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Testing the HomePod Mini's New U1 Handoff Functionality

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Apple today released iOS 14.4 and the HomePod 14.4 software, with these two updates introducing improved Handoff functionality between the HomePod mini and the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 models. In our latest YouTube video, we tested out the new functionality to see just how it works.


The HomePod mini, the iPhone 11 models, and the iPhone 12 models all have Apple's U1 Ultra Wideband chip, which allows the devices to more precisely locate and keep track of one another thanks to much improved indoor positioning and location capabilities.

When introducing the HomePod mini with U1 chip back in October, Apple explained that it would be used for more advanced Handoff features, with that technology now available. The HomePod and HomePod mini have always been capable of transferring songs from the iPhone to the HomePod and vice versa, but now the HomePod mini does it just a bit better.

If you're listening to a song on your iPhone 11 or iPhone 12 and bring the phone near the HomePod mini, there are now visual, audio, and haptic effects when the song transfers. As the iPhone gets closer to the HomePod mini's location, it begins a soft haptic touch rhythm that gets faster and faster as the iPhone continues to approach the HomePod mini. Eventually, the song transfer interface options up, and the song transitions from the iPhone to the mini.

Transferring a song is quicker and more reliable with these visual and haptic-based transfer cues, and there are some other useful changes enabled by the U1 chip too. When an iPhone is held near a HomePod mini, you'll see personalized listening suggestions and song recommendations.

More notably, when you hold an iPhone next to the HomePod mini the iPhone will display playback controls that you can access without unlocking your phone, giving you a quicker way to manually control content playing on the HomePod mini.

This new U1 chip functionality is limited to the HomePod mini because the standard HomePod does not have a U1 chip inside it. Using this feature also requires an iPhone with a U1 chip, and that's limited to iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 models.

Article Link: Testing the HomePod Mini's New U1 Handoff Functionality
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2021/01/26/homepod-mini-14-4-u1-handoff/
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Only got my mini the other day and love it. Looking forward to trying this out.
 
k1121j said:
omg yes on my mac they show up twice at the end of the day even though i already completed them on my phone its so annoying
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I found reminders with a date and time that are completed still show unless I remove the date and time settings. Once thats done completed reminders don’t show across devices.

I’ve filed this bug since iOS 14 development last year and it’s still open and acknowledged.
 
If you still have the handoff screen showing on your phone after a handoff in either direction, it doesn't seem to work again until you X that screen.

FWIW, I've also just noticed that the handoff screen is actually the settings card you get if you access your HomePod though the Home app.

CDE49A29-0630-40D4-9F2B-914704DCE79F.png
 
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Wish these guys would start using pop filters on their microphones...and I love the new feature on my pair of minis.
 
I have eight regular HomePods and the 12 Pro Max. Even if I had the mini, I can't envision a situation where it would be of any value. 🤷‍♂️ I guess I'm just missing the point. Then again, I'm older than some redwoods. 🌲

I'm more hopeful that 14.4 will fix a myriad of bugs we've experienced throughout 2020. You know, the days' when we could look up a contact, send a message, use the dial pad, and the HomePods accurately responded to Siri.
 
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Digital Dude said:
I have eight regular HomePods and the 12 Pro Max. Even if I had the mini, I can't envision a situation where it would be of any value. 🤷‍♂️ I guess I'm just missing the point. Then again, I'm older than some redwoods. 🌲
My hope is that 14.4 will fix the myriad of bugs we've experienced had throughout 2020.
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Never have owned a HomePod but I do have two minis by our bed on a little computer stand set up as a stereo pair and those work nice for going to bed and just listening to a little low music before dozing off.
 
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gene731 said:
Never have owned a HomePod but I do have two minis by our bed on a little computer stand set up as a stereo pair and those work nice for going to bed and just listening to a little low music before dozing off.
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gene731 said:
Thank you, that helps. 👍 I occasionally do the same with my regular HomePods, so there must be a subtle feature I'm not aware.
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How is this with wifi connection? Example, On iPhone, connected to either wifi1 or data, homepod mini connected to wifi2.... is it still easy to connect with U1?

Our routers is setup with wifi1 for 2.4ghz and wifi2 for 5ghz. So most of the time my iphone will be on wifi1 while mini is on wifi2.

I want to do a stereo pair but so far with only 1 homepod, it’s hard to connect especially since my apple tv is wired to the internet. I have to setup speaker access to everyone in the home settings
 
Wicked271 it doesn’t airplay to the speakers.
It transfers the stream to the speakers and the speakers continue streaming it from the source itself

so as to how it is depends on how good your connection is your speakers to ur router
 
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BWhaler said:
I find it highly finicky. Even with latest update, it doesn’t always transfer.
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Maybe it's just me, but Handoff has never worked reliably (as in, all of the handoff features of macOS and iOS that have been there for years). Maybe 30% of the time it'll work as it should – I've pretty much given up on it.
 
I just hope my original HomePod is a bit quicker with this update. Starting to airplay from my iPhone or Mac should be near instantaneous, now it can take up to 5 sec. That’s a long time as during this time, the music stops.

Also, besides the haptic feedback I don’t see a big difference with Handoff on the original HomePod without U1. Or am I missing something?
 
It's useless - now it's time for a rant:

I'm a Mac user since 1995 - a time where Macs "just worked". I put every update on the machines as soon as they were available and enjoyed new functionality. Since a couple of years this is no longer so. Apple very often adds new functionality but it's use is limited to a very narrow set of use cases (and user types which might find the feature useful) and the list of broken or incomplete use cases grows longer and longer.

This is just one more example:
I'm a father of two children. Both nearly old enough to get an iPod, but just not yet. I got both of them an HomePod mini so that they can hear music and audio books in their rooms. But, currently, they have to come to my wife or me to get these started. (BTW: Access control by Screen Time are also just a mess of broken use cases and not usable here)

That means my wife and me have to do this on one of our iPhones and have to be really focused while doing so so that we don't put the wrong music on the wrong HomePod. (This use case "play and control different music one different AirPlay devices is implemented usable).

I hoped that with 14.4 I would be able to hold my iPhone close to one of the HomePods (instead of clicking through the UI) to play music on it. That would fasten things a bit up. But: It is completely useless!

Important: I need to switch to the correct HomePod mini BEFORE I start music. Otherwise I would change the music on the device I controlled just before.

What happens:
1. I bring the iPhone close to the HPM and the new UI pops up. This works fairly good for me.
2. But: The new UI doesn't allow access to my music library. I just get a display of controls and couple of (usually irrelevant) suggestions.
3. There is a small button (pyramid with circles above) to access the Airplay controls. But instead of showing the already existing UI that one sees when clicking on this button on other screens which would allow to control multiple AirPlay devices, it brings up a reduced AirPlay screen. I didn't check out what this screen does, yet. But it definitely lacks a feature to control the device completely.

What did Apple do: They put effort into creating a new UI that has only a very limited use.

What Apple could have done: When bringing an iOS device close to an HPM they could have just brought up the already existing UI that one gets when clicking on the AirPlay button an than on "control other devices" (don't know the correct English caption of this button). This would really save time and be useful.

I will probably rephrase this a bit and send it to Apple as well.

I have the feeling that at Apple work to many "young and hip" persons. They should probably employ some more persons with other mind sets and requirements to check their use cases. And they really should got back on their former "it just works".

PS: Don't get me started on parental controls and Screen Time.

----
Edit: typos
 
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