🔴 Some other great videos to check out 🍿 10 Apple TV TIPS You Need To Know! (2022) - th-cam.com/video/BFXdsfSe6Pc/w-d-xo.html 🍿 WHY the NEW Apple TV 4K (2022) is Still the BEST! - th-cam.com/video/DwwIybqIXPY/w-d-xo.html 🍿 Why I Switched From Alexa to Apple's HomeKit! - th-cam.com/video/4__2xqEHR9o/w-d-xo.html
Can u connect 1 or 2 of these to a studio display and watch any content like this or anything else with the sound coming from the 1 homepod or 2 homepods
I hope the HomePod is popular enough that Apple will keep adding more products. I have two now, but I want versions with a screen for my bedroom and kitchen. I plan to demote my current HomePods to Mac Mini or TV speakers when a new version comes out. They should be useful to my family much longer than our phones or even computers .
Their problem isn’t with products it’s with pricing. This model is perfect down to the price. The previous model flopped because it cost more than airpods maxes.
There's far too much lag to be useful as computer speakers. They need to enable them as Bluetooth speakers. Beyond mental that they didn't bother testing that.
@@josie_the_valkyrie Agreed - I am having troubles with Airplay and am ‘mucho frustrado’. Am thinking of getting an Android device but, I have an iPhone but I don’t want to give up Spotify- AGHHHHH
@@MAYK1NG my experience with Amazon Echo has been amazing. I've an Echo that easily connects via Bluetooth. And Alexa is just leaps better than Siri. Honestly, it's baffling how bad Siri....
I think a good tip to tell when something new is going to come out, is if it can reuse existing parts especially on something that might've not sold that well.
Thanks Craig! This is a super helpful video, as are your other Apple HomePod Mini vids. I'm picking up two tomorrow. My first two. Presents for my elderly folks. They are both totally with it in the Apple ecosystem and will be able to integrate these into their nascent but about to blossom HomeKit setup. Honestly, neither I nor my folks really want to learn all the ins and outs and intricacies of Google or Amazon's assistants, because we are already pretty far into iPhones, Macs, etc. It was a major leap for my folks to add some smart controls for outdoor lighting on their ranch. [Side note on Use case: the convenience of Apple ecosystem is really proving itself. Convenience coupled with trust and great devices. Example: My Mom tells Siri to turn on and off both sets of flood lights a few times a day from her watch while her hands are full moving hay, or walking the leashed & rambunctious springer spaniel pup. She was initially resistant to the unnecessary lighting controls, but now finds the helpful & essential.] We added a $20 Google Nest Mini today, and it works phenomenally well for information requests, music control etc. Sound quality is great. But the set-up and routine interaction lingo & protocols feel like a nuisance. The lack of seamless integration with iphone is a hindrance. Your vid highlighted several super useful aspects of the Apple mini: hand-off of music / sound control from devices and the integration into contacts / calls / reminders / calendars etc is worth the extra cash. So my folks will be surprised on Christmas morning when they open two or more Apple HomePod Mini's. [Note, they're in their mid / late 70s, and this is right up their alley! I'll have to get for myself too.] Just gotta choose what colors to buy out of the remaining stock at the local vendor. Thank you Craig! -Shwa
I have minis throughout my apartment and use them for music, timers, smart home control, adding reminders, sending messages, measurement conversions etc. but my favorite is telling it to play some sounds of the ocean when I’m getting ready to sleep! 🌊
Very nice Juan. Good to hear you are getting so much use out of them. The sounds are great at night. I like the rain sounds except for the random birds.
I also use Reminders for my shopping list. Better than third party apps which want you to make an account. The only downside using Reminders is I typically also add the price which Apple will convert to an all day event with the time. For example Bananas $1.25 or 1.25 will be converted to an all day event as 1:25pm. Wish there was a way to get around this.
This is such a good detailed review. Just what I was looking for. I have been thinking about getting one of these speakers and this has been so helpful. Thank you very much.
I’m getting mine later today to get rid of my echo show 5 first generation even though it works for sound control the touch doesn’t and I’m getting really sick of the ads and how bright it is at night even thought I can bring the brightness down in the settings but then in the day time I have adjust it again. Every day gets old. Then again with my iPhone on my Belkin MagSafe charger I have the time so now I don’t need two clocks. In the end I’m moving my smart home to Apple home so I want then to control my devices in my room then I will get more for the rest of the house
Great video, Craig. I love these videos on what we can do with [insert device name here]. Nearly to the day, I got my first HomePod Mini and a SmartPlug so I could turn on the Christmas tree lights and Christmas music at sunset in the room where my wife hangs out. While not a huge SmartHome fan, she loved that. Ten HomePod minis and just under 150 devices/sensors/toys later, and I’ve been impressed how much the entire family uses Siri to control the home. I still can’t get my wife to use timers or shared shopping lists, but I’m only a year into this! Keep the great videos coming.
I too just bought first HPM to set up smart plugs to control heater or dehumidifier and lights to come on before i walk through the door. I had difficulty syncing everything up…anything! What “SmartPlugs’’ do you use? Preference? Find on Home kit?
Dani: the best smart plug for a HPM-based SmartHome is the Eve SmartPlug. However, you may need to add some additional components. For example, a temperature and humidity sensor to see if either the heater of dehumidifier need to come on. You will also want to incorporate all of this into a scene so as to help ensure they all turn on correctly. Apple Home already provide a basic Arrive Home scene that you can modify as the scene you’ve described.
@@Dr_Cole ok i will research Eve, thank you. I would prefer to have a item hooked up to a smart extension plug or such so I can turn on a device via app on my phone while away. Is this possible to do? If device, “heater” is plugged into the smart plug and plug it is pared to HMP and this plug is “a scene on your phone”.. then one should be able to control device as long as HPM is in the room and connected to internet. I use to do this with a fan in the summer but now my phone reads, No response, on all scenes.
