With HomePod just over one week away from making its debut, Apple has confirmed which audio sources are officially supported. Apple Music and AirPlay are obviously on the list, but there are some big omissions.
It sounds like HomePod will be well worth its $349 price tag for those who care about audio quality. Its cutting-edge technology has been compared to speakers with five-figure price tags. Those who have been lucky enough to try one already say HomePod is outstanding.
Unless you want to listen to Spotify.
HomePod’s supported audio sources
Apple today updated its HomePod webpage to confirm which audio sources are officially supported. Unsurprisingly, third-party streaming services like Spotify and Tidal aren’t on the list. Here’s what is:
- Apple Music
- iTunes Music
- iCloud Music Library
- Beats 1 Radio
- Podcasts
- AirPlay
We weren’t expecting to see Spotify and other third-party sources here. But it’s important to remember that with AirPlay, you can stream tracks, podcasts, audiobooks and more from unsupported sources to HomePod from your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac.
You can’t use HomePod as a traditional Bluetooth speaker, so platforms that don’t support AirPlay are left in the cold. You shouldn’t let that put you off what will likely be an excellent purchase, but it’s a shame HomePod has limitations like the rest of Apple’s devices.
You can still order HomePod from the Apple online store for February 9 delivery. It will also be available to purchase from Apple retail stores and other retailers on the same day.
Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
6 responses to “Apple confirms supported audio sources for HomePod”
So, Spotify is included since it supports AirPlay, right?
Yes, that’s correct. Spotify supports AirPlay.
I’m disappointed, but not surprised, that there’s no native Spotify. Last I checked, there was still no Spotify for the ATV either. Given that Pandora has been on ATV forever, and I’ve seen feature requests for ATV support going back ages in the Spotify forums — I’m thinking this is more about Spotify Corp and less about Apple.
Perhaps for the same reason Netflix isn’t in the TV app on ATV. These other content providers don’t want Apple to have access to their usage data. Pretty shortsighted if you ask me. I think I’m watching a lot less Netflix content because it’s not there in the TV app with everything else I watch.
One of the things that normally makes Apple products great is the fact that they are part of the Apple ecosystem and as such ‘play well with each other’. So, I’d like to be able to stream content from my AppleTV to my TV and have the sound come from this supposedly amazing sound machine i.e. the HomePod. As I understand it right now, it doesn’t sound like you can do that. Is that true? If so…sad. I also think that a device that costs this much can’t be used like any other traditional Bluetooth speaker (so you can listen to Spotify, etc). That’s a huge strike against it too.
I think I’ll wait for the gen.2 product which will hopefully address these huge shortcomings.
Apple X sales are apparently plummeting. Maybe when this thing doesn’t sell so well either, Apple will think harder about getting this right.
Yes, Apple quality has significantly deteriorated over the last couple years over just about all fronts – innovation, quality, reliability. iOS 11 is absolutely the worst iOS ever released in the history of Apple for what it took away (easy wifi & bluetooth toggling, battery life, etc.). Sales DESERVE to plummet, and I hope this teaches Apple a lesson and forces them to finally get their act together and maybe even finally get rid of Tim Cook. But on the bright side there are beginning to be signs of a turnaround, given that Apple delayed the launch of Home Pod presumably to better ensure quality, and also in the recent announcement that iOS 12 will focus primarily on quality improvement rather than flashy new outward features. I’m glad to hear that. I want systems that work and work well – and I don’t care whether I ever see another emoji in my life.
I did not know that you can use 3rd party music streaming with Apple TV using airplay (got nice sound system in living room). Thanks for the info. Been using Spotify and German Radio on my IPhone X and older versions no problems, but never over TV sound bar system using Air Play.