How to AirPlay music to your HomePod from Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, and Apple Music

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited October 2020
The HomePod is not strictly limited to Apple Music playback through Siri -- it is also an AirPlay target, and can recieve an audio signal from nearly every app on your iPhone. Here are some of the most common apps, and where to tap to get that to play on your new speaker.




Given that we're using AirPlay to stream, this procedure works to send the music to any AirPlay device, like a bunch of stereo receivers, or Apple TVs. As a reminder, this is your iPhone "pushing" the music to the HomePod, rather than the HomePod "pulling" it itself from a source, so if you leave and take your iPhone with you, or force-quit the running music app, the tunes will stop.

Spotify

Spotify injects an extra step into the process, making you think you may need to sign up for premium -- but you don't.


Amazon Music

Amazon mostly sticks to the user interface guidelines as set forth by Apple.




Pandora

You might have forgotten about Pandora with the growth of other services. We did, and were pleasantly surprised to find that the service reminded us that there is a lot more music now than when we last signed up, so we took a minute to add favorite songs.


Apple Music playing from your iPhone

Streaming Apple Music from your iPhone at first glance doesn't make a lot of sense, but it looks to be the way that you'll have to use in the future for multi-room playback on the device, when it arrives.


Comments

  • Reply 1 of 14
    gargravarrgargravarr Posts: 59member
    What about AirPlay to the HomePod from iTunes or Spotify on your Mac? I am not interested in wasting the battery on my phone, but sending music from my computer would be ideal.
  • Reply 2 of 14
    dick applebaumdick applebaum Posts: 12,527member
    What about AirPlay to the HomePod from iTunes or Spotify on your Mac? I am not interested in wasting the battery on my phone, but sending music from my computer would be ideal.
    Don't know about Spotify, but iTunes works fine form a Mac.
    edited February 2018 StrangeDays
  • Reply 3 of 14
    billykendallbillykendall Posts: 6member
    @Gargravarr,

    That’s easy, in iTunes, just to the left of the album artwork and to the right of the controls at the top (full view or tap the volume button in the mini player), hit the airplay icon and send your music where you wish!
  • Reply 4 of 14
    DRuth2010DRuth2010 Posts: 3member
    What if your HomePod doesn't show up in the AirPlay target menu? I was playing music from Apple Music via AirPlay the other night when it all the sudden dropped the signal and no longer shows up as an AirPlay target. It used to be an option on my speakerphone as well and now no longer does that. I've read things about it potentially being the Wi-Fi network versus an actual hardware issues...but it's frustrating nonetheless and I wasn't allowed it seemed from Apple's forums.
  • Reply 5 of 14
    kruegdudekruegdude Posts: 340member
    “Streaming Apple Music from your iPhone at first glance doesn't make a lot of sense, but it looks to be the way that you'll have to use in the future for multi-room playback on the device, when it arrives.”

    I’m not doubting this but is this stated somewhere? I ask because I really want this to be not true. Or maybe I’m not thinking it through. 
  • Reply 6 of 14
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,861administrator
    DRuth2010 said:
    What if your HomePod doesn't show up in the AirPlay target menu? I was playing music from Apple Music via AirPlay the other night when it all the sudden dropped the signal and no longer shows up as an AirPlay target. It used to be an option on my speakerphone as well and now no longer does that. I've read things about it potentially being the Wi-Fi network versus an actual hardware issues...but it's frustrating nonetheless and I wasn't allowed it seemed from Apple's forums.
    We haven't seen that with the HomePod as of yet, but when I've run into it with a receiver, a router reboot fixed the problem.
  • Reply 7 of 14
    indiekidukindiekiduk Posts: 381member
    we've been able to do this for 13 years since the airport express and no one really cared, and those that did were infuriated by disconnections.
  • Reply 8 of 14
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,861administrator

    kruegdude said:
    “Streaming Apple Music from your iPhone at first glance doesn't make a lot of sense, but it looks to be the way that you'll have to use in the future for multi-room playback on the device, when it arrives.”

    I’m not doubting this but is this stated somewhere? I ask because I really want this to be not true. Or maybe I’m not thinking it through. 
    I would very much like it to not be true, but unless they pull off something really amazing with Siri, HomeKit, and AirPlay 2, I'm not certain I see any other way to do it.
    caladanian
  • Reply 9 of 14
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    The HomePod connects to the Apple TV as an external speaker, does it not? Will Siri control the Apple TV, the way my Apple TV remote controls my iPhone when streaming from it via AirPlay? If so, then it seems like the Apple TV is the way to play and control music on the HomePod, without having to worry about keeping track of a mobile device.
    edited February 2018
  • Reply 10 of 14
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,861administrator
    mac_128 said:
    The HomePod connects to the Apple TV as an external speaker, does it not? Will Siri control the Apple TV, the way my Apple TV remote controls my iPhone when streaming from it via AirPlay? If so, then it seems like the Apple TV is the way to play and control music on the HomePod, without having to worry about keeping track of a mobile device.
    Sure, that works too. There are just loads more iPhones than there are Apple TVs in the wild.
  • Reply 11 of 14
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    Mike Wuerthele said:
    mac_128 said:
    The HomePod connects to the Apple TV as an external speaker, does it not? Will Siri control the Apple TV, the way my Apple TV remote controls my iPhone when streaming from it via AirPlay? If so, then it seems like the Apple TV is the way to play and control music on the HomePod, without having to worry about keeping track of a mobile device.
    Sure, that works too. There are just loads more iPhones than there are Apple TVs in the wild.
    Understood. I'm just thinking of it in terms of an installed home system, rather than one requiring a phone present to work. It's one more expense, but one permanently connected to the home, which is where Apple's integration comes into play. It's a good, inexpensive way to get into the Apple ecosystem without investing in a phone, tablet or PC.
  • Reply 12 of 14
    plovellplovell Posts: 824member
    HomePod works as an AirPlay target but there's a glitch with controlling the volume.

    I had expected the HomePod's "+" and "-" to control its volume. But they don't. Pressing either of them decreases the volume on the whole system to about 5 or 10%. 

    Saying "Hey Siri - STOP" will pause the music. But "RESUME" doesn't un-pause it. Instead, it starts playing from the first track in my music library.

    Note: I have Home Sharing and iCloud Match, but not Apple Music.
  • Reply 13 of 14
    dick applebaumdick applebaum Posts: 12,527member
    If you have a large music library, doesn't it make more sense to use a Mac or PC on the same WiFi network as the AppleTV.  So far, I've only been able to designate one HomePod (or any other speaker) as output for AppleTV -- haven't been able to play stereo or multiple synched monos as with Airfoil on the Mac.
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