@@longhairmullet What you want to do is absolutely possible. It does sound like your Apple Home is having some issues the may not be resolved with you plan. Perhaps you tried the 16.2 upgrade and had some difficulties like many of us. In any event, just be ready to figure out how to resolve any Home network issues. I won’t go on further, as this is not the best arena for such conversations. If you need more assistance, consider joining a Facebook group dedicated to Apple Home.
Very nice video. Thanks for posting it. One question: in the case of having a HomePod mini in your working place and some others at home, could people intercom? Example: if my wife, at home, wants to ask anything to me while I’m at work, could she use HomePod intercom?
@@CraigsTechTalk sigh, too bad. I guess I’ll just stick to using the Sonos for video media and the HomePod mini for music. But the funny thing is, the Sonos also has a voice assistant that’s activiated with “Hey, Sonos”. It just felt kinda ironic.
Hi Craig! Which brand/model of ip camera you recommend for outdoor? For indoor I use 2 models from Xiaomi and they are fine but wanted another opinion. Thanks
@@CraigsTechTalk Are you running a contest to give away something? Just had a Telegram conversation with someone saying so. Just seems sketchy to me. Just curious.
Great video. They are on sale at Costco for $79. I wish you didn’t have to press “transfer to iPhone” I wish it would just do it on its own. Also, make sure WiFi is turned on on your iPhone and connected to the same WiFi network as the HomePod Mini. Otherwise nothing will work.
Yeah i guess this is where im having difficulty. The shared WiFi connection i have available is causing issues with staying online , keeps dropping so hard to effectively control devices while away. Or while home for that matter. One thing leads to another, buy this to enable control over that. Its not straight forward, more like trip down the rabbit hole.
Question: I’m interested in getting a few HomePods but I’m worried about how they integrate with my Sonos devices. Can you determine the speaker where music will be played from Siri requests as you can with Alexa and Google?
I have not found any settings that allow you to set a priority speaker. But you can tell Siri to play on a particular speaker. But that’s about it. I think for Sonos integration, Amazon still going to be better for that.
I want my wife to watch this video. We currently have ONE unit and it's in the bedroom. Primarily used for a next to the bed speaker for the TV across the room and also for whit noise during sleep: "Hey Siri, play Night, Hey Siri set volume to 20%, hey siri set sleep timer for 3 hours." I wish this could be done via shortcut on phone so I don't wake her up saying it when I come to bed later. Still a great function.
I have two pairs of pods in my living room. One pair under the TV and the other pair at the back of the room. With the Apple 4K TV you can set the audio to temporarily play to both pairs of pods. Not exactly surround sound but it works.
For item 4, my HomePod mini is in my kitchen, but when I say “hey siri turn on the lights” it asks me which room and lists several rooms other than the kitchen. If I say “hey siri turn on the kitchen lights” it works just fine. Any tips on getting it to work as you mentioned in your video?
The only thing I can think of is that the lights are not in the same room as the HomePod mini in the home app. I would confirm that the kitchen lights are in the same room within the home app. What your describing sounds like the lights or mini are in separate rooms in the app.
@@CraigsTechTalk Thanks for the reply! That was the first thing I checked and double checked. I made sure the mini was in the same room as the light switch. I even isolated it so there is just one light switch in the same room. Still just offers 3 other rooms other than the kitchen (which again is where the mini is located). Not a big deal, just trying to make it easier for the wife! But it could come into play if I add more minis.
You are welcome. I would think about removing it from the home and try adding it again. Maybe even move it in the app to another room and see if it does the same thing. That is so odd. I had never heard of that. I hope a reset may help.
Hi Craig, since I set up my Apple TV as a Homekit hup must I leave on the Apple TV all the time? Do I have to change the setting from stand by time to never? Cheers!
Hi I can notice Siri works better in the HomePod than in an iPhone. How much is the functionality improved regarding Siri on iPhone? In my case, I use AirPods and it works as it should, but might be glitchy or slow to respond sometimes, using my iPhone or my iPad. Watching this video I think I’ll end up buying a HomePod because it seems pretty cool, but hmm! I’m not a big fan of Apple Music because since the release of iOs 14 it works very unstable and the music keeps cutting out even having a good internet connection. I don’t know how good works in the HomePod of if it might be glitchy; But hey! Anyways, I can use Spotify through Airplay, that’s pretty cool. I’ll buy a HomePod in a future, and that’s for sure. It’s an Apple product, Apple is the best thing ever, it must have a great sound quality, it features Siri, it supports HomeKit, it features Airplay, pretty pretty cool, pretty nice
‼️Wow! You explain things so great. I Definitely subscribed. I just got one of each, and honestly didn’t realize exactly how much they do.❤ A new TV and Apple TV soon . I Really wanted the speakers for starters. Thank you so much you’re really easy to learn off from.
Thank you very much. that is nice of you to say. I appreciate you sticking around for more videos. I am glad that you found some new uses. Thank you again. Have a great day.
Thanks Michele, I used to hear that more back in the day when friends was on more, and I was better looking. 🤣 I am glad that there was some good info for you. Let us know if you get one.
@@CraigsTechTalk my ex husband is buying me one for Valentine’s Day! You’re still good looking. Sometimes we age like wine 😉 continue to embrace you. Your wife is lucky to have you. Seems like you have a great personality to go along with ur cuteness. Anyways thanks for ur vid I’m a new subscriber. Be blessed.
Hi Craig & thanks for the video. Last year,I bought an Amazon Echo Dot (following your videos at that time). This year, you're speaking of the HomePod Mini. The only difference I see is price ! The Amazon Echo does the same things easier and for 3 times less :-)). See U soon. François
@@CraigsTechTalkoh Apple opened up their HomePods to 3rd party services well over a year ago… maybe more. It’s Spotify that refuses to add integration because their CEO is a massive c*nt.
Thank you Liam. That is very kind of you. I hope you are doing well my friend. I do have a daily alarm to make sure I don’t forget again. Thanks again Liam. Have a great day.
