Paul Morris·

New HomePod Firmware Update To Add Phone Calling, Multiple Siri Timers, Search Music By Lyrics Feature, More

Apple used the end of its September 12 “Gather Round” media event to not only recap on all of the large announcements pertaining to iPhone Xs / Xs Max and Apple Watch Series 4 but to also confirm that an update to HomePod firmware is coming in the next few days.

There has been intense speculation about Apple’s product range over the last few weeks. Consumers and analysts have tried to predict – with great success it seems – exactly what Apple was planning on announcing. However, those analysts didn’t pay a lot of attention to the HomePod.

Given the immaturity of the HomePod hardware, we knew we weren’t going to get a second-generation device but what we have been given is a guarantee of a HomePod firmware update which will instantly expose a number of new features and usability improvements for all of those with the HomePod hardware in their home.

Coming this September 17th, the new HomePod firmware will be rolled out to all HomePod owners and will immediately offer new functionality. Firstly, music lovers will be able to use HomePod and Siri to give commands to search for music by providing the song lyrics. Apple will also be making sure that HomePod joins all of its other devices by being able to make and receive telephone calls as well as instantly send pings to other Apple devices on the same Apple ID in order to find them if they are lost or misplaced within the property.

HomePod owners will also be able to use the hardware and new firmware to schedule and set-up multiple reminders and open up a whole new world of third-party apps thanks to the existence of Siri Shortcuts. The existence of Siri Shortcuts will let HomePod kick off a series of chained events making use of multiple apps that allow this type of functionality. One command and the new HomePod firmware is all that it takes.

If you are a HomePod owner then Apple will be pushing out new firmware for the device this coming September 17th. If you don’t yet own Apple’s class-leading speaker, then now is the perfect time to pick one up in order to take advantage of the new features dropping in the coming few days.

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