Apple Releases HomePod 16.3 Software With Humidity and Temperature Sensing, Find My Improvements, Audio Tuning, and More

Following the iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3, tvOS 16.3, watchOS 9.3, and macOS Ventura 13.2 updates that came out yesterday, Apple today released new 16.3 software created for the HomePod, second-generation ‌HomePod‌, and HomePod mini.

HomePod 2 White and Midnight Feature Blue Orange
According to Apple's release notes, ‌HomePod‌ software version 16.3 adds a number of new features. It activates temperature and humidity sensing for both the second-generation ‌HomePod‌ and the ‌HomePod mini‌, allowing those readings to be used for home automation.

Ambient sounds have been remastered to be more immersive and can be added to scenes, automations, and alarms in the Home app, and recurring Home automations can be set up using Siri commands. Apple has also added a unique confirmation tone that will play when smart home requests are enacted for accessories that are located in a different room or that do not show a visible change. Find My integration for ‌HomePod‌ also lets you ask ‌Siri‌ for the location of friends and family.

For the first and second-generation larger ‌HomePod‌ models, optimized audio tuning provides improved clarity for spoken content like podcasts and audiobooks, and on the first-generation ‌HomePod‌, there are updated volume controls for more granular adjustments at lower volumes. Apple's full release notes for the update are below.

HomePod software version 16.3 includes support for new features for your HomePod. This update also includes bug fixes and stability improvements.

- Temperature and humidity sensing measures your indoor climate with HomePod (2nd generation) and HomePod mini
- Remastered ambient sounds are more immersive and can now be added to scenes, automations, and alarms in the Home app
- Find My on HomePod now enables you to ask Siri for the location of friends and family, if they have shared it with you
- Recurring Home automations can be set up using just your voice
- Siri confirmation tone will now play to indicate when smart home requests are completed for accessories that may not visibly show a change or are located in a different room
- Audio tuning optimizes spoken content such as podcasts for even greater clarity on HomePod (2nd generation) and HomePod (1st generation)
- Updated volume controls on HomePod (1st generation) give you more granular adjustments at lower volumes

‌‌‌‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ software is installed automatically on the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌ unless the feature is disabled‌‌‌‌, but the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ can also be manually updated in the Home app by following the instructions in our HomePod‌‌ update how to.

Related Roundups: HomePod, HomePod mini

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Top Rated Comments

diego.caraballo Avatar
30 months ago
Playing rain sounds right now to see if the remastering includes the removal of the annoying birds...

Edit: Nope, they added even more birds...?
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
30 months ago
Can’t wait for my new 2nd generation HomePod to arrive. Ready for this update to hit.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Macropanda Avatar
30 months ago
Looks like the temperature and humidity sensor need a while to calibrate first.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
podycust Avatar
30 months ago

I think it takes hours?
Mine took about 35 mins to calibrate before it showed any temperature
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macguru212 Avatar
30 months ago
downloading now... exciting!:p
or scary :eek:
not sure yet.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
srbNYC Avatar
30 months ago

If this makes my HomePod Minis just ding like Echo's do when you make a request, it'll make me so happy - I've been hating getting loud verbal responses to turning lights on and off ever since I changed to Siri.
Sorry to report bad news, but it's all vocal. Hate it. Wish it were at least optional. Get it all the time on my iPhone too, for Home requests. "The table light is on!!!!!" Shut up about it.

UPDATE 1/25: Suddenly (with no new downloads), it's just confirming with a subtle ding. Awesome. SO much better.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)