Craig, that blue mini color is 🔥 Such a bummer the new Gen 2 HomePod is only available in two colors. Question: What you have have your iPhone on a table, your MacBook open in the same room and your HomePod on & you speak, "Hey Siri....." will all 3 devices answer you or does the HomePod supersede the other two? Keep up the great work and I will be subscribing ☑
Hello Jav, The blue would have been a great color. Or a product read. To answer your question, the HomePod will be the one to respond in 95% of the time. Occasionally my watch or phone will answer. But usually they all start to listen and then the HomePod response. Thank you for checking out the video. I appreciate you subscribing and sticking around.
I started doing a lot of these skills with my new Echo Shows but I would have certainly preferred to get Apple products instead. (HomePod with a screen)
Thank you very much Frank. That would be great to have. I think so much of Apples approach is sticking with the smart home control. Which when you are coming from echos you miss the extra automation options.
I don’t have any of them but I’m probably going to get one or two. With they work with T-Mobile’s 5G Home Internet WiFi? I don’t have cable internet anymore…
Just ordered 2, with Hubitat adding native HomeKit integration, it’s time to go full bore into HK, and evict Alexa. Now I just need TTS notifications from Hubitat to the HomePods.
Excuse the ignorance, what are TTS notifications? I've had the Hubitat for a couple of years now using Alexa and IFTTT. Just enabled the HK integration and have some 'clean-up' work to do as there is some wonkiness.
@@donleamon8653 Text to Speech, I could set something up in Hubitat to say watch if doors got left open, and it would announce on my Alexa’s “the [device name] has been left open
Echo is faster. We have three homepods mini (two paired as a stereo pair to an Apple TV and the other in my studio). Alexa (Echo) replies faster and even the control of the lights is snappier. We still have the very first echo (the cylinder) and the Echo Show first generation. We purchased two Echo Dots 5 and the new Echo Show on Black Friday and we don’t regret it, Siri is losing the fight at home 😂😂😂. Echo offers music and radio services too (the sound is pretty decent), games and support for other languages, give it a try.
Stupid question: I have a bunch of govee wifi plugs working with Alexa. I really want to switch to Homepod mini so I can have everything in the Home app. Any way to still use those with homepod mini?
Hey Craig maybe you can help me I got two mini but you know they have temperature sensor work great but couples week ago won’t work any more and no response both a restart and disconnect but nothing everything out work perfect is just the climate sensor
They're not much use as laptop speakers. I set up a pair to act as speakers for me MacBook Air - the sound was glitchy, spiked, filled with drop outs. One of the two speakers would regularly lose sound altogether. Gave up in the end. They're not that useful as a stereo pair, for the same reason. Bluetooth struggles, it seems, with stereo, high def 'audio signals.
Direct competition. If apples HomePods take over the masses, then Alexa dies. I think Apple is slowly gaining traction to be honest too. Over the last two years they have made some great improvements. They’re still behind but if they continue to get better they can take market share. Integration with the existing Apple products could make them king of the mountain. The problem with Amazon in my eyes is they leave a lot of devices unfinished. Echo show 15 had potential and they just abandoned it.
Amazon doesn’t allow Google assistant devices or HomePods. No voice assitant competition. With the way things are going and if Amazon needs to make money, Alexa will have a lot of ads. That will push people to Apple. It is happening now. People are getting frustrated with what doesn’t work and the addition of ads. It’s going to get worse.
Using find my requires 3G connection or whatever is called … it can find my iPhone but it’s unable to locate my Mac, watch or iPad that are only connected via Wi-Fi
Is it only a European problem or have you also experienced this: when I send my audible audiobook to my HomePod, it plays for a while and then stops after a few minutes. Maybe that is because audible belongs to Amazon? It’s pretty annoying! With the „matter“ standard kicking fully in soon, it should be possible to install an Amazon echo as a better assistant but to keep everything else Apple based, right?
I have not personally experienced that. I’m sorry to hear that happening. The matter standard in theory should make it possible. But it looks like it’s going to be a bit before devices beyond switches, plugs and bulbs are available using matter. Really the answer is to get stuff that works with the ecosystem that you’re in. I would love to see it all open up, but I think we are year or two away from that.
A „European „thing? Europe is a continent of very diverse countries. Do you honestly think you can expect the same technology in Macedonia or Romania as in Norway?
@@Celisar1 Very diverse countries? You don’t say. 😂 But to answer to your question: yes, I can expect a certain level of equal technical standards as the European Union has EU standards that every participating country has to fulfill. There are European committees e.g. the CEN and the CENELEC especially establishing these standards to simplify inner European trade and to support European laws and regulations. Just saying. ✌️
If I'm playing music on the homepod mini and I get a phone call, will the music stop? I want my kids to be able to listen to apple music even if I'm on the phone. (they don't have cell phones)
The phone will only stop playing if you specifically ask Siri to answer the phone. If you call up music on Siri, it is working independently of your phone.
You can definitely use all of these features with the latest HomePods. When I made this video Apple had discontinued the full size HomePod. Then 2 months after this video they released the HomePod 2. Thanks for watching.
is the HomePod Mini better/faster to run a Siri device control action? - one to three iOS iOS devices nearby and use AirPods often - 2022 Apple TV and Nanoleaf bulbs - all devices running iOS 16.2
I feel like almost everything you can do with the home pod is what you can do with your actual iPhone. Pretty much all the commands and features you can do with your iPhone alone. Still, i must say if the Home pod was truly wireless, I would still buy it lol. I don’t like how it has to be plugged in. That’s why I haven’t bought any. When is apple gonna make there own wireless speaker to compete with like jbl, Bose and the others. They already canceled the pill XL. I wonder and hope they make something to replace it.
I agree with you and you are right. The thing I throw out is that someone smart speakers make some people more comfortable using voice. Even though their phone has had Siri for years. Also you do need a HomePod or Apple TV for a HomeKit hub to do the smart home stuff from even a phone.
Audio quality is poor on the HomePods. This was originally one important reason why I bought them in the first place but now I never use it because everybody complains about the terrible sound quality .
