Testing HomePod mini’s new 16.3 smart home features

HomePod mini

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Apple stunned customers with not solely the announcement of a brand new second-generation full-sized HomePod however that the already-available HomePod mini could be getting loads of new options due to a forthcoming replace.

Main new function releases are normally reserved for the massive fall updates, however this time we’re being rewarded with the feature-packed 16.3 replace.

We bought an opportunity to demo the replace earlier than its full launch to place the brand new options to the take a look at, together with new humidity and temperature sensors that had been hidden since launch.

As we reported shortly after the HomePod mini’s launch, it had unused environmental sensors hidden on the within. On the time, there was dialogue on whether or not Apple would deploy the sensors as a function or in the event that they’d been deserted forward of launch.

It seems that Apple meant to ultimately activate them as they’ve executed right here with the 16.3 replace. After updating, a temperature and humidity sensor for the speaker’s encompassing room will present within the Dwelling app.

There are numerous HomePod minis all through our residence and this replace gives way more localized environmental information to be used with residence automations.

As soon as we up to date our HomePod minis, new temperature and humidity appeared for every room on the prime as one of many mini in-app widgets.

At first, the sensors solely learn “calibrating” as they adjusted to the environment. After a couple of minutes, they up to date the present metrics for the room.

You may ask Siri in regards to the temperature in a room, create an automation to close the blinds if it will get too heat through the day, or activate a humidifier plugged into a sensible plug if the humidity drops too low.

These are only a few concepts utilizing the present HomePod minis or the upcoming second-generation HomePod.

Activating the temperature and humidity sensors is not the one factor Apple delivered with this software program replace. HomePod mini homeowners get a lot of new performance that we wished to place to the take a look at.

Apple says ambient sounds have been “remastered” and sound higher and extra “immersive.” They may also be reported and added to scenes, automations, and alarms inside the Dwelling app.

We tried listening to some of the tracks of white noise, they usually had been all very nice, although we could not say we heard a dramatic distinction over the earlier tracks.

Discover My can be utilized with HomePod to trace down your telephone, however this replace permits it to search out folks. Simply ask, “Hey Siri, the place is Religion?” and the HomePod mini will verify your Discover My app for her location and share it with you.

It conclusively instructed us that Religion was at residence after we examined it. If in case you have different vital areas added — equivalent to a piece location — it will possibly inform you in easy phrases, in any other case, it can provide you a normal thought.

One other nice replace is the power to set reoccurring automations simply by asking. We tried this with our front room blinds, our bed room lights, and different well-liked equipment.

This works simply as marketed and makes dwelling with a sensible residence very intuitive. For instance, we stated, “Hey Siri, shut the lounge blinds at 5:30,” and only a second later, Siri confirmed that it might shut the lounge blinds at 5:30 PM at the moment.

As avid sensible residence customers, that is going to be a game-changer. You may create on-the-fly sleep timers for lights which is able to in all probability be our most-used state of affairs.

For those who management a sensible residence product situated in one other room or that does not visibly change, the HomePod additionally returns a brand new audio tone. That is nice if you wish to management one thing that you would be able to’t see and need to know that it responded and did what you anticipated.

Apple will doubtless launch HomePod software program replace 16.3 subsequent week forward of the launch of the brand new second-generation HomePod on February third.