According to Apple’s release notes, version 16.3 of the HomePod software adds several new features. It activates temperature and humidity sensing for the HomePod 2 and HomePod mini, allowing these readings to be used for home automation.

HomePod mini previously had a dormant temperature and humidity sensor, but Apple has finally activated it, allowing temperature and humidity sensing to be activated in home automation and devices.

With sound recognition, HomePod can hear smoke or carbon monoxide alarms and send notifications directly to the user’s iPhone after recognizing such sounds. New built-in temperature and humidity sensors measure the indoor environment and let users set up automated actions, such as closing the curtains or turning on a fan when the room reaches a certain temperature.

With Siri, customers can control a single device hands-free, or create scenarios such as having multiple smart home devices start working at the same time in the morning, or set up recurring automation such as “Hey Siri, open the curtains at sunrise every morning. When users use Siri to control accessories such as the heater that can’t be distinguished by the naked eye, or to control accessories located in different rooms, HomePod will emit a new confirmation sound. Remastered ambient sounds such as the ocean, forest, and rain will be further integrated into the experience, allowing customers to add new sounds to scenes, automation, and alerts.

Users can also intuitively control, view and manage accessories in the redesigned Home App. The Home App offers new categories such as “Environment,” “Lights” and “Security” and provides a new multi-camera view that allows users to easily set up and control their smart homes.

HomePod’s Find My integration also allows users to ask Siri for the location of friends and family.

Tuning optimizations improve the clarity of voice content such as podcasts and audiobooks, and on the first-generation HomePod, volume controls have been updated to allow for finer adjustments at lower volumes.

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

HomePod Software v16.3 includes support for new HomePod features. This update also includes bug fixes and stability enhancements.

• Temperature and humidity sensing to measure indoor environments with HomePod (2nd generation) and HomePod mini
• Re-recorded ambient sounds are more immersive and can now be added to scenes, automation and alarms in the Home app
• Find on HomePod now lets you ask Siri for your friends and family’s location if they share it with you
• Set up recurring home automation using just your voice
• For accessories where changes may not be visible or located in other rooms, Siri confirmation tones now play to indicate that the smart home request has been completed
• Tuned to optimize read-aloud content, such as podcasts, so that content sounds clearer on HomePod (2nd generation) and HomePod (1st generation)
• Updated volume controls on HomePod (Gen 1) allow you to fine-tune lower volumes

The HomePod software is automatically installed on HomePod unless the feature is disabled, but users can also update HomePod manually in the Home app.

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In this update, Siri can send a confirmation of completion beep after completing a Smart Home request in cases where the user cannot see a visual alert or when a product is placed in another room.

With the activation of the HomePod mini’s temperature and humidity sensors, Apple has also added a new feature/function that allows users to create automatic functions that turn on doors, windows or fans after a room reaches a certain temperature.

Paired with the iOS 16.3 update for iPhone, this system update enhances volume control for the first-generation HomePod, allowing for finer adjustments at lower volumes and adding optimized audio adjustments for voice content such as podcasts to improve clarity on HomePod (2nd generation) and HomePod (1st generation).

The update also optimizes ambient sounds for a more immersive feel, the ambient sounds have been added to scenes, automation and alarms in the Home app, supporting user-only voices to set repeat home automation.

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The installation of HomePod Software 16.3 Beta adds support for temperature and humidity sensing on both HomePod mini and HomePod 2nd generation.

HomePod mini previously had a dormant temperature and humidity sensor, which Apple has now finally activated, allowing temperature and humidity sensing to be activated in home automation and devices.

Relying on sound recognition, HomePod can hear smoke or carbon monoxide alarms, recognize such sounds and send notifications directly to the user’s iPhone. New built-in temperature and humidity sensors measure the indoor environment and allow users to set automated actions, such as closing the curtains or turning on a fan when the room reaches a certain temperature.

With Siri, customers can control a single device hands-free, or create scenarios such as having multiple smart home devices start working at the same time in the morning, or set up recurring automation such as “Hey Siri, open the curtains at sunrise every morning. When users use Siri to control accessories such as the heater that can’t be distinguished by the naked eye, or to control accessories located in different rooms, HomePod will emit a new confirmation sound. Remastered ambient sounds such as ocean, forest, and rain will be further integrated into the experience, allowing customers to add new sounds to scenes, automation, and alerts.

Users can also intuitively control, view and manage accessories in the redesigned Home App. The Home App offers new categories such as “Environment,” “Lights” and “Security” and provides a new multi-camera view that allows users to easily set up and control their smart homes.

HomePod’s Find My integration also allows users to ask Siri for the location of friends and family.

Optimized audio tuning improves the clarity of voice content such as podcasts and audiobooks, and on the first-generation HomePod, volume controls have been updated to allow for finer adjustments at lower volumes.

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

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

-Temperature and humidity sensing to measure indoor climate with HomePod (2nd generation) and HomePod mini

-Redeveloped ambient sounds that are more immersive and can now be added to scenes, automation and alerts in the Home app

-Find My on HomePod now allows users to ask Siri for the location of friends and family (if they’ve shared) and set up regular home automation using just your voice

-Siri confirmation tones will now play to indicate when smart home requests are complete for accessories that may not visibly show changes or be located in a different room

-Audio tweaks optimize voice content such as podcasts to make HomePod (2nd generation) and HomePod (1st generation) clearer

-Updated volume controls on HomePod (Gen 1) for finer adjustments at lower volumes

The HomePod software 16.3 update will be released to the public sometime next week and can be installed on HomePod devices using devices running iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3 or macOS Ventura 13.2. These updates will bring new features to existing HomePods and enable new features for the second generation of HomePod smart speaker devices launching on February 3.

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