The limit is not for using in a house. I believe It is just the limit for the number of devices you can have playing audio together. I have 9 setup in my house without issue. I have never tried to play music on all 9 at once
The only positive comment I can make is that I like the orange color of my HomePod minis. Other than that, the sound is mediocre, the pairing with devices rarely works properly, and you can not use them to watch video on any device and have the audio sync with the video, horrific lag. I bought 2 , created a room in my home app added the speakers and it worked for about 2 weeks, then I started having issues with both of them pairing as a stereo set with my phone or iPad, only 1 speaker would connect, it seems like the other speaker is connected to something else or the cloud because if I make a Siri request, to stop playing music, it will tell me no music is playing..Then the other day I was streaming a podcast from the phone to one of the speakers, because it no longer pairs both at the same time. I went to pause the podcast with Siri and it told me nothing was playing. So I turned downed the volume in the podcast app but it did not change the volume, so I quite the podcast app on my phone, and it kept playing, so I shut down my phone, my iPad, my laptop…still playing . it must have handed off the signal to apple via the cloud…and I finally asked Siri to stop the podcast and it did. I’m sure if I spent hours trolling around chat groups I could figure it out, and it would probably include deleting the home app on all my devices and reinstalling and resetting the home app and recreating the room…I just don’t have the energy to do that. Oh, and that annoying feature that makes the music automatically start playing if you so much as graze the speaker is enough to drive me crazy…I have my speakers on my desktop and end up having to tell Siri to stop playing at least 3 times a day. Tried to figure out how to turn that feature off and have yet to figure it out.
Buyer Beware: I’ve had a set of 4 HomePod minis for a year now. I’m a big apple fan….BUT I constantly have had issues. We just threw a Christmas party this past weekend I’ve had countless interruptions in my music my apartment is only 1000sq ft. Siri is constantly having issues turning off my lights. I’ve reset the Wi-Fi sooo many times reset the HomePods to factory settings hundreds of times. Messed with Wi-Fi settings. Nothing works even with support. I would not recommend until these issues are fixed.
Siri sucks. Can’t wait for apple to use AI. It might actually do what it says, like set an alarm, set a reminder etc. mine says it does it but doesn’t actually carry out the tasks.
The apple HomePod mini has to be the worst apple purchase ever , I hope this video persuades me to keep it plugged in 😅, since I have an Alexa already.
🔴 Some other great videos to check out
🍿 10 Apple TV TIPS You Need To Know! (2022) - th-cam.com/video/BFXdsfSe6Pc/w-d-xo.html
🍿 WHY the NEW Apple TV 4K (2022) is Still the BEST! - th-cam.com/video/DwwIybqIXPY/w-d-xo.html
🍿 Why I Switched From Alexa to Apple's HomeKit! - th-cam.com/video/4__2xqEHR9o/w-d-xo.html
Im hearing Lady A is nearing the end of her life, even tho I'm not an Apple fan, I'm thinking about giving the apple hub a try
Siri doesn’t seem to respond quick enough
Pp
Can u connect 1 or 2 of these to a studio display and watch any content like this or anything else with the sound coming from the 1 homepod or 2 homepods
I set alarms and timers via Echo Show 8 second generation…love it more than Siri.
One underrated thing I use mine for every single day is white noise when my baby sleeps, our favorite is rain sounds ☔️
That is such a great use. My daughter likes white noise too. The sleep sounds are nice to have.
Thank you for not saying Siri. Last video made my HomePod play all sorts of stuff gave me the weather and set a Timmer geez
I hope the HomePod is popular enough that Apple will keep adding more products. I have two now, but I want versions with a screen for my bedroom and kitchen. I plan to demote my current HomePods to Mac Mini or TV speakers when a new version comes out. They should be useful to my family much longer than our phones or even computers .
Their problem isn’t with products it’s with pricing. This model is perfect down to the price. The previous model flopped because it cost more than airpods maxes.
There's far too much lag to be useful as computer speakers. They need to enable them as Bluetooth speakers. Beyond mental that they didn't bother testing that.
@@josie_the_valkyrie Agreed - I am having troubles with Airplay and am ‘mucho frustrado’. Am thinking of getting an Android device but, I have an iPhone but I don’t want to give up Spotify- AGHHHHH
@@MAYK1NG my experience with Amazon Echo has been amazing. I've an Echo that easily connects via Bluetooth. And Alexa is just leaps better than Siri. Honestly, it's baffling how bad Siri....
I think a good tip to tell when something new is going to come out, is if it can reuse existing parts especially on something that might've not sold that well.
Ambient sounds. It’s hands down one of my favorite things at night.
That is a great recommendation. They are nice. My daughter likes white noise. My wife is a rain person.
Thanks Craig! This is a super helpful video, as are your other Apple HomePod Mini vids. I'm picking up two tomorrow. My first two. Presents for my elderly folks. They are both totally with it in the Apple ecosystem and will be able to integrate these into their nascent but about to blossom HomeKit setup. Honestly, neither I nor my folks really want to learn all the ins and outs and intricacies of Google or Amazon's assistants, because we are already pretty far into iPhones, Macs, etc. It was a major leap for my folks to add some smart controls for outdoor lighting on their ranch.
[Side note on Use case: the convenience of Apple ecosystem is really proving itself. Convenience coupled with trust and great devices. Example: My Mom tells Siri to turn on and off both sets of flood lights a few times a day from her watch while her hands are full moving hay, or walking the leashed & rambunctious springer spaniel pup. She was initially resistant to the unnecessary lighting controls, but now finds the helpful & essential.]
We added a $20 Google Nest Mini today, and it works phenomenally well for information requests, music control etc. Sound quality is great. But the set-up and routine interaction lingo & protocols feel like a nuisance. The lack of seamless integration with iphone is a hindrance.
Your vid highlighted several super useful aspects of the Apple mini: hand-off of music / sound control from devices and the integration into contacts / calls / reminders / calendars etc is worth the extra cash. So my folks will be surprised on Christmas morning when they open two or more Apple HomePod Mini's. [Note, they're in their mid / late 70s, and this is right up their alley! I'll have to get for myself too.]
Just gotta choose what colors to buy out of the remaining stock at the local vendor.
Thank you Craig!
