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Apple releases HomePod 17.4 software with music preferences update

Julie Clover

Apple today released new software for HomePod and HomePod mini, introducing ‌HomePod‌ Software 17.4. The update comes a month after the last ‌HomePod‌ update. software version.


With ‌HomePod‌ In version 17.4, Siri can learn which media service a user prefers, eliminating the need to set a third-party app as the default app or include the app name when prompted for ‌Siri‌ to play content.

This update lets Siri know your preferred media service, so you no longer have to include the name of the media app in your request.

As a result, adding a new feature, Apple removed the Home App option, which allowed users to choose a default media service. This change causes ‌HomePod‌ similar to the iPhone and iPad, which already offer the ability to choose the default music service for ‌Siri‌ when you first request a song.

Third-party apps that work directly with ‌‌HomePod‌‌ include YouTube Music, Deezer, Pandora, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio. Streaming music services must support ‌‌HomePod‌‌ for this feature to work, but not all, such as Spotify, do. You can play Spotify content on your ‌HomePod‌ requesting ‌Siri‌, but it routes the song through the ‌iPhone‌ on ‌HomePod‌ via AirPlay.

Along with support for ‌‌Siri‌‌ your preferred music service, the ‌‌HomePod‌‌ 17.4 update also includes performance and stability improvements.

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