Siri Will Learn Your Music Preferences With HomePod Software 17.4

Alongside iOS 17.4, iPadOS 17.4, and tvOS 17.4, Apple plans to release a HomePod 17.4 software update that adds a small but meaningful change to Siri.

homepod blue green
‌Siri‌ will be able to learn what a user's preferred media service is, which means that there won't be a need to include an app name when asking ‌Siri‌ to play content or go through the process to set a default third-party app.

‌HomePod‌ users have been able to play songs, podcasts, audiobooks, and other media using supported third-party apps through a ‌Siri‌ request for quite some time now, but this needed to be set up in the Settings section of the Home app. The option was fairly hidden, so some ‌HomePod‌ users might have forgotten the feature was even available. From Apple's release notes:

This update enables Siri to learn your preferred media service, so you no longer need to include the name of the media app in your request.

With ‌HomePod‌ 17.4, ‌Siri‌ will learn preferences and use those preferences to select apps. If you have YouTube Music, for example, you won't need to say "Play [song name] on YouTube Music" to bypass Apple Music, nor will you need to set YouTube Music as your default music service in the Home app.

‌Siri‌ already works this way on the iPhone and the iPad, and asks users for their preferred app when playing content for the first time. As ‌Siri‌ has been updated to set a preference automatically, Apple has removed the Home app option that let users select a default media service.

Third-party apps that work directly with the ‌HomePod‌ include YouTube Music, Deezer, Pandora, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio. Streaming music services need to support ‌HomePod‌ for the feature to work, and not all do. Note that popular music service Spotify can play content through a ‌Siri‌ request on ‌HomePod‌, but it uses the ‌iPhone‌ to do so.

Along with ‌Siri‌ support for a preferred music service, the ‌HomePod‌ 17.4 update also includes performance and stability improvements. The ‌HomePod‌ 17.4 software will see a release as soon as this week.

Related Roundups: HomePod, HomePod mini

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Will Include These New Features for Your iPhone

Wednesday February 5, 2025 7:15 am PST by
iOS 18.3 was released last month, so the first iOS 18.4 beta should be coming soon. iOS 18.4 is expected to be a more substantial update for the iPhone, with several new features and changes related to Apple Intelligence and beyond. Apple's website suggests that iOS 18.4 will be released in April, following beta testing. Below, we outline what to expect from the update so far. Apple...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive an All-New Perk

Thursday February 6, 2025 11:21 am PST by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. iCloud+ is the official name for Apple's paid iCloud storage plans, which range from 50GB for $0.99 per month to 12TB for $59.99 per month in the United States. iCloud+ plans already come with multiple perks for free, such as Hide My Email and HomeKit Secure Video, and now there is another one...
maxresdefault

An Apple TV Refresh is Coming in 2025 - Here's What You Should Know

Wednesday February 5, 2025 10:17 am PST by
Apple hasn't refreshed the Apple TV since 2022, but rumors suggest that we're finally going to get an update in 2025. We don't have a full picture of what to expect yet, but we have some hints on what's coming. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Updated A-Series Chip The current Apple TV 4K uses the A15 Bionic chip that was in the iPhone 13 lineup, and it's time for...
iPhone SE 4 Single Camera Thumb

iPhone SE 4 Launching as Soon as Next Week

Thursday February 6, 2025 3:30 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone SE could debut as soon as next week with a launch to follow later in February, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple isn't expected to hold an event for the iPhone SE 4, and will instead unveil the device through a press release. The iPhone SE 4 is expected to have an iPhone 14-style design, with Apple eliminating the thick bezels and Touch ID Home button of...
iOS 18

iOS 18.3.1 Update Coming Soon for iPhones

Thursday February 6, 2025 7:31 am PST by
Apple is internally testing iOS 18.3.1 for iPhones, according to our website's analytics logs, which have been a consistently reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. The software update should be released within the next few weeks. iOS 18.3.1 should be a minor update that addresses software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. Apple Intelligence notification summaries for news and...
iCloud General Feature Redux

Apple Ordered by UK to Create Global iCloud Encryption Backdoor

Friday February 7, 2025 2:37 am PST by
The British government has secretly demanded that Apple give it blanket access to all encrypted user content uploaded to the cloud, reports The Washington Post. The undisclosed order is said to have been issued last month, and requires that Apple creates a back door that allows UK security officials unencumbered access to encrypted user data worldwide – an unprecedented demand not before...
disney

Disney+ Loses 700,000 Subscribers Following Price Increase

Wednesday February 5, 2025 3:34 pm PST by
Disney+ lost 700,000 subscribers worldwide in recent months, according to Disney's earnings results for the first quarter of 2025. Disney said it now has 124.6 million Disney+ subscribers, a decrease of 0.7 million compared to its subscriber numbers in the fourth quarter of 2024. The drop in subscribers comes after Disney+ prices increased in the fall. Disney+ with Ads went from $7.99 to...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses to Expand to These 7 U.S. States

Wednesday February 5, 2025 6:27 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Below, we outline which U.S. states and territories offer the feature, and additional states that have committed to rolling it out in...

Top Rated Comments

Gengar Avatar
12 months ago
But will they ever introduce an update where Siri will check your library first when you tell it to play a song? It plays so many stupid remixes of songs if you don’t include “from my library” when giving it a command…
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
uptownnyc Avatar
12 months ago
Cool. Now tell me how to get the HomePod two rooms away from responding to the "Hey Siri" request intended for the phone sitting on the table next to me.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
clg82 Avatar
12 months ago
Wow, now if they could teach Siri to do simple tasks that would be nice
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kagharaht Avatar
12 months ago
The one product from Apple that I have is a true Love hate relationship is the HomePod. This thing has frustrated me to no end. The sound is wonderful and when it works it’s beautiful. Still too many occasions “ I didn’t get that, working on it , hmmm taking too long, there is a problem with Apple Music“ then all speakers just stops playing or one or two stops and the rest plays. Then the volume suddenly increases then decreases... The Audio is beautiful with Homepod, but the software and Siri is pure GARBAGE.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dustin_ Avatar
12 months ago

Notably missing from that list is Spotify. Which is also missing from the Vision Pro. Must be a strange coincidence.
solely by spotify’s choosing
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
5097842 Avatar
12 months ago
Notably missing from that list is Spotify. Which is also missing from the Vision Pro. Must be a strange coincidence.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)