-Shwa
I have minis throughout my apartment and use them for music, timers, smart home control, adding reminders, sending messages, measurement conversions etc. but my favorite is telling it to play some sounds of the ocean when I’m getting ready to sleep! 🌊
Very nice Juan. Good to hear you are getting so much use out of them. The sounds are great at night. I like the rain sounds except for the random birds.
Do you ever dream you are in the ocean? Or on a ship or something?
@@ittorasetsuxx8077 no lol I have it set on a timer so it’s not playing all night.
I also use Reminders for my shopping list. Better than third party apps which want you to make an account. The only downside using Reminders is I typically also add the price which Apple will convert to an all day event with the time. For example Bananas $1.25 or 1.25 will be converted to an all day event as 1:25pm. Wish there was a way to get around this.
This is such a good detailed review. Just what I was looking for. I have been thinking about getting one of these speakers and this has been so helpful. Thank you very much.
Last day to get them for $79 at Costco. But I’m sure they’ll go on sale again around Christmas.
I’m getting mine later today to get rid of my echo show 5 first generation even though it works for sound control the touch doesn’t and I’m getting really sick of the ads and how bright it is at night even thought I can bring the brightness down in the settings but then in the day time I have adjust it again. Every day gets old. Then again with my iPhone on my Belkin MagSafe charger I have the time so now I don’t need two clocks. In the end I’m moving my smart home to Apple home so I want then to control my devices in my room then I will get more for the rest of the house
Great video, Craig. I love these videos on what we can do with [insert device name here]. Nearly to the day, I got my first HomePod Mini and a SmartPlug so I could turn on the Christmas tree lights and Christmas music at sunset in the room where my wife hangs out. While not a huge SmartHome fan, she loved that. Ten HomePod minis and just under 150 devices/sensors/toys later, and I’ve been impressed how much the entire family uses Siri to control the home. I still can’t get my wife to use timers or shared shopping lists, but I’m only a year into this!
Keep the great videos coming.
I too just bought first HPM to set up smart plugs to control heater or dehumidifier and lights to come on before i walk through the door. I had difficulty syncing everything up…anything! What “SmartPlugs’’ do you use? Preference? Find on Home kit?
Dani: the best smart plug for a HPM-based SmartHome is the Eve SmartPlug. However, you may need to add some additional components. For example, a temperature and humidity sensor to see if either the heater of dehumidifier need to come on. You will also want to incorporate all of this into a scene so as to help ensure they all turn on correctly. Apple Home already provide a basic Arrive Home scene that you can modify as the scene you’ve described.
@@Dr_Cole ok i will research Eve, thank you. I would prefer to have a item hooked up to a smart extension plug or such so I can turn on a device via app on my phone while away. Is this possible to do? If device, “heater” is plugged into the smart plug and plug it is pared to HMP and this plug is “a scene on your phone”.. then one should be able to control device as long as HPM is in the room and connected to internet. I use to do this with a fan in the summer but now my phone reads, No response, on all scenes.
@@longhairmullet What you want to do is absolutely possible. It does sound like your Apple Home is having some issues the may not be resolved with you plan. Perhaps you tried the 16.2 upgrade and had some difficulties like many of us. In any event, just be ready to figure out how to resolve any Home network issues. I won’t go on further, as this is not the best arena for such conversations. If you need more assistance, consider joining a Facebook group dedicated to Apple Home.
@@Dr_Cole will do, thank you. Thank you for the Apple content you post. Live long and prosper 🖖😉
Very nice video. Thanks for posting it.
One question: in the case of having a HomePod mini in your working place and some others at home, could people intercom?
Example: if my wife, at home, wants to ask anything to me while I’m at work, could she use HomePod intercom?
It is almost 8 years old. I did not realize it was that old until you asked.
@@CraigsTechTalk ❤ however, could be possible to intercom different homes of the same “owner”?
my favorite use is definitely the stereo pair, it gives a surround sound effect
Very cool. Thanks for watching.
Is there any way for media on the Apple TV to be able to play on my Sonos stup and my HomePod mini at the same time?
Unfortunately there is not. As far as I know, you can only HomePods can be grounded.
@@CraigsTechTalk sigh, too bad. I guess I’ll just stick to using the Sonos for video media and the HomePod mini for music. But the funny thing is, the Sonos also has a voice assistant that’s activiated with “Hey, Sonos”. It just felt kinda ironic.
Hi Craig!
Which brand/model of ip camera you recommend for outdoor?
For indoor I use 2 models from Xiaomi and they are fine but wanted another opinion.
Thanks
does the apple tv need to be 4k apple tv to get sound from the mini?
Thank you for the videos. Can I use a US mini in Spain with an adapter
Use it for White Noise - plays continuous without fading out and in each hour like Echo and Google.
The sleep sounds are great.
@@CraigsTechTalk Are you running a contest to give away something? Just had a Telegram conversation with someone saying so. Just seems sketchy to me. Just curious.
Great video.
They are on sale at Costco for $79.
I wish you didn’t have to press “transfer to iPhone” I wish it would just do it on its own.
Also, make sure WiFi is turned on on your iPhone and connected to the same WiFi network as the HomePod Mini. Otherwise nothing will work.
Yeah i guess this is where im having difficulty. The shared WiFi connection i have available is causing issues with staying online , keeps dropping so hard to effectively control devices while away. Or while home for that matter. One thing leads to another, buy this to enable control over that. Its not straight forward, more like trip down the rabbit hole.
Question: I’m interested in getting a few HomePods but I’m worried about how they integrate with my Sonos devices. Can you determine the speaker where music will be played from Siri requests as you can with Alexa and Google?
I have not found any settings that allow you to set a priority speaker. But you can tell Siri to play on a particular speaker. But that’s about it. I think for Sonos integration, Amazon still going to be better for that.
I want my wife to watch this video. We currently have ONE unit and it's in the bedroom. Primarily used for a next to the bed speaker for the TV across the room and also for whit noise during sleep: "Hey Siri, play Night, Hey Siri set volume to 20%, hey siri set sleep timer for 3 hours." I wish this could be done via shortcut on phone so I don't wake her up saying it when I come to bed later. Still a great function.
