nhughes

joe28753 said:

How does Hey Siri work with multiple devices in the same room? Is it still buggy? As it is now for me on the latest software, if I raise my wrist and say Hey Siri to my Apple Watch, my iPhone also activates Siri at the same time. Will I now have three devices activating Siri every time?

I haven't had the problems you describe here with my watch and iPhone, so my experience may be different. That said:

If my iPhone is laying in front of me and I say "Hey Siri," the phone lights up but then stops listening, defaulting to the HomePod. However, if my iPhone is unlocked, it takes precedence over the HomePod. Works well for me.

dick applebaum said:

AppleInsider said:

Later this year, when iOS 11.3 is made public and the HomePod is also updated, AirPlay 2 will be available. This means users will be able to stream music to multiple HomePod units at once, or even combine playback on HomePod with other AirPlay 2 devices, like the Apple TV. For now, it's one HomePod only, and I couldn't find a way to stream to both my Apple TV 4K and HomePod.

From what I've read, with iTunes running on a Mac, you can stream to multiple output speakers -- including the homePod.  Can you verify this, please?

Streaming to multiple AirPlay speakers from iTunes on a Mac has always been possible with AirPlay 1. What's unique about AirPlay 2 is it will allow multi-speaker streaming from an iOS device.

So to answer your question, yes, you can output to multiple speakers via iTunes on a Mac, but that's not new. You don't need to buy a HomePod to do that. You could do it with a couple of AirPort Expresses and any speaker of your choosing.

paxman said:

I am very curious as to how the HomePod functions in a family household. We have an Apple Music family plan and I am wondering if I need to set up a 'neutral' account and assign that to the HomePod, and if so what about Siri as well as messages and other 'personal' content such as texts? Basically nobody in my house would like to have their crap be announced over a speaker system  

Texts and such are only announced if you ask for them. And they can only be received from one person/device/account. And you have to opt in for the feature upon initial setup.

As for music, anyone will be able to stream and control it, even if your phone isn't nearby. But their music selections would, presumably, affect the recommended "For You" content on your account, or whoevers is linked to it.

Multi-user support is sorely lacking, and I have to imagine it's a top priority for Apple.

All-Purpose Guru said:

airnerd said:

Looks good. Needs a banana for scale.

Is there some reason why every single review of this thing doesn't show an item next to it for scale?  I find it really odd that I've read 3-4 reviews of this thing but I have NO idea how big it is because every single review shows the device by itself.

Take a picture of it with an iPhone sitting next to it, or a business card, or *something*.  Even a banana would work, yes, but they come in different sizes, but it would at least give us an idea.  

iPhone X for scale.

dewme said:

Does the HomePod consume one of the ten (10) device licenses authorized to access iTunes Match?

It does not.