What you need to know
- Support for live radio stations is coming to HomePod on September 30.
- Unfortunately, multi-user support won't be available until this fall.
- Ambient sounds and handoff features are also arriving this fall.
Following yesterday's iPhone 11 event, Apple has quietly updated its webpage for the HomePod with details about new features coming soon. Some, like live radio stations, will be available to everyone on September 30.
Because the HomePod's live radio stations feature is coming first, we'll start there. The feature was first teased at WWDC and supports three services: iHeartRadio, Radio.com, and TuneIn. Apple says the upcoming support brings 100,000 radio stations to the HomePod. You can tune in to your favorite station just by asking Siri.
Apple also provides a small update on multi-user support, saying the feature will arrive this fall.
Together with Siri, HomePod can learn and recognize up to six different voices and create a personalized listening experience for everybody at home. So when they say "Hey Siri, play some music" they'll get a mix of songs customized just for them — picked from Apple Music based on their listening history and personal preferences. And with Persona Requests, they can access their own messages, reminders, lists, and calendars, and make and receive phone calls.
Apple says ambient sounds are also coming to HomePod this fall.
Relax with Ambient Sounds — featuring the soothing sounds of ocean waves, forest birds, rainstorms, and more.
Finally, support for the handoff feature won't be available until this fall. The feature will allow users to "handoff" a song, podcast, or call to the HomePod simply by bringing their iOS device close to the speaker.
We'll provide updates as these features become available.
