Apple HomePod Review (2023): New Siri Speaker Sticks To The Old Strategy – SlashGear

Most interactions will probably be handled by voice, though. Up to six different people can be automatically recognized by voice, and they’ll get different content for things like curated playlists when they use the “Hey Siri” wake phrase. Apple actually put two fewer microphones inside this HomePod than the original, but Siri still heard me just fine from across the room and with music playing.

The best experience requires, unsurprisingly, an Apple Music account. Then you can ask for music by artist, album, song, playlist, genre, decade, mood, or multiple other criteria. If there’s a Spatial Audio version of the track, that’ll play automatically. Siri has improved its voice recognition talents over the years, and the assistant’s accuracy is better than when I first tested the original HomePod in 2018, though I still find Google’s Assistant has the edge. Of course, since Siri’s improvements take place in the cloud, they also hold true for the original HomePod too, and the HomePod mini.

With Personal Requests, Siri can also read out your calendar, notes, reminders, iMessage messages, and more. With an American and a British accent in the house, it wasn’t like Apple’s assistant was being particularly challenged on differentiating who was speaking, but you can turn this personalization off if you prefer.