Oliver Haslam on February 8, 2018, 11:32 pm

Apple Music Streams On HomePod Doesn’t Count Against Any Device Limits

Now that reviewers have spent some time with Apple’s new HomePod smart speaker ahead of its release on Friday, we are starting to learn some interesting snippets of news relating to how the device interacts with the accounts that it is tied to.

With the HomePod tying into Apple Music for example, it was wondered whether that would mean that users with a single user account would be forced to upgrade to a family plan in order to stream to a HomePod and another device simultaneously. According to iMore’s Rene Ritchie, this is not the case.

During his review of the HomePod, Ritchie notes that the HomePod does not impact any Apple Music device limit, nor does it count towards the 10-device limit placed on Apple IDs, either.

That includes HomePod not counting against any Apple Music device or concurrent stream limit — set it up one or more HomePods with your iPhone or iPad, leave the house with that device, and anyone who stays or comes home can still listen to Apple Music on any or all the HomePods you’ve set up.

Perhaps even more interestingly, The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple has also confirmed that Apple has a mechanism in place to prevent music listened to on a HomePod from impacting the “For You” section of Apple Music. This would normally house music that was recommended based on listening habits, something that could be polluted by family members using a HomePod. According to Dalrymple, Apple has uncharacteristically added a toggle to turn this on or off for individual HomePod devices.

One thing about having multiple people access the HomePod that bothered me was that it would affect my “For You” section in Apple Music.

When you love songs, play songs and add songs to your library, Apple Music will suggest similar music, assuming that is what you want. If someone else, or a group of people come over and start playing genres you don’t like, it would screw everything up.

Well, it turns out I didn’t have to worry about that after all. There is a setting in the Home app that allows you to prevent the music played on HomePod from affecting the “For You” section of Apple Music.

Our suggestion? Turn that off before your kids get hold of your HomePod.