unknown.

Okay, got some HomePod clarification: iTunes Match *and* Apple Music users can access their iCloud Music Library via Siri. 🎊 - Serenity Caldwell (@settern) January 28, 2018

To reiterate, the user whose iCloud account is linked to HomePod can access their Apple Music subscription, tracks stored in their Cloud Music Library, and iTunes Store purchases via Siri. However, Siri will not be able to control any content streamed over AirPlay from supporting devices.

Meanwhile, HomePod owners without an Apple Music or iTunes Match subscription can still play music they've purchased on iTunes, as well as stream podcasts and Beats 1 radio, but Siri requests for playing songs by name, genre, artist, and so on will not be available. Apple has still to clarify how HomePod handles Family Sharing subscriptions to Apple Music, and whether the speaker's Bluetooth 5.0 specification means it will accept pairing requests from devices over the Bluetooth protocol.

Apple has positioned the HomePod as a speaker that can stream Apple Music, but with built-in Siri, users can also send messages, set timers and reminders, check the news, control HomeKit-enabled smart home accessories, and complete several other tasks without needing to take out their iPhone. The speaker is equipped with spatial awareness and Apple-engineered audio technology, including a seven-tweeter array and high-excursion woofer. It stands almost seven inches tall and is powered by Apple's A8 chip.

HomePod is available in the United States ($349), UK (£319), and Australia ($499). Apple is currently taking pre-orders for the HomePod, with the device set to ship on Friday, February 9.

Article Link: HomePod Owners With an iTunes Match or Apple Music Subscription Can Access Their iCloud Music Library Using Siri

 

[lars666]

I guess this was expected - would have been a shame if not.

 

[Duncan-UK]

Can you access Siri without having to say "Hey" - British people don't tend to use the word unless someone bumps into you in the street...

 

[ahbiteme]

HomePod is available in the United States ($349), UK (£319), and Australia ($449).​

$499 in Oz, not $449. (Unfortunately)

 

[Mike Oxard]

Can you access Siri without having to say "Hey" - British people don't tend to use the word unless someone bumps into you in the street...

Yep, the UK trigger phrase should be "Oi, Siri" or maybe "Now then Siri"

 

[recoil80]

Can you access Siri without having to say "Hey" - British people don't tend to use the word unless someone bumps into you in the street...

What would you suggest as an alternative to "hey"?

 

[keysofanxiety]

What would you suggest as an alternative to "hey"?

- Good morrow, Siri
- Bleedin' 'eck Siri
- Spit spod Siri
- Bugger'ooney Siri

 

[joemolomo]

Is there a reason this was thought it would be missing, Siri on iPhone can access iTunes Match already. I'm assuming most stuff is like for like.

 

[PhiLLoW]

Good luck to everyone using Siri in their non-english native language. It‘s impossible to ask her to play a specific song if the title or artist is in another language.

 

[DeepIn2U]

This is great news! I just finished reading an article by Mark Gruber stating potential reasons why iCloud Music Library would not be included so this clarity is awesome!

- Good morrow, Siri
- Bleedin' 'eck Siri
- Spit spod Siri
- Bugger'ooney Siri

Well done ol chap! Clarity is such chivalry.

I’ve highlighted my favourite.

 

[groovyf]

Yep, the UK trigger phrase should be "Oi, Siri" or maybe "Now then Siri"

Here in Yorkshire, Siri should respond to "Ey-up Siri!"

 

[wilhelmer]

Good luck to everyone using Siri in their non-english native language. It‘s impossible to ask her to play a specific song if the title or artist is in another language.

Exactly. Using Siri to play audio files is virtually impossible in Germany. I have no idea how Apple will sell the HomePad here. We can just use it as a standard AirPlay speaker.

 

[OllyW]

Here in Yorkshire, Siri should respond to "Ey-up Siri!"

"Ow bin ya Siri" here in the Black Country.
[doublepost=1517220896][/doublepost]

Apple has still to clarify how HomePod handles Family Sharing subscriptions to Apple Music, and whether the speaker's Bluetooth 5.0 specification means it will accept pairing requests from devices over the Bluetooth protocol.

Good news about iTunes Match but I still don't understand why Apple are being so cagey about the HomePod's functionality.

 

[DrNevs]

That's not what Apple Support told me when I emailed the same question last week.

'as long as you are playing songs from a device' Could mean the device is the HomePod, but reads to me like as long as you are streaming from an iPhone/Mac/iPad etc

See my enquiry and their reply below...

Question
Will the new HomePod play music from iTunes Match or only purchased iTunes songs/Apple Music?


Reply from Apple Support
Thanks for contacting us. I understand you’d like to know if you’ll be able to use the iTunes Match service on a “HomePod”. I know how much you’d like to be able to access all your music in your apple device. I’ll be happy to look into this and provide any assistance to help sort this out.

iTunes Match is a service that lets you add all of your music to your iCloud Music Library. This will enable you to access all you music by turning on your iCloud music library on a specific device.

I found this article which might be helpful to you:

https://support.apple.com/HT204146

You will be use iTunes Match as long as you are playing songs from a device that has an access to your iCloud Music library.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Very good news!

So then the question is does Siri search work just as well without an AM subscription but with a Match subscription? In other words, for those with the bulk of their music ripped from CDs and "Matched", do they pretty much get a fully (Siri) functional HP withOUT an AM subscription?

