Got a New HomePod? Here's Everything You Need to Know

Siri is still terrible, that’s what you need to know

For those who just bought these new Homepod, I can tell you it's a nightmare to set them in stereo pair mode. You will have to choose one of the two homepods to be the main one on responding to your command. Only one of the two homepods will reply you. Let say you set homepod A to be the main one, homepod B will not respond to your command even if you sit right next to homepod B.

In order to set the correct homepod as the one that reply to your command, you will have to choose the correct homepod in Home app, and then create stereo pair from this homepod. If you click on the wrong one and create the pair, the wrong one will become the one replying to your command.

For some odd reason, the first time when I setup the stereo pair mode, both speakers sound is very very low. When I play some music, you can barely hear anything from both of the speaker even I crank the volume all the way to top. So, I remove the pair and do it again. The 2nd time one of the speakers is very load while the other one is almost no sound. Remove the pair again, restart both the homdpods, and then create the stereo pair the 3rd time. Still no joy, one of the speaker volume is very low.

Reboot the 4th time, test each of the speakers sound correctly. And then pair once again and I finally get it to work.


The stereo pairing is freaking buggy. I am a bit scared that it will have the same issue again if I reboot either one of the homepod for whatever reason in the future....

I just set mine up and did't have a single issue. I'm sorry you did.

In regard to the speaker that responds to commands, it's very easy to change. All you have to do is press and hold on the top of the speaker until it glows to set it as the main one.

Two new HomePods arrive today and will be joining the three I already have (and two minis) at this location. I have never had a problem setting up stereo pairs, or configuring a HomePod. We use Siri extensively and find it fun and easy to use. Most of my appliances are controlled through Siri and I use it for information, keeping my calendar, reminders, and so forth, I was greatly disappointed when Apple discontinued the original generation, but I am a happy person now.

It does matter because the stereo pair setup is one in the corner in living room and the other is in the middle of the living room.

It looks like what you want isn't a stereo pair but a multi speaker setup. Stereo speakers, HomePod or not, should be in a position that forms a triangle from one to the other and the position of the listener central to both.

If one speaker is far off in a corner and the other is closer to one ear than the other speaker is to the other ear, you won't get a stereo effect. You can have both speakers play music in your living room as a multi-speaker setup that isn't necessarily stereo. It'll still sound great, and depending on your living room layout, probably better this way.

If they're setup in stereo pair mode they're within ear-shot of each other or there would be no reason to pair them. So what difference does it make which HomePod responds to your question? Just wondering.

True. It would be odd if both responded. :-)

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