Apple Releases HomePod Software 17.4 – Brings Music Preference Update

Apple on Monday released HomePod 17.4 software for the HomePod and HomePod mini. The update comes a bit over a month after the release of the HomePod 17.3 update.

HomePod 17.4 brings the ability for Siri to learn a user’s preferred media service. That means users will no longer be required to include an app name when telling Siri to play content. Users will also not be required to go through the process of setting up a default third-party app

From Apple’s release notes:

This update enables Siri to learn your preferred media service, so you no longer need to include the name of the media app in your request.

If a user has YouTube Music, for example, they won’t need to say “Play [song name] on YouTube Music” to not play the song in Apple Music, nor will the user need to set YouTube Music as their default music service in the Home app.

The end result is that Siri on the HomePod and HomePod mini will work the same way it already does on the iPhone and iPad. Both devices ask users for their preferred app when playing content for the first time.

Third-party apps that work directly with the ‌HomePod‌ include YouTube Music, Deezer, Pandora, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio. Streaming music services need to support ‌HomePod‌ for the feature to work.

The ‌HomePod‌ 17.4 update also includes performance and stability improvements.

How to Update HomePod Software

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 icon that looks like three dots in the upper right corner.
3. Tap on “Home Settings.”
4. Scroll down to “Software Update.”
5. Tap “Software Update” to see if there are any available updates.

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.

A white spinning light appears on the top of HomePod while it’s updating. The update might take some time. Make sure that your HomePod stays plugged in while it’s updating.