HomePod Play Music to Homepod 'without' Airplay

[bsmr]

Hi,

this drives me crazy, I want to play music from my Apple Music app (from iPhone) to my Home Pod 'without' using Airplay. It is always showing iPhone > Home Pod within the app.
This is driving me nuts, as I don't want to use Airplay - I want, that the Home Pod streams the music from the internet.

Any idea how to solve this issue?

 

[DeKa]

Two options
1) start to play on the iPhone and tap the phone on the top of the HomePod. It will transfer to directly playing on the HomePod and the iPhone will be out of the mix
2) swipe down on the iPhone (too right) to get to control centre. Press and hold on the music player. Tap control other devices (iOS 14.2). Pick the HomePod and select your tunes.

 

[Moakesy]

So I'm confused.....you say you want "to play music from my Apple Music app (from iPhone)" but not using Airplay?

If you want to use your phone, how else do you expect the music to transfer from the phone to the HomePod?

However, if you are saying you don't want to use your phone, then just speak to your speaker using 'Hey Siri'. Saying "Hey Siri, play some music I like" will be picked up by your speaker directly.

The alternative is to use the 'Home' app and then select HomePod from there, but that is far too clunky compared to just using Siri.

 

[Moakesy]

1) start to play on the iPhone and tap the phone on the top of the HomePod. It will transfer to directly playing on the HomePod and the iPhone will be out of the mix

Is that just on the HomePod mini, or on the big HomePod as well?

 

[bsmr]

If you want to use your phone, how else do you expect the music to transfer from the phone to the HomePod?

Like Sonos. I want that the music comes from the internet to the homepod (mini - in my case). I don't want to stream it from my iPhone.
That's what I heard the advantage of using Apple Music in contrast to Spotify/Amazon Music...

But it doesn't work.

 

[bsmr]

Two options
1) start to play on the iPhone and tap the phone on the top of the HomePod. It will transfer to directly playing on the HomePod and the iPhone will be out of the mix

It does work, Music comes from the HomePod - but still via Airplay from iPhone. If I put it into Airplay mode the music stops after its caching time.

So not what I want.

 

[Moakesy]

Like Sonos. I want that the music comes from the internet to the homepod (mini - in my case). I don't want to stream it from my iPhone.
That's what I heard the advantage of using Apple Music in contrast to Spotify/Amazon Music...

But it doesn't work.

Ah, I think I see what you mean now.....

On the music App, sometimes it says 'iPhone > Front Room', rather than just 'Front Room'?

It must have changed with the latest iOS, as it didn't used to do that. I just tapped that icon, switched it back to iPhone, then back to HomePod and it worked ok since then. Weird.

 

[Moakesy]

Just tested it a bit further and noticed I only get the 'iPhone > Front Room' symbol if I have another music app open. In my case, the BBC Sounds app, playing radio to the HomePod.

1) So, I'm playing radio to HomePod
2) Then open music app, it plays music from iPhone to Homepod
3) Whilst the music is playing, switching the music back to the phone, then back to HomePod solves the issue.

If I do step 3 whilst the music is paused, it does not solve the issue. Very odd.

 

[gwhizkids]

Just tested it a bit further and noticed I only get the 'iPhone > Front Room' symbol if I have another music app open. In my case, the BBC Sounds app, playing radio to the HomePod.

1) So, I'm playing radio to HomePod
2) Then open music app, it plays music from iPhone to Homepod
3) Whilst the music is playing, switching the music back to the phone, then back to HomePod solves the issue.

If I do step 3 whilst the music is paused, it does not solve the issue. Very odd.

Not all “sound” apps (music players, podcast apps, news players etc) can play natively on HomePod. Apple just debuted this capability for third party apps at WWDC and its only now starting to appear. Pandora and, I believe, Spotify are now capable of doing this (which requires them to adopt the required API). Others are certainly coming, as Apple is trying to avoid antitrust inquiries. However, until your favorite app does adopt the API, it will still have to stream from your phone using Airplay.

