With One Big Update, Apple Breathed New Life In the HomePod

The HomePod 18.2 software update is out now.

Published December 18, 2024

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Apple recently rolled out software updates to all its major devices, delivering new features and abilities.

For example, your iPhone lets you set new default apps and add a volume slider to your Lock Screen. The Apple Watch’s Camera Remote app received a simple but helpful new feature. The Mac supports more Apple Intelligence features. And the Photos app got a big update across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

As for Apple’s smart speakers, the HomePod and HomePod mini, they got their first meaningful software update of the year. And yes, it did deliver one worthwhile new feature.

A more understanding Siri

If you have a HomePod or a HomePod mini, you likely are an Apple Music subscriber, too, as it’s the music streaming service that works best with “Hey Siri” voice commands. And thanks to the latest update, it just got even better.

The HomePod 18.2 software update — out now — brings Siri support for “natural language search” when listening to Apple Music. According to Apple, you can “describe what you want to hear using any combination of categories like genre, mood, decade or activity.”

So instead of requesting specific songs or artists to play, you can use “Hey Siri” commands to request “sad songs from the 90s” or “songs about the beach” or “songs by artists similar to Eminem.”

In a nutshell, it makes Siri on the HomePod just a little more understanding.

How to update?

Your HomePod should automatically update itself on its own, so long as your iPhone (or iPad) is running the latest software — iOS 18.2 or iPadOS 18.2 — as well. That said, you can manually update it. Here’s how: