You can now use the Apple HomePod mini as a speaker for the Apple TV 4K.
The feature, which was once only available on the now discontinued HomePod, was announced during the company’s annual WWDC keynote, alongside iOS 15, new upgrades for the AirPods, and watchOS 8.
While you can use one HomePod mini with your Apple TV 4K, you’ll likely get a better sound experience by stereo pairing two HomePod minis.
Since Apple has binned the original HomePod, we’re glad to see this feature finally come to its smaller sibling.
The Apple HomePod mini was launched last year as the smaller, cheaper successor to the HomePod.
It’s one of the cheapest devices Apple has ever put out: at $99 / £99 / AU$149, it’s almost affordable for most, although it’s going head to head with devices that can cost a fifth of that price at times, with the Amazon Echo Dot or Google Nest Mini being seen as its chief rivals.
Still, if you’re thinking of using two HomePod mini speakers in place of a soundbar, you could save yourself a lot of money. Sure, you can buy soundbars for less than $200 / £200 / AU$250, but the HomePod mini comes with lots of quality of life features for iOS users that could give Apple the edge.
Lossless audio
Another new feature that’s coming to the HomePod mini is support for Apple Music’s Lossless Audio streaming tier.
According to Apple, subscribers will “be able to hear the exact same thing that artists created in the studio”, with Lossless Audio. To begin listening to Lossless Audio, you can turn it on in Settings > Music > Audio Quality, where you’ll be able to choose the resolution of your music based on your connection (cellular, Wi-Fi, or download).
The Lossless tier starts at CD quality (16 bit / 44.1kHz), and goes up to 24 bit / 48 kHz, and can be played natively on Apple devices. And, for audiophiles, there’s Hi-Resolution Lossless, which goes all the way up to 24 bit / 192kHz.
When Apple announced that Apple Music will support lossless audio at no extra cost to subscribers, many were left puzzled as to why many of its own devices didn’t support hi-res audio. The AirPods Pro and AirPods Max may still not be able to deliver lossless sound, but at least HomePod mini owners will be able to tune in.