You can whisper commands to HomePod Minis, very useful for sleeping spouses 😅😅
You can enable silent responses from Siri, that way at least it won’t talk back to you 😂
Im planning to get one..thanks for the tutorial👍🏼
I have two pairs of pods in my living room. One pair under the TV and the other pair at the back of the room. With the Apple 4K TV you can set the audio to temporarily play to both pairs of pods. Not exactly surround sound but it works.
For item 4, my HomePod mini is in my kitchen, but when I say “hey siri turn on the lights” it asks me which room and lists several rooms other than the kitchen. If I say “hey siri turn on the kitchen lights” it works just fine. Any tips on getting it to work as you mentioned in your video?
The only thing I can think of is that the lights are not in the same room as the HomePod mini in the home app. I would confirm that the kitchen lights are in the same room within the home app. What your describing sounds like the lights or mini are in separate rooms in the app.
@@CraigsTechTalk Thanks for the reply! That was the first thing I checked and double checked. I made sure the mini was in the same room as the light switch. I even isolated it so there is just one light switch in the same room. Still just offers 3 other rooms other than the kitchen (which again is where the mini is located). Not a big deal, just trying to make it easier for the wife! But it could come into play if I add more minis.
You are welcome. I would think about removing it from the home and try adding it again. Maybe even move it in the app to another room and see if it does the same thing. That is so odd. I had never heard of that. I hope a reset may help.
Can mini's be used as speakers for zoom meetings on my Mac?
We just picked up 3 from Costco this weekend.
Nice, hope you enjoy them.
Hi Craig, since I set up my Apple TV as a Homekit hup must I leave on the Apple TV all the time? Do I have to change the setting from stand by time to never? Cheers!
Hello J. No you don’t have to leave it on. You have to just leave it powered. It stays active as a hub in the background.
Awesome video. The fact you forgot you were talking about Homepod and not Echo.Alexa (8:20) was priceless!
Great video! Are you related to
Scotty Kilmer?
Thanks! I just got one and I need all the help I can get!
We can stream spotify or TH-cam content on it right?
Thanks for the tips. Very useful information
Thank you. Glad to help.
Hi
I can notice Siri works better in the HomePod than in an iPhone. How much is the functionality improved regarding Siri on iPhone? In my case, I use AirPods and it works as it should, but might be glitchy or slow to respond sometimes, using my iPhone or my iPad.
Watching this video I think I’ll end up buying a HomePod because it seems pretty cool, but hmm! I’m not a big fan of Apple Music because since the release of iOs 14 it works very unstable and the music keeps cutting out even having a good internet connection. I don’t know how good works in the HomePod of if it might be glitchy; But hey! Anyways, I can use Spotify through Airplay, that’s pretty cool.
I’ll buy a HomePod in a future, and that’s for sure. It’s an Apple product, Apple is the best thing ever, it must have a great sound quality, it features Siri, it supports HomeKit, it features Airplay, pretty pretty cool, pretty nice
Hi Craig, Home pods are they loud and clear enough for tv speakers ? I enjoy your videos, Many Thanks .
yes
My partner and I like to use the ambient sounds feature at night time.
‼️Wow! You explain things so great. I Definitely subscribed. I just got one of each, and honestly didn’t realize exactly how much they do.❤
A new TV and Apple TV soon . I Really wanted the speakers for starters.
Thank you so much you’re really easy to learn off from.
Thank you very much. that is nice of you to say. I appreciate you sticking around for more videos. I am glad that you found some new uses. Thank you again. Have a great day.
You remind me alot of Joey off FRIENDS!! So cute😊. Thanks for the tips Craig. Makes me want to go out and buy one.
Thanks Michele, I used to hear that more back in the day when friends was on more, and I was better looking. 🤣 I am glad that there was some good info for you. Let us know if you get one.
@@CraigsTechTalk my ex husband is buying me one for Valentine’s Day! You’re still good looking. Sometimes we age like wine 😉 continue to embrace you. Your wife is lucky to have you. Seems like you have a great personality to go along with ur cuteness. Anyways thanks for ur vid I’m a new subscriber. Be blessed.
Man, muting every time you say "Hey Siri!", thanks a lot, you won a new sub.
Thank you.🙏 I appreciate you mentioning this. Thanks for sticking around. Have a good day.
I really want one but missing YT integration sucks
Hi Craig & thanks for the video. Last year,I bought an Amazon Echo Dot (following your videos at that time). This year, you're speaking of the HomePod Mini. The only difference I see is price ! The Amazon Echo does the same things easier and for 3 times less :-)). See U soon. François
But data privacy is better.
Is there a way I can I start a 2-way intercom call to another HomePod in a different room similar to Alexa drop-in? Is it possible?
Yes it is. You can say intercom to a specific HomePod
Went back to Google home today and I can’t believe how much better it is .
Google data privacy says thank you
Did they fix the Spotify issues
Go figure, they want you to use Apple Music as it is a part of the Apple Ecosystem.
Unfortunately no native Spotify. ID they opened it up to 3rd party services they would probably sell a lot more.
Ya it is annoying to have Spotify app on iPhone and NOT be able to stream music through my HomePod.
Isn’t this a Spotify issue? I heard they were the bottleneck in this situation.
@@CraigsTechTalkoh Apple opened up their HomePods to 3rd party services well over a year ago… maybe more. It’s Spotify that refuses to add integration because their CEO is a massive c*nt.
Don't forget the kids 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Thank you Liam. That is very kind of you. I hope you are doing well my friend. I do have a daily alarm to make sure I don’t forget again. Thanks again Liam. Have a great day.
Craig, that blue mini color is 🔥 Such a bummer the new Gen 2 HomePod is only available in two colors.
Question: What you have have your iPhone on a table, your MacBook open in the same room and your HomePod on & you speak, "Hey Siri....." will all 3 devices answer you or does the HomePod supersede the other two?