And then by extension: how about a "Match" subscription for ripped video content too, that then makes the TV version of Siri search able to "see" our own ripped video libraries? If this can work by matching ripped music to the iTunes library, it seems it should be towards the trivial to make the same work with ripped video matched to the iTunes library too.

Of course, in both cases, ideally the Match makes Siri able to "see" the local files and then PLAY those LOCAL files instead of streaming everything from the cloud... but I bet it doesn't work that way. I bet everything is streamed. That's not a huge deal for smallish music files but that would be a bigger deal for large movie files, especially when the same (or maybe even a better quality rip) is stored on a hard drive in the very same home. Still, something is better than nothing.

 

[BvizioN]

Can you access Siri without having to say "Hey" - British people don't tend to use the word unless someone bumps into you in the street...

I always wondered why do we have to say "Hey" instead of just saying Siri! I can't imagine many of us have family members named Siri, to confuse Siri assistant.

 

[Wanted797]

Can you access Siri without having to say "Hey" - British people don't tend to use the word unless someone bumps into you in the street...

Here in Yorkshire, Siri should respond to "Ey-up Siri!"

Yep, the UK trigger phrase should be "Oi, Siri" or maybe "Now then Siri"

Us Australians better get “G’day Siri” and “Siri mate”.

 

[Keirasplace]

Good luck to everyone using Siri in their non-english native language. It‘s impossible to ask her to play a specific song if the title or artist is in another language.

Is is possible in any other assistant, not the one I tried... considering alexa is only in english, not surprising. I find this kind of comment really tiresome.

Switching language mid stream is a very hard nut tot crack.

I have that issue too, I put Siri in french, my native language, it doesn't understand the songs in english, if I put it in english, it doesn't understand the french songs.

Not sure how this can be fixed, maybe running simultaneous translations of words in say 2 language and having it select the one that is closest (but I'm sure that would be a problem in cases were say french and english words sound the same but have a different meaning). Could be avoided by only running a simultaneous translation in a clearly music selecting context, like play me X .

You could also simplify thing by simply having a word indicating a switch in language.

Hey Siri, Play me french La vie en Rose

 

[341328]

Can I skip tracks and change volume via Apple Watch?

With fast easy access to controls as though I’m playing music on my iPhone using airplay to an Apple TV? Not the clunky slow Remote app which doesn’t stay connected when using Apple Music directly on Apple TV.

 

[dazzer21-2]

Yep, the UK trigger phrase should be "Oi, Siri" or maybe "Now then Siri"

I just hope that this thing is reliable enough and featured enough for the phrase of choice to not be "F'fk's sake, Siri!!!"

 

[Keirasplace]

That's not what Apple Support told me when I emailed the same question last week.

'as long as you are playing songs from a device' Could mean the device is the HomePod, but reads to me like as long as you are streaming from an iPhone/Mac/iPad etc

See my enquiry and their reply below...

Question
Will the new HomePod play music from iTunes Match or only purchased iTunes songs/Apple Music?


Reply from Apple Support
Thanks for contacting us. I understand you’d like to know if you’ll be able to use the iTunes Match service on a “HomePod”. I know how much you’d like to be able to access all your music in your apple device. I’ll be happy to look into this and provide any assistance to help sort this out.

iTunes Match is a service that lets you add all of your music to your iCloud Music Library. This will enable you to access all you music by turning on your iCloud music library on a specific device.

I found this article which might be helpful to you:

https://support.apple.com/HT204146

You will be use iTunes Match as long as you are playing songs from a device that has an access to your iCloud Music library.

Well, she interacted directly with the device and can ask Apple people in the know higher up about it and Apple support basically hasn't. So, maybe I'll believe her.

 

[KeithJenner]

That's not what Apple Support told me when I emailed the same question last week.

'as long as you are playing songs from a device' Could mean the device is the HomePod, but reads to me like as long as you are streaming from an iPhone/Mac/iPad etc

See my enquiry and their reply below...

Question
Will the new HomePod play music from iTunes Match or only purchased iTunes songs/Apple Music?


Reply from Apple Support
Thanks for contacting us. I understand you’d like to know if you’ll be able to use the iTunes Match service on a “HomePod”. I know how much you’d like to be able to access all your music in your apple device. I’ll be happy to look into this and provide any assistance to help sort this out.

iTunes Match is a service that lets you add all of your music to your iCloud Music Library. This will enable you to access all you music by turning on your iCloud music library on a specific device.

I found this article which might be helpful to you:

https://support.apple.com/HT204146

You will be use iTunes Match as long as you are playing songs from a device that has an access to your iCloud Music library.

I read it that the HomePod could be the device they are referring to. The wording clarifies that you wouldn't be able to play your iTunes Match content on the HomePod if that HomePod doesn't have access to your account (which is fairly obvious really).

 

[CmdrLaForge]

To me it is important that I can stream any music from Mac, iPhone or iPad. As long as I can do that I am happy to get one.

 

[KeithJenner]

I always wondered why do we have to say "Hey" instead of just saying Siri! I can't imagine many of us have family members named Siri, to confuse Siri assistant.

Yes, I've often wondered that. I suppose that it could be that it would get triggered too often by words that sound similar. We get a few inadvertent "hey Siri" activations, so the one word would probably be worse.

Having stayed recently with someone who has Alexa, and also a grandchild called Alex, I can confirm that accidental activations are a big problem when using just one word.

 

[44267547]

To me it is important that I can stream any music from Mac, iPhone or iPad. As long as I can do that I am happy to get one.

It will require a subscription to Apple Music though.