6 HomePod annoyances Apple might finally fix this year

The HomePod mini is one of my favorite Apple products, offering impressive audio output and seamless integration with the rest of my Apple devices for just $99. A stereo pair fuels my everyday mini house parties while also acting as a home hub that controls my smart light bulbs—even remotely. The speakers can estimate the indoor temperature and humidity, alert me about smoke detectors going off, power automations, and much more; they’re truly great.

Despite its utility and ease of use, however, the HomePod isn’t really as smart as you’d expect a smart speaker to be. Because it relies on the infamous, pre-Apple Intelligence version of Siri, it often fails to process complex commands or offer helpful, up-to-date information. But there’s reason to be optimistic. The upcoming HomePod 3 and mini 2 reportedly won’t launch until Apple releases the boosted AI experience with OS 27, which suggests the next-gen HomePods will address several of the current models’ shortcomings and become genuinely smart this fall.

Here are six issues with the current HomePod models that could finally be fixed with the imminent launch of new hardware.

Siri-ous multitasking

One thing I dislike about my HomePods is the way they restrict me to individual commands. If you try asking your Apple smart speaker to turn off the lights and turn on the TV, it won’t execute either order, stating that it can’t process combined tasks. Instead, you’ll have to trigger the voice assistant, ask it to perform action A, wait for it to do so, and then repeat the same steps to get action B done. It’s tedious.

Alternatively, you could create scenes (task combinations) in the Apple Home app, then activate these with a single Siri command. This works well for routine activities, such as a movie night setup, but is close to useless for random, impromptu command combos.

So much for the current state of affairs. The future looks brighter: if the rumors materialize, Siri in iOS 27 will finally be able to process multiple orders in one go. Given that the HomePod 3 and mini 2 are expected to support Siri 2.0, it’s fairly safe to assume that Apple’s smart speakers will learn how to multitask later this year.

The chatty kind

When iOS 27 launches, Siri is expected to receive an LLM-driven boost, allowing it to become as conversational as rival AI chatbots. If the upcoming HomePods adopt the same technology, you’ll finally be able to have elaborate conversations with the voice assistant using natural language. It should also be able to maintain the context of the chat and provide follow-up responses accordingly.

Right now, the HomePod does not wait for follow-up inquiries once it answers a certain question. You can’t ask the HomePod “What’s the weather like in Beirut?” and then add “What about New York?” after it provides the first answer. It simply stops listening, forcing you to trigger it again and ask full questions that don’t take previous requests into account. Interacting with Siri on the HomePod also requires you to pick your words carefully, as the bot is prone to misinterpretation. The rumored LLM upgrade should hopefully clean up this mess.

A cure for amnesia

iOS 27 will reportedly introduce a dedicated Siri app that stores your conversation history and other useful info. Given that Siri already supports iCloud sync and the HomePod can distinguish between different household members, the next HomePods could realistically sync your records to the dedicated iPhone app. This would let you access past conversations you’ve had with the smart speaker to recall specific details.

Already knows you

One of Siri 2.0’s most anticipated features is the ability to pull user data from apps such as Messages, Mail, and Calendar. With iOS 27, you should be able to ask Siri when your mom’s flight is, for example, and it’ll dig through your conversations across apps to find the relevant answer.

Since HomePods can tell different users apart, Apple could realistically bundle this perk with the 3rd-gen and mini 2 models. In this case, the HomePod would piggyback on your nearby iPhone to fetch the requested information before announcing the results. This approach would bar other household members from secretly accessing your personal data when you’re out and about, as it requires detecting both your voice and nearby iPhone simultaneously.

A model pupil

Siri on Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhones already offers a handy ChatGPT integration. The feature allows OpenAI’s chatbot to natively process complex questions when Siri fails, or the user explicitly requests it.

iOS 27 is rumored to offer even more extensions, including Google Gemini, giving users additional options to pick from. If the HomePod 3 and mini 2 are powered by the same smarter Siri, they should similarly be able to tap into other providers’ AI models if Apple’s LLMs are deemed unsatisfactory.

A DJ that actually listens

Beyond the Siri upgrade, there’s an existing Apple Intelligence perk on iOS that the next HomePods could realistically port. AutoMix is a reimagined crossfade feature for Apple Music subscribers that offers DJ-style transitions between songs. It uses on-device AI to analyze the tracks and mixes one into the next accordingly. This noticeably elevates the listening experience and makes classic crossfade transitions sound dated.

It’s not impossible to get this effect on your HomePod currently: one workaround would be to cast music from a supported nearby iPhone. But that’s not as practical as the native implementation we hope will arrive with the next generation of HomePods.

Author: Mahmoud Itani, Contributor, Macworld