Keep up the great work and I will be subscribing ☑
Hello Jav, The blue would have been a great color. Or a product read. To answer your question, the HomePod will be the one to respond in 95% of the time. Occasionally my watch or phone will answer. But usually they all start to listen and then the HomePod response. Thank you for checking out the video. I appreciate you subscribing and sticking around.
Love my home pod mini balls!
Thanks Craig.
I started doing a lot of these skills with my new Echo Shows but I would have certainly preferred to get Apple products instead. (HomePod with a screen)
Very cool. It would be very nice to have a HomePod with a screen. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the video, you are my go to for smart home. Bruce "Santa Claus is coming to Town" nice! You going to see him this year?
Great tips. I wish Apple would add a way to "speak" text from my automations.
Thank you very much Frank. That would be great to have. I think so much of Apples approach is sticking with the smart home control. Which when you are coming from echos you miss the extra automation options.
When will be new version homepod mini or hompod max release???Any idea sir
I have no idea. Hopefully in the spring.
Can the mini(s) be paired with the HomePod?
No they cannot unfortunately. Thanks for watching.
I don’t have any of them but I’m probably going to get one or two. With they work with T-Mobile’s 5G Home Internet WiFi? I don’t have cable internet anymore…
Just ordered 2, with Hubitat adding native HomeKit integration, it’s time to go full bore into HK, and evict Alexa. Now I just need TTS notifications from Hubitat to the HomePods.
Excuse the ignorance, what are TTS notifications? I've had the Hubitat for a couple of years now using Alexa and IFTTT. Just enabled the HK integration and have some 'clean-up' work to do as there is some wonkiness.
@@donleamon8653 Text to Speech, I could set something up in Hubitat to say watch if doors got left open, and it would announce on my Alexa’s “the [device name] has been left open
I’m asking for 2nd gen on christmas also I subbed
Another great video Craig! See you on the next Amazon stream!
Thank you Nick. I really appreciate all your support. Hope you are enjoying your new kitchen.
Can’t wait to hear my pod with my Apple TV
Great video! FYI when you long press the top you don’t have to say Hey Siri
That is a great tip. Thanks for watching.
How does HomePod mini compare to Echo Dot 5?
Echo is faster. We have three homepods mini (two paired as a stereo pair to an Apple TV and the other in my studio). Alexa (Echo) replies faster and even the control of the lights is snappier. We still have the very first echo (the cylinder) and the Echo Show first generation. We purchased two Echo Dots 5 and the new Echo Show on Black Friday and we don’t regret it, Siri is losing the fight at home 😂😂😂. Echo offers music and radio services too (the sound is pretty decent), games and support for other languages, give it a try.
Stupid question: I have a bunch of govee wifi plugs working with Alexa. I really want to switch to Homepod mini so I can have everything in the Home app. Any way to still use those with homepod mini?
HomeBridge or HOOBS
Thank you for the info
I’m going to get one for my wife
I love this Google assistant command. Turn off the light in 3 minutes
Hey Craig maybe you can help me I got two mini but you know they have temperature sensor work great but couples week ago won’t work any more and no response both a restart and disconnect but nothing everything out work perfect is just the climate sensor
I have an iPhone but went with google for my smart home as for the price I can get a screen. It’s where apples been lacking behind.
They're not much use as laptop speakers. I set up a pair to act as speakers for me MacBook Air - the sound was glitchy, spiked, filled with drop outs. One of the two speakers would regularly lose sound altogether. Gave up in the end.
They're not that useful as a stereo pair, for the same reason.
Bluetooth struggles, it seems, with stereo, high def 'audio signals.
Yes they suck
That's because they're not Bluetooth. They stream through WiFi. Totally useless as computer speakers.
They are great as a stereo pair. I actually use them in several rooms and it works perfectly.
Real MVP!
I wonder why the HomePod Mini is not sold on Amazon’s website.
Direct competition. If apples HomePods take over the masses, then Alexa dies. I think Apple is slowly gaining traction to be honest too. Over the last two years they have made some great improvements. They’re still behind but if they continue to get better they can take market share. Integration with the existing Apple products could make them king of the mountain. The problem with Amazon in my eyes is they leave a lot of devices unfinished. Echo show 15 had potential and they just abandoned it.
Amazon doesn’t allow Google assistant devices or HomePods. No voice assitant competition.
With the way things are going and if Amazon needs to make money, Alexa will have a lot of ads. That will push people to Apple. It is happening now. People are getting frustrated with what doesn’t work and the addition of ads. It’s going to get worse.
Using find my requires 3G connection or whatever is called … it can find my iPhone but it’s unable to locate my Mac, watch or iPad that are only connected via Wi-Fi
Yes, it only works on Wi-Fi.
Is it only a European problem or have you also experienced this: when I send my audible audiobook to my HomePod, it plays for a while and then stops after a few minutes. Maybe that is because audible belongs to Amazon? It’s pretty annoying!
With the „matter“ standard kicking fully in soon, it should be possible to install an Amazon echo as a better assistant but to keep everything else Apple based, right?
I have not personally experienced that. I’m sorry to hear that happening. The matter standard in theory should make it possible. But it looks like it’s going to be a bit before devices beyond switches, plugs and bulbs are available using matter. Really the answer is to get stuff that works with the ecosystem that you’re in. I would love to see it all open up, but I think we are year or two away from that.
@@CraigsTechTalk
Thank you very much for your quick response! Great channel! Keep up the good work! 👍 Greetings from Germany!
✌️☺️
A „European „thing? Europe is a continent of very diverse countries. Do you honestly think you can expect the same technology in Macedonia or Romania as in Norway?
@@Celisar1 Very diverse countries? You don’t say. 😂
But to answer to your question: yes, I can expect a certain level of equal technical standards as the European Union has EU standards that every participating country has to fulfill. There are European committees e.g. the CEN and the CENELEC especially establishing these standards to simplify inner European trade and to support European laws and regulations.
Just saying. ✌️
great review!!!!!
If I'm playing music on the homepod mini and I get a phone call, will the music stop? I want my kids to be able to listen to apple music even if I'm on the phone. (they don't have cell phones)
The phone will only stop playing if you specifically ask Siri to answer the phone. If you call up music on Siri, it is working independently of your phone.
