Apple's HomePod was updated this week to version 12, which debuted alongside iOS 12 for iPhones and iPads. The HomePod update brings about a handful of new abilities for Apple's smart speaker, including support for multiple timers, lyric search, find my iPhone, making and receiving phone calls, and more.

Because of all the useful and handy new additions arriving on HomePod this week, we've written this guide to provide quick steps that can help you figure out each new feature, and added in some tips as well.

Multiple Timers

On previous HomePod software you could only make one timer and not name it, but with the new software Apple is letting you create and name as many as over 20 timers at once (our testing reached about 23). This should greatly help out HomePod owners, especially those who have placed the speaker in their kitchen.

Note: Because HomePod relies entirely on voice controls for timers (and other features in this guide), there may be other sentence patterns that result in the same responses as the ones we've discovered. With that being said, below you'll find a few examples of Siri commands for multiple timers on HomePod. To create multiple timers, simply begin listing one timer after the other to Siri:

Setting Timers

  • "Hey Siri, set a 15 minute timer for food."
  • "Hey Siri, set a burger timer for 20 minutes."
  • "Hey Siri, set a 25 minute french fries timer."
  • "Hey Siri, set a 45 minute timer for the laundry."
  • "Hey Siri, set a 3 hour timer for the sprinklers."

Checking Individual Timers

  • "Hey Siri, what's left on the food timer?"
  • "Hey Siri, how's the french fries timer?"
  • "Hey Siri, what's the sprinklers timer at?"
  • "Hey Siri, how long until the laundry is done?"
  • "Hey Siri, is the burger timer almost done?"

Checking All Timers

  • "Hey Siri, where are the timers at?"
  • "Hey Siri, how much time is left?"
  • "Hey Siri, list the timers."

The limit of any timer is a maximum of 23 hours (as it was previously). If you create a timer but don't give it a name, Siri will name the timer by its original length, saying something like "There is 1 minute left on the 10 minute timer."

When you have multiple timers running and one ends, the usual timer ending chime will sound, but it will now be interspersed with Siri stating which timer is completed. As usual, you can tap the top of HomePod to silence the timer, or ask Siri to shut it off. If you have numerous timers running simultaneously and want to end them all, you can say "Hey Siri, stop/cancel all of the timers."

Lyric Search

Similar to Apple Music on iOS, you can now search for a song through its lyrics using Siri on HomePod. Try out these commands to start using voice-enabled lyric search:

  • "Hey Siri, search for a song with the lyrics [lyrics]."
  • "Hey Siri, play the song with the lyrics [lyrics]."
  • "Hey Siri, search for the song that goes [lyrics]."
  • "Hey Siri, play the song that goes [lyrics]."

If you just want to perform a search for a song based on its lyrics without playing it, you can say something like "Hey Siri, what song has the lyrics [lyrics]?"

Find My iPhone

find my iphone homepodIf you've lost track of your iPhone but know it's somewhere nearby, HomePod can now send out a helpful ping so you can more easily locate your misplaced iPhone. Try these commands to get started:

  • "Hey Siri, find my iPhone."
  • "Hey Siri, find [iPhone name]."
  • "Hey Siri, where's my iPhone?"
  • "Hey Siri, ping my iPhone."
  • "Hey Siri, can you find my iPhone?"
  • "Hey Siri, is my iPhone nearby?"
  • "Hey Siri, I can't find my iPhone."

Siri will respond to each one of these commands by asking "Should I try to make it play a sound?", to which you'll need to reply yes or no.

This feature extends to any iOS or macOS device connected to your Apple ID, so you can also search for a missing iPad or MacBook, as long as they're all connected to the internet at the time of the search.

You can provide the specific name of each device to ping, but Siri does have some trouble recognizing custom names at times. When the alert is sent, you'll get a notification on the lost device and an email to your connected Apple ID account.

Phone Calls

One of the biggest new additions to HomePod this week is the ability to make and receive phone calls via your connected iPhone. Make sure your iPhone is on iOS 12 and your HomePod is updated (with Personal Requests turned on), and follow these steps to make calls on HomePod:

homepod phone call mitch Making a call: "Hey Siri, call Ben."
When a call comes in on iPhone: "Hey Siri, answer my phone."
Hanging up: "Hey Siri, hang up."
Checking a missed call: "Hey Siri, who just called?"

During a call, HomePod's top Siri waveform display will turn a bright green, indicating that you're on the phone with someone. If you don't want to speak to Siri to hang up, you can simply tap once on HomePod to end the call. Of course, the usual volume indicators can also make the person on the other end softer or louder.

If you answered a call on iPhone and want to move over to HomePod, follow these steps:

Transferring a call from iPhone to HomePod

  1. Answer or place a call on iPhone
  2. Tap "Audio" in the Phone app while the call is live
  3. Choose your HomePod speaker

Notably, you won't be able to perform any of Siri's basic search or query functionalities while HomePod is being used as a speakerphone. If someone else calls you while you're talking on HomePod, you can tap the green light at the top of HomePod to switch to it, or double tap the green light to end the current call and switch to the new one. To continuously switch between calls, tap the top of HomePod.

More details on HomePod's new update can be found in our launch post, and if you need a refresher on HomePod's overall set of features be sure to visit our full HomePod Roundup.

Related Roundup: HomePod
Buyer's Guide: HomePod (Neutral)

Top Rated Comments

keysofanxiety Avatar
89 months ago
Gonna go out on a limb here but the entire point of Siri is that you can tell it what you want to do. So we should be able to assume that you simply ask it to do any of the things this guide includes.

If you want it to set a 15 minute timer, you ask it to set a 15 minute timer?! NO WAY!!
Yes but before you could just say "Set a timer for x minutes" and it would only have the one timer. It'll then prompt you to amend the existing timer if you set another.

Now you can say "Set 15 minutes for the cuttlefish, set 3 minutes for the asparagus, set 50 minutes for the inevitable toilet break", and it'll have a separate timer for each, which you can also check by saying "How long on the cuttlefish?"

Seems like a reasonable article IMHO; I wouldn't have known this otherwise.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kaibelf Avatar
89 months ago
Yes but before you could just say "Set a timer for x minutes" and it would only have the one timer. It'll then prompt you to amend the existing timer if you set another.

Now you can say "Set 15 minutes for the cuttlefish, set 3 minutes for the asparagus, set 50 minutes for the inevitable toilet break", and it'll have a separate timer for each, which you can also check by saying "How long on the cuttlefish?"

Seems like a reasonable article IMHO; I wouldn't have known this otherwise.
Cuttlefish, asparagus and a toilet break? Isn’t this part of the plot from the iPad episode of South Park?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT 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. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

Leaker Reveals Amount of RAM in iPhone 17 Through iPhone 17 Pro Max

Wednesday July 9, 2025 8:08 am PDT by
Three out of four iPhone 17 models will feature more RAM than the equivalent iPhone 16 models, according to a new leak that aligns with previous rumors. The all-new iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will each be equipped with 12GB of RAM, according to Fixed Focus Digital, an account with more than two million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...