Following the HomePod miniannouncement at Tuesday's Apple event, The Loop's Jim Dalrymple has answered a key question many people have been asking: Can you pair a HomePod mini with an original HomePod to make a stereo pair?
"The short answer is no," explains Dalrymple. "You can't make a stereo pair of a HomePod and a HomePod mini. You can make a stereo pair of two HomePods or two HomePod minis, but you can't mix and match the two products."
That's not to say the two devices can't be used together at all, however. Dalrymple goes on to explain that if you have a HomePod and HomePod mini in the home, they can be used to play your music in different rooms. Apple's new Intercom feature will also work on both devices.
Dalrymple says an update is on the way for the original HomePod that will add many features that are coming with the HomePod mini, including Intercom, personal update, Maps continuity, multiuser support for Podcasts, and support for third-party music services like Pandora and Amazon music.
In another notable tidbit, he says an additional upcoming feature exclusive to the original HomePod will add "an immersive home theater experience when paired with an Apple TV 4K."
To get the 5.1, 7.1 surround, and Dolby Atmos, you need to pair one or two HomePod speakers to the Apple TV. This feature requires the spatial sound support of HomePod, so it isn’t available for the HomePod mini.
It's understood that this ability to select HomePods as home theater speakers for Apple TV will also fix the lingering issue of Apple TV often forgetting that HomePods are the preferred speakers for audio output.
Lastly, Dalrymple notes that a HomePod and HomePod mini can't be connected to Apple TV at the same time, but two HomePod minis connected to Apple TV will provide stereo sound.
The HomePod mini costs $99 and is available in both White and Space Gray. Pre-orders begin on November 6, and deliveries begin on November 16.
Tuesday February 10, 2026 4:27 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models as soon as early March, but if you can, this is one generation you should skip because there's something much better in the works.
We're waiting on 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, with few changes other than the processor upgrade. There won't be any tweaks to the design or the display, but later this...
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Apple today released iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, the latest updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out in September. The new software comes almost two months after Apple released iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
According to Apple's release notes, ...
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It has been a slow start to 2026 for Apple product launches, with only a new AirTag and a special Apple Watch band released so far. We are still waiting for MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the iPhone 17e, a lower-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip, long-rumored updates to the Apple TV and HomePod mini, and much more.
Apple is expected to release/update the following products...
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The report said the iPhone 17e will be announced in a press release on the Apple Newsroom website, so do not expect an event for this device specifically.
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Apple acquired Canadian graph database company Kuzu last year, it has emerged.
The acquisition, spotted by AppleInsider, was completed in October 2025 for an undisclosed sum. The company's website was subsequently taken down and its Github repository was archived, as is commonplace for Apple acquisitions.
Kuzu was "an embedded graph database built for query speed, scalability, and easy of ...
Why would anyone have thought it would be possible to pair two speakers of vastly different sizes and capabilities? The full size HomePod would completely drown out the HomePod mini. Of course you can't stereo pair them.
Not for stereo sound pairing, no. There should never be an option to mix and match HomePod and HomePod mini for stereo sound.
My hope however was to be able to pair two of these as rear surround speakers with the HomePod to the Apple TV 4K. This would be the closest solution to my dream HomePod Sound Bar product that I’ve been wishing for.
Disappointing it can’t yet, but I’m still very interested to hear this upcoming ‘home theater’ support for the original HomePod.
Also, who knows what other options could be unlocked via software updates...
