Apple Brings Enhance Dialogue to Original HomePod and HomePod mini With 17.1 Update

Apple today released the HomePod 17.1 software for the ‌HomePod‌ and HomePod mini, bringing support for Enhance Dialogue to additional devices.

HomePod 2 and Mini feature 2
Enhance Dialogue is a feature that boosts the volume of spoken voices to make dialogue easier to hear over effects, action, and music in a movie or TV show. The feature works when a ‌HomePod‌ or ‌HomePod mini‌ is paired to an Apple TV and used as the audio output option.

Prior to today, Enhance Dialogue was available on the second-generation ‌HomePod‌, and it was a feature that was first introduced in tvOS 17. With tvOS 17.1 and ‌HomePod‌ software 17.1, Enhance Dialogue can be enabled on any ‌HomePod‌ (or set of HomePods) paired to an ‌Apple TV‌ 4K. Apple's full release notes for the update are below.

Software version 17.1 adds support for Enhance Dialogue on HomePod mini and HomePod (1st generation) so you can hear spoken voices more clearly over effects, action, and music in a movie or TV show when paired with Apple TV 4K. This update also includes bug fixes and stability improvements.

Enabling Enhance Dialogue can be done by playing a TV show or movie, bringing up the playback controls with the Siri Remote, and choosing the Enhance Dialogue feature from the Audio Options button. It can be enabled for all content by going to Settings > Video and Audio > Enhance Dialogue.

‌‌‌‌‌‌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

Return Zero Avatar
16 months ago
They continue to add features to a "discontinued" product (eARC through Apple TV and now enhance dialogue)... My OG HP pair for $199 each is turning out to be one of my favorite Apple purchases ever.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dionte Avatar
16 months ago
It’s so nice that the original HomePod is still getting updates.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
B/D Avatar
16 months ago

They continue to add features to a "discontinued" product (eARC through Apple TV and now enhance dialogue)... My OG HP pair for $199 each is turning out to be one of my favorite Apple purchases ever.
I bought them in 2018 for $350 each, and they are now more useful than ever. Very happy indeed.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
B/D Avatar
16 months ago
The amazing thing here are the OG Homepods. They have an A8 chip which is positively ancient these days, and yet they are still getting updates, features, and even improvements sound wise.

Awesome!.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
B/D Avatar
16 months ago
Tested the Enhanced Dialogue feature with my Apple TV 4K first gen and stereo paired OG Homepods. A game changer. So much louder and clearer!.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Morac Avatar
16 months ago
You have to update tvos to version 17.1. I’ve been watching content from Max through my HomePod minis and blue tooth headphones. The difference is definitely noticeable.
Turns out the Home app lied to me and the update was downloading on my HomePods. When I checked later it said the update was downloaded and waiting to install.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)