Oliver Haslam·

HomePod Gains New Handoff Feature, iOS 13, iPadOS 13 Allow Audio Sharing To Multiple AirPods Simultaneously

It’s been a big day for Apple and developers of apps for its systems. The WWDC opening keynote came to a close earlier and it brought with it plenty of new announcements to get our teeth into. Two of them may have gotten a little lost in the crowd, but they’re pretty cool regardless. We’re talking about the HomePod gaining support for Handoff, and AirPods getting a new Audio Sharing feature.

Starting out with the HomePod, the new addition of support for Handoff is something that many have been hoping for since the HomePod first arrived. With Handoff enabled, users will be able to play audio or place a phone call on an iPhone or iPad and then hand that off to the HomePod wirelessly. It’s a great addition for anyone who likes to listen to music on multiple devices, perhaps in the car, but then wants to carry on via their HomePod at home.

The new Audio Sharing feature for AirPods is one that Apple glossed over during the event, but is also one that could be hugely helpful. With Audio Sharing enabled, users will be able to take audio from one device and output it to multiple AirPods simultaneously. This will prevent users from having to use one AirPod each when sharing a movie on an airplane, for example.

Both of these new features will arrive as part of iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 in September, with initial beta versions available for developers as of today.

Do you see yourself using either of these new features?

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