@@CraigsTechTalk thanks! That’s what I was hoping. 😊
Nice one Craig 🇮🇪😎👏
Does the HomePod mini have bluetooth?
No it does not. Thanks for watching.
Can you ask Siri to record sound? Like you play guitar and want it recorded
Thanks for this review good to know 😂
You’re welcome. Thank you for watching.
Can we use all these tips on HomePod?
You can definitely use all of these features with the latest HomePods. When I made this video Apple had discontinued the full size HomePod. Then 2 months after this video they released the HomePod 2. Thanks for watching.
Wow, thanks big time
Thank you John. I appreciate you watching.
VERY useful video - thanks! 😊
Thank you very much.
I have separate Reminders lists for Costco and Shopping List too! I don’t have a HomePod yet so I just tell my phone “Hey Siri add… to my Costco List”
That’s great. Reminders is so good for sharing list. Have a good day.
is the HomePod Mini better/faster to run a Siri device control action?
- one to three iOS iOS devices nearby and use AirPods often
- 2022 Apple TV and Nanoleaf bulbs
- all devices running iOS 16.2
Awesome videos clicked soo fast
Can the IPad still be used for the HomeKit Hub?
Unfortunately not. They killed that with iPadOS 16.
@@CraigsTechTalk It still can be used it just won’t support the new home architecture
I feel like almost everything you can do with the home pod is what you can do with your actual iPhone. Pretty much all the commands and features you can do with your iPhone alone. Still, i must say if the Home pod was truly wireless, I would still buy it lol. I don’t like how it has to be plugged in. That’s why I haven’t bought any. When is apple gonna make there own wireless speaker to compete with like jbl, Bose and the others. They already canceled the pill XL. I wonder and hope they make something to replace it.
I agree with you and you are right. The thing I throw out is that someone smart speakers make some people more comfortable using voice. Even though their phone has had Siri for years. Also you do need a HomePod or Apple TV for a HomeKit hub to do the smart home stuff from even a phone.
So it doesn’t work with SiriusXM
Audio quality is poor on the HomePods. This was originally one important reason why I bought them in the first place but now I never use it because everybody complains about the terrible sound quality .
I reckon there will be new home pod models in 2023, hopefully with screens.
I have two and they are remarkably unreliable, especially for controlling my Nanoleaf lights (a whole other source of disappointment).
I am so glad you realized that you dont have that cold winters 😂 55….. smh…. I wish ……
I got 9 of them. Then I learned they only work with 6 at a time max.
The limit is not for using in a house. I believe It is just the limit for the number of devices you can have playing audio together. I have 9 setup in my house without issue. I have never tried to play music on all 9 at once
@@CraigsTechTalk yeah it’s a limit to the Apple Watch CPU. It can only sync 6 at a time. If I try to “play everywhere” it will freeze all of them.
Why do you have 2 videos that are the same?
One was recorded last year and has been updated this year.
I'm using Google nest hub max
You might want to censor "Hey Siri" the next time you make a video about this. You set mine off pretty frequently lol.
Can these not be used as a Bluetooth speaker for Mac? If not, massive fail and wouldn't consider buying one until you can do that
You use Airplay with your mac, it works well for me
No. It doesn't connect via Bluetooth, but WiFi. There's a LOT of playback lag.
I’m so ready to ditch lol my Amazon Alexa devices.
A lot of people are feeling that way lately. Regular users are getting frustrated
Im probably gonna buy the original off ebay for the better sound quality myself. The mini is lacking
The original one does sound great. Rumors are possible larger HomePod in spring.
The only positive comment I can make is that I like the orange color of my HomePod minis. Other than that, the sound is mediocre, the pairing with devices rarely works properly, and you can not use them to watch video on any device and have the audio sync with the video, horrific lag. I bought 2 , created a room in my home app added the speakers and it worked for about 2 weeks, then I started having issues with both of them pairing as a stereo set with my phone or iPad, only 1 speaker would connect, it seems like the other speaker is connected to something else or the cloud because if I make a Siri request, to stop playing music, it will tell me no music is playing..Then the other day I was streaming a podcast from the phone to one of the speakers, because it no longer pairs both at the same time. I went to pause the podcast with Siri and it told me nothing was playing. So I turned downed the volume in the podcast app but it did not change the volume, so I quite the podcast app on my phone, and it kept playing, so I shut down my phone, my iPad, my laptop…still playing . it must have handed off the signal to apple via the cloud…and I finally asked Siri to stop the podcast and it did. I’m sure if I spent hours trolling around chat groups I could figure it out, and it would probably include deleting the home app on all my devices and reinstalling and resetting the home app and recreating the room…I just don’t have the energy to do that. Oh, and that annoying feature that makes the music automatically start playing if you so much as graze the speaker is enough to drive me crazy…I have my speakers on my desktop and end up having to tell Siri to stop playing at least 3 times a day. Tried to figure out how to turn that feature off and have yet to figure it out.
Buyer Beware: I’ve had a set of 4 HomePod minis for a year now. I’m a big apple fan….BUT I constantly have had issues. We just threw a Christmas party this past weekend I’ve had countless interruptions in my music my apartment is only 1000sq ft. Siri is constantly having issues turning off my lights. I’ve reset the Wi-Fi sooo many times reset the HomePods to factory settings hundreds of times. Messed with Wi-Fi settings. Nothing works even with support. I would not recommend until these issues are fixed.
I have read many articles on Reddit that these issues can often be addressed by stronger wifi.
@@MAYK1NG I have a premium router and even bought a premium modem. I’m fairly savy with computers. It’s not a Wi-Fi issue
Siri sucks.
Can’t wait for apple to use AI.
It might actually do what it says, like set an alarm, set a reminder etc.
mine says it does it but doesn’t actually carry out the tasks.
The apple HomePod mini has to be the worst apple purchase ever , I hope this video persuades me to keep it plugged in 😅, since I have an Alexa already.
Agreed.