During the unveiling of HomePod mini at Tuesday's Apple event, Apple introduced an upcoming new feature called Intercom that works across all Apple devices with the exception, it would seem, of Mac.
Intercom will enable family members to communicate with each other wherever they are in the home, with the ability to send and receive spoken messages via HomePod speakers. If a family member is in the garden or away from home, they can still use Intercom on their iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and even CarPlay. Apple explains:
A new Intercom feature offers a quick and easy way for family members to connect with each other at home. One person can send an Intercom message from one HomePod to another — whether in a different room, a specific zone, or multiple rooms throughout the home — and their voice will automatically play on the designated HomePod speaker. Intercom works with iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, and CarPlay, so everyone in the household can get Intercom notifications and send Intercom messages from the backyard or on their way home.
In the latest HomePod beta software, the setup process explains that users can say "Hey Siri, Intercom," followed by their message, and then choose which HomePods and/or personal devices the message should be sent to. Other options include "Hey Siri, tell everyone," and "Hey Siri, reply..." to respond to a message.
On personal devices, Intercom messages appear as notifications with the option to listen to the audio message. Users can also choose when Intercom notifications are delivered to their iPhone (Never / When I'm Home / Anywhere), and can select who can use Intercom via the Home app if they have remote access. Apple is also including an accessibility option that transcribes spoken messages on personal devices.
The Intercom feature will arrive in upcoming software updates, which are likely to roll out in step with the launch of HomePod mini on November 16.
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more.
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Sunday November 23, 2025 8:48 am PST by Joe Rossignol
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In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is focused on improving "quality and underlying performance" over adding new features.
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We're only a few days away from Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
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On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the new features and improvements expected to come to next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models.
Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos
Apple's next-generation iPhones are less than ten months away and we already have a good idea about what to expect based on corroborated leaks, rumors,...
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Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others.
During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
This is definitely a first world problem but I wish they would allow a different word besides Siri. The word Siri just sounds so unpleasant to the ears in my language that I am sure this is one of the reasons Siri has never really picked up here. Siiiiiiiiri just ugh lol it sounds so unfriendly and robotic. Alexa sounds better cuz it makes you feel like you are talking to a person (positive) and not a robot (negative association)
From Wikipedia ... Siri is a Scandinavian female given name. It is a short form of Sigrid, of Old Norse origin, and literally meaning "beautiful victory", from Old Norse sigr (victory) and Old Norse fríðr (beautiful). The name Siri has been widely used since the Middle Ages, and is a common name in Norway, Sweden and the Faroe Islands.
This is definitely a first world problem but I wish they would allow a different word besides Siri. The word Siri just sounds so unpleasant to the ears in my language that I am sure this is one of the reasons Siri has never really picked up here. Siiiiiiiiri just ugh lol it sounds so unfriendly and robotic. Alexa sounds better cuz it makes you feel like you are talking to a person (positive) and not a robot (negative association)
After waiting for Siri for 30 seconds: Mom yells through the hall: "Dinner's ready!"
Actually what I really think will most likely happen is after 30 seconds you’ll hear mom screaming at the top of her lungs “hey Siri answer me goddamnit!” ....from the other side of the house.
