As you might have already read, HomePod’s voice assistant functionality only works with Apple Music. If you want to speak into the air and you want your smart speaker to start playing some music, you’ll have to sign up for Apple Music. But what if you want to play some music from Spotify, SoundCloud or Pandora? Or you want to listen to podcasts from TuneIn or Overcast? There’s AirPlay for that.
Read more: HomePod Audio Quality is Worth the Purchase Price
Use AirPlay to Stream Music From Spotify, SoundCloud and Pandora on HomePod
No matter where you’re playing your music, or what the app’s UI is like, you can stream the music to HomePod using AirPlay. HomePod comes with AirPlay technology so you can easily stream any content from your iPhone or iPad directly to HomePod.
Different apps have different UIs for getting to the audio outputs screen. Spotify, for example, hides the feature under two menus. You don’t have to find your way through all that. You can just use the audio outputs screen in Control Center to switch the audio output to HomePod.
Step 1: Open the Control Center on your iPhone or iPad. On your iPhone or iPad, swipe up from the bottom of the screen (on your iPhone X, swipe down from the right notch).
Step 2: In the Now Playing widget, tap on the little wave icon. This will directly open the audio outputs screen.
Step 3: From here, tap on the HomePod option and audio output will switch to it instantly.
Alternatively, in iOS 11, you can go to the Lock screen or Cover Sheet to view the Now Playing widget. Next to the title, you’ll find the AirPlay button. Tap on it and you can switch to the HomePod as well.
Once the music starts playing on the HomePod, you can say “Hey Siri stop” or “Hey Siri resume” to stop and resume playing on your HomePod.
To disconnect playback on the HomePod, you can open the AirPlay controls again and switch to your iPhone as an output.
HomePod: Everything You Need to Know
Did you just get your HomePod and you’re trying to figure things out? Find out everything you need to know in our HomePod guide.
- HomePod FAQ: Everything You Need to Know
- Top 25 HomePod Tips and Tricks
- How to Restrict AirPlay Access On HomePod
- How to Prevent Anyone From Listening to Your Messages on HomePod
What do you think of the HomePod? Share with us in the comments below.