 

[Moakesy]

Not all “sound” apps (music players, podcast apps, news players etc) can play natively on HomePod. Apple just debuted this capability for third party apps at WWDC and its only now starting to appear. Pandora and, I believe, Spotify are now capable of doing this (which requires them to adopt the required API). Others are certainly coming, as Apple is trying to avoid antitrust inquiries. However, until your favorite app does adopt the API, it will still have to stream from your phone using Airplay.

Yeah, I understand that. The issue I'm highlighting is when you use one of these apps, and then switch to Apple Music's app, the Music app does not automatically play natively on the HomePod (which is the OP's issue).

So, if you use the Music app directly, it plays natively, if you switch from using a non-native app to Apple Music, then Music also plays non-natively until you do a workaround.

Having had a HomePod since release, this feels like new behaviour potentially introduced with the latest iOS. I've never noticed it before.

 

[bsmr]

I restarted the iPhone > only opened Music.app and still the music is coming via Airplay to my HomePod Mini. I want to have music natively on my HomePod.

Quite annoying that this doesn't work.

 

[MacManTexas56]

Hi,

this drives me crazy, I want to play music from my Apple Music app (from iPhone) to my Home Pod 'without' using Airplay. It is always showing iPhone > Home Pod within the app.
This is driving me nuts, as I don't want to use Airplay - I want, that the Home Pod streams the music from the internet.

Any idea how to solve this issue?

only way is to start it from the homepod by voice. what is wrong with the way it works now or by doing it by voice?

 

[bsmr]

I choose my music while browsing through Apple Music app.
Then I want to play a song on my HomePod. Without streaming it the whole via airplay! Don’t want that my phone uses so much battery power to download the songs and stream them to the HomePod.
Kinda stupid behavior!
Other issue is, that if I leave the house with my phone the music stops playing.

Sonos is much much better in that point!

 

[bumbo]

Interesting thread. I have 2 Sonos and am considering selling to get 2 minis - it seems the 'Apple way' of getting music played will take some getting used to

 

[bsmr]

Interesting thread. I have 2 Sonos and am considering selling to get 2 minis - it seems the 'Apple way' of getting music played will take some getting used to

Yes.

Do have Sonos at home and wanted to go to HomePod only.... But thinking about cancelling the switch.

What I love about Sonos... You can stream directly from the internet to the speakers. With HomePod kind of complicated and not possible at all.
Most time it uses Airplay and eats battery life of my phone.

 

[zhenya]

Yes.

Do have Sonos at home and wanted to go to HomePod only.... But thinking about cancelling the switch.

What I love about Sonos... You can stream directly from the internet to the speakers. With HomePod kind of complicated and not possible at all.
Most time it uses Airplay and eats battery life of my phone.

First, Airplay does not impact the battery life of your phone in any meaningful way. You are imagining this.

Second, Airplay has, for a long time, streamed directly to the target device rather than Internet > Phone > Target Device. It almost certainly works the same way for Airplay to the HomePod. You could test this with a network analyzer. I’m sure someone has.

 

[bsmr]

Second, Airplay has, for a long time, streamed directly to the target device rather than Internet > Phone > Target Device. It almost certainly works the same way for Airplay to the HomePod. You could test this with a network analyzer. I’m sure someone has.

If I start something via Airplay from my phone it plays on the HomePod. If I put my phone to Airplane-Mode the music on my HomePod stops after a caching period.

 

[zhenya]

If I start something via Airplay from my phone it plays on the HomePod. If I put my phone to Airplane-Mode the music on my HomePod stops after a caching period.

This doesn't actually prove that the stream isn't going direct to the HomePod. The AppleTV behaves the same way even though a video stream that is sent via AirPlay (not screen mirroring) to the ATV is streamed directly. If you disable wifi on the 'starting' device, the stream will also stop. You have to use a network sniffer to see what's happening.

In any case, the alternative answer was given earlier. Start the music on your iPhone. Use Hand Off to the HomePod. You can then control what is playing via the Music UI on your iPhone.

 

[MacManTexas56]

Yes.

Do have Sonos at home and wanted to go to HomePod only.... But thinking about cancelling the switch.

What I love about Sonos... You can stream directly from the internet to the speakers. With HomePod kind of complicated and not possible at all.
Most time it uses Airplay and eats battery life of my phone.

from my experience owning 9 homepods, to switching entirely to sonos.....don't make the switch lol.