PSA: You Can't Output Mac System Audio to Stereo-Paired HomePod Minis, But There Is a Workaround

If you were thinking of buying two HomePod mini speakers to use as a stereo pair with your Mac, you might want to think again. As some users undoubtedly found with the original HomePod, it's not possible to AirPlay to multiple speakers from the menu bar on a Mac.

homepod mini stereo pair mac
The inability to select stereo-paired ‌HomePod‌ speakers as your Mac audio output device is a glaring omission in Apple's ‌AirPlay‌ rollout, and the situation unfortunately remains the same in macOS 11 Big Sur. You can only use them with certain Apple apps like Music and TV – all other Mac audio must be output to one speaker or the other, but not both at the same time.

While it's frustrating that Apple's own apps let users select stereo-paired HomePods as a single device, this does provide a workaround, although it's a kludge that has its drawbacks. The following steps show you how it's done.

  1. Launch the Music app on your Mac and select your stereo-paired ‌HomePod‌ minis as the audio output.
    homepod stereo pair music mac

  2. Now, minimize the Music app (don't close it), then launch the Audio MIDI Setup app located in the Applications -> Utilities folder.
    audio midi setup app

  3. In the Audio MIDI Setup app, click the + button in the bottom-left corner of the interface and select Create Aggregate Device from the dropdown.
    create aggregate audio

  4. Select the Aggregate Device in the sidebar and check the Use box next to AirPlay.
    airplay audio midi setup

  5. Close the Audio MIDI Setup app, then select the Aggregate Device from the volume dropdown in the menu bar.
    aggregate device audio device

As for the caveats to this workaround, using it means you can only change the volume by tapping the physical ‌HomePod‌ controls themselves – you won't be able to adjust it from your Mac's menu bar. You also have to keep the Music app open at all times, otherwise you'll lose your audio and you'll have to repeat the steps.

Another thing to consider is that this is only ‌AirPlay‌ 1, so there's a delay in the sound output between playing/pausing, and audio will be slightly out of sync when watching videos, although checking the Drift Correction option (circled in green above) in the Audio MIDI Setup app can compensate for this.

As mentioned, the solution is far from ideal, but until Apple brings system-wide ‌AirPlay‌ 2 support to Macs, it's the only way to pipe your Mac's audio through stereo-paired HomePods, short of purchasing a third-party app like Airfoil.

Update: As MacRumors reader B4rbelith points out, if you play something in the Music app, you can then right-click AirPlay in the Audio MIDI Setup app's sidebar and select Use this device for sound output. This lets you control the volume from the menu bar, but the other caveats still apply.

Related Roundups: HomePod, HomePod mini

Top Rated Comments

GadgetBen Avatar
44 months ago
This is ridiculous, come on Apple sort it out.
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hellosil Avatar
44 months ago
Baffled by the fact that this needs a workaround to work.

For me its a reason not to buy a HomePod (Mini) yet.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Quu Avatar
44 months ago
"It just works"

I actually have two Homepods (not the Mini kind) and Big Sur still doesn't support sending audio to them when they're grouped, just one or the other. So lame.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
B4rbelith Avatar
44 months ago
You don't need to create an aggregate device. Just play something from Apple Music to your stereo HomePods, then open 'Audio Devices', right click on Airplay, and select 'Use this device for sound output'.
It's not ideal, and media players like IINA and VLC lag. Youtube through Safari works fine though, as it buffers the video to keep in time.


Attachment Image
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
foobarbaz Avatar
44 months ago

Latency. All your system sounds and time critical audio would be 3-4 seconds out time. Not an enjoyable experience.
But that's only a problem because they chose that to be a problem.

The HomePod has Bluetooth. Bluetooth can transfer sound with a reasonable latency. They just didn't implement it.
Also they could have just added a line-in. (With USB-C in the mini they could still do it with a custom cable or power brick.)

So the question stands: What's the reason they didn't do it?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
foobarbaz Avatar
44 months ago
We don't need cables anymore, we can do everything over the air! ;)
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...