HomePod 16.3 Software Now Available – Brings Humidity and Temperature Sensing, Audio Tuning, More

Apple today released new 16.3 software for the HomePod, second-generation ‌HomePod‌, and HomePod mini. Apple says the update adds a number of new features.

Apple’s full release notes for the update are below.

HomePod software version 16.3 includes support for new features for your HomePod. This update also includes bug fixes and stability improvements.

– Temperature and humidity sensing measures your indoor climate with HomePod (2nd generation) and HomePod mini
– Remastered ambient sounds are more immersive and can now be added to scenes, automations, and alarms in the Home app
– Find My on HomePod now enables you to ask Siri for the location of friends and family, if they have shared it with you
– Recurring Home automations can be set up using just your voice
– Siri confirmation tone will now play to indicate when smart home requests are completed for accessories that may not visibly show a change or are located in a different room
– Audio tuning optimizes spoken content such as podcasts for even greater clarity on HomePod (2nd generation) and HomePod (1st generation)
– Updated volume controls on HomePod (1st generation) give you more granular adjustments at lower volumes

Your HomePod or HomePod mini should update automatically, but you can also manually update your device by doing the following:

1. Open the Home app.
2. Tap on the home icon, which can be found in the upper left corner of the app display.
3. If you have only one home set up, this will take you directly to settings, and you can skip directly to Step 5. If you have multiple homes set up, tap “Home Settings” on the sheet that pops up.
4. Tap your desired home.
5. Scroll down to “Software Update.”
6. Pull down from the top of the iPhone or iPad screen to check for an update.

Once you’ve tapped on “Software Update,” you’ll see the current version of the ‌HomePod‌ software that is installed on your HomePod or HomePod mini. You can also toggle off automatic updates if you want.

If there is an available update, tap the “Install” button to update your ‌HomePod‌. If you have more than one HomePod or HomePod mini in your home, each one will be updated at the same time via this software update feature.