Apple should smarten up the HomePod mini 2 with these 5 upgrades

Macworld

Back in 2020, Apple introduced the $99 HomePod mini for those seeking a miniature, more affordable edition of its smart speaker. While I absolutely adore the pair I’ve connected to my Apple TV for audio output, certain annoyances sometimes downgrade the overall experience.

With the HomePod mini 2 rumored to launch at some point this year, I hope Apple addresses my concerns by equipping it with these five upgrades.

1. ChatGPT integration

On the latest versions of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, users can rely on ChatGPT’s smarts when addressing Siri. Notably, this integration, like other Apple Intelligence perks, is limited to the latest iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

With the HomePod mini 2, I sincerely hope Apple supports the ChatGPT integration and lets users configure it in the Home app. Limiting Writing Tools and image generation features to devices with at least 8GB of RAM makes sense because they work offline. Incorporating ChatGPT, on the other hand, would merely send queries to and fetch relevant responses from OpenAI’s servers. I’m confident there are no technical challenges preventing the company from supporting it on less powerful products.

Now, you may be wondering: Can’t this guy just use the upgraded Siri on his iPhone, iPad, and Mac? Does he really need ChatGPT on the HomePod?

The problem is that, by design, HomePods will always handle your voice commands. So, when you holler Siri or Hey Siri, the “smart” speaker will process your request, even if you’re actively using an Apple Intelligence-equipped device. This limits me to Siri’s infamous knowledge and bars me from using the ChatGPT integration—unless I trigger Siri using the physical button on my iDevice or Mac. But that’s impractical when one’s hands are occupied.

As a workaround, I set my HomePods to only respond to “Hey Siri” (and not “Siri”). This way, when I need to control media playback on my Apple TV, I can use the longer wake phrase to catch its attention. For all other queries, I opt for vanilla Siri, which only my iPhone, iPad, and Mac recognize. While this workaround is effective to an extent, it’s unnecessary, and most users are probably unaware of it. Baking ChatGPT into the HomePod mini 2 would make everyone’s lives easier.

2. A Dolby Atmo-Sphere

My HomePod mini journey started with a single unit a couple of years ago. I instantly fell in love with the 10cm sphere and decided to buy a second one to enable stereo listening. Initially, Apple promised it would bring Dolby Atmos support to both the original and mini variants of its smart speaker.

However, it ultimately restricted spatial audio to the non-mini editions. While some claim you can force the minis to output spatial audio with certain workarounds, I haven’t personally been able to make it work. Furthermore, Apple explicitly states on an official support document (https://support.apple.com/en-us/102357) that the HomePod mini is incompatible with Dolby Atmos.




Foundry

Critics may argue that spatial audio is a privilege exclusive to flagship devices. Though, given that the entry-level AirPods 3 and 4 support the format, it’s clear that Apple isn’t limiting it to its premium products. So, here’s hoping the HomePod mini 2 officially adopts spatial audio output to help users further liven up the atmosphere.

3. Casting call: mini meets Android

Unfortunately, life sometimes throws green-bubbled friends our way, and we can’t always say no to that. While us humans have, to some extent, learned how to accept each other’s differences, the HomePod mini still has a long way to go. Despite packing a Bluetooth chip like most other wireless speakers, it limits audio input to Apple’s proprietary AirPlay protocol.

So, when we accidentally invite an Android phone user over, they can’t cast audio to the HomePod mini, as AirPlay isn’t officially supported on Google’s platform. Apple’s solution is using the recently upgraded SharePlay feature in Apple Music that lets anyone in your house control the queue—without necessarily having an iPhone or active subscription.

Not all HomePod owners pay for Apple Music and can access SharePlay, however, and sometimes the greenlings may want to cast a different type of audio that isn’t music. While a simple OS update could theoretically unlock this restriction on existing HomePod models. I wish Apple would let mini 2 users cast media via Bluetooth, at least.

4. Visual symphonies

The HomePod mini already has a smart display of sorts. When in use, its brightness automatically adjusts to the room’s lighting, and the colors change based on the performed action. For example, you get Siri’s hues when relying on the assistant and a generic white dot when playing media.




Foundry

A welcome HomePod mini 2 upgrade would be introducing an even smarter screen that adapts to the playing media. When streaming music, the screen would double as a basic visualizer featuring the album art’s prominent colors. The shades would also sway accordingly—similar to Siri’s existing animations that react to your voice and its responses.

5. A green-minded speaker

Last but not least, a truly smart speaker would also care about our deteriorating planet. The original HomePod has a semi-removable power cord that requires users to pull it out in a very careful and specific manner. Apple then addressed the issue with the HomePod 2 by making the cable’s ejection process safer and more straightforward.

Unlike both models, the HomePod mini has a totally non-removable cord. So, those who damage the power cable can’t simply buy another one and replace it at home. They’d either need to buy a new speaker or check if Apple can repair the damage—which typically costs a premium. Hopefully, the HomePod mini 2 will follow in the HomePod 2’s footsteps and introduce a similar cord. It’s unethical to deem a functional speaker useless strictly because its degenerated cable is glued to it.




The next HomePod mini should be more easily repairable, including a replaceable power cord.Foundry

Make the upgrade matter

The HomePod mini is already a well-rounded speaker as it is. Besides offering a voice assistant, solid sound quality, and seamless integration with Apple’s ecosystem, it also fully supports Thread networking and controlling HomeKit, and Matter smart home accessories. Nevertheless, and as we’ve established above, there are a few imperfections that the iPhone maker could address with the forthcoming model, and I hope it’ll be a noteworthy refresh.

Given the insignificance of the recent AirPods Max “upgrade,” I fear Apple may similarly go for a lazy approach with the HomePod mini 2. Beyond featuring an upgraded, in-house Wi-Fi chip with support for Wi-Fi 6E, not much is known about the new model’s enhancements.