Wesley Hilliard
On Tuesday afternoon, the HomePod and HomePod mini received a software update to version 14.3 providing general performance and stability fixes to users.
The HomePod and HomePod mini run a specialized version of tvOS and receive updates sporadically when compared to Apple's other operating systems. Updates generally include bug fixes and improvements for features attached to the larger ecosystem.
The last HomePod software update was for version 14.2.1 which was another bug fix update.
The last major update was for HomePod OS 14.1 which included support for HomePod mini and new features like Intercom. The updates normally skip numbers to match whatever current iOS or tvOS version is currently available.
The HomePod mini released in November for $100 and features the same Siri interactions and great sound associated with the original HomePod. AppleInsider reviewed the HomePod mini and gave it 4.5 out of 5.
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18 Comments
Hey Siri turn the Christmas Tree Lights on
OK the Christmas tree lights is on
Fixed!
hey Siri turn the Christmas Tree Lights on
OK the Christmas tree lights are on
Can it finally default to Spotify?
Has anyone else had issues lately of IoT switches, cameras, etc., dropping off of their wifi network suddenly and all at once? I've tried a number of things to try to isolate the cause (including swapping out routers), and have been mystified so far. One possibility is that something in the previous TVOS/HomePodOS updates did something jangly with HomeKit hubs that was causing some sort of cascading error resulting in devices dumping off the network (and I mean totally off the network; not just missing from HomeKit. At the same time, Macs, HomePods, iPads, iPhones, ATVs, etc, stayed connected.). I've updated all the HomeKit hub devices to 14.3, so hopefully that was it and it's been corrected.
I’m enjoying my HomePod Mini very much so far. I'm still trying to figure out which radio stations I can request with Siri commands which is preferable to using AirPlay to cast from my iPhone. It appears that BBC Radio 2 and Virgin Radio are not provided by TuneIn. The BBC Sounds app plays BBC Radio 2 and I can use AirPlay to send this to my HomePod Mini but I'd much prefer to play it directly on the HomePod like I do with Absolute 80s. I have the Virgin Radio app on my iPhone and I can use AirPlay to cast to my HomePod.