Last week Apple released iOS 16.3 for the iPhone, and they also released HomePod 16.3 for the Apple HomePod and the HomePod Mini.
Hidden within all models of the Apple HomePod and HomePod Mini are a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor, this was enabled with the most recent HomePod 16.3 software update.
How to enable the new sensors on the HomePod and HomePod Mini?
The first thing you will need to do is update your HomePod or HomePod mini to the new HomePod 16.3 software. This is normally done automatically, but if you have not received the update you can install it manually on your device.
We recently published a guide on how to manually update your HomePod and Hompod Mini, follow the instructions in the guide to update your device to the latest software version.
Once you have installed the HomePod 16.3 software on your HomePod or HomePod Mini, the temperature sensor and humidity sensor will be enabled you can then set them up on your Home app on your iPhone or iPad.
How to enable the sensors on your Home app
Open the Home app on your iPhone or iPad and then select the room that you want to measure the temperature and humidity on. At the top of the display, select the Climate option.
This will now display the temperature and humidity for your devices on your Home app. This will be shown at the top of your home app.
If you have more than one HomePod around your house it will show the average temperature and humidity of your home. If you want to see the temperature or humidity for a particular device, click either Temperature or Humidity.
If you select Temperature, it will show the temperature of each individual HomePod that you have around your house. If you select Humididty, it will show the individual humidity of each device.
There are a number of different customization options available, you can now rename your sensor, or add automation, and more. For example, you could use the HomePod or HomePod Mini with a smart thermostat to turn your heating on when the temperature drops below a certain reading.
How to use Siri with the HomePod temperature sensors
You can use Siri on any of your devices to find out what the temperature and humidity are in a particular room. Just ask Siri ‘what is the temperature in the kitchen’ or any other room and it will tell you the temperature.
You can ask Siri from your iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, and direct on the HomePod and HomePod Mini and it will tell you the temperature or humidity of that room. You can find out more details about this over at Apple’s website.
We hope that you find this guide useful, if you have any comments or questions, or suggestions, please leave a comment below and let us know. The current version of iOS at the time of writing this guide is iOS 16.3 and the current HomePod software is HomePod 16.3.
Image Credit: Arvind Menon
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