It's been a long time coming, but Apple's HomePod smart speaker finally supports Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos and lossless playback via Apple Music.
After a couple of months of beta testing, Apple has released its hotly-anticipated iOS 15.1 software update. The firmware brings the original HomePod in line with other Spatial Audio-capable devices such as the new AirPods 3 wireless earbuds.
But what of the HomePod Mini? Sadly, it looks like Apple's smaller smart speaker has missed out on all the benefits of iOS 15.1. It plays songs in lossless, but unlike the larger-sized (and now discontinued) HomePod, doesn't support Spatial Audio.
Apple says the new HomePod software should be installed automatically. If that doesn't happen, you can always manually update your HomePod using the Home app. Here's Apple's very instructive support page on that topic.
Back in May, when Apple Music announced lossless and Spatial audio with Dolby Atmos, it promised the HomePod and HomePod Mini would gain support at a later time. Perhaps Apple will add Spatial Audio to the Mini when the new orange, red and blue editions launch in November?
What is Apple Spatial Audio? And how do you get it?
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