Apple's HomePod speaker is best enjoyed when linked to an Apple Music subscription, since this allows you to make the most of Siri's enhanced music smarts and its DJ-like role as a personal music curator, or "mixologist", as Apple calls it.

homepod apple music image
As ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers will know, the streaming service learns your music preferences based on what you say and play, which helps it populate the app's "For You" section with new songs that you might like, and enables ‌Siri‌ to generate new playlists on the fly at your request.

But what if you frequently command ‌Siri‌ to play music for other people in your household, such as your children? Using ‌HomePod‌ to play songs that don't align with your own tastes can quickly skew your ‌Apple Music‌ recommendations. Fortunately, you can avoid your recommendations being inundated with Encanto or Frozen tracks by disabling a simple setting. It's called "Use Listening History", and here's how to find it.

How to Disable Your HomePod's Listening History

  1. Open the Home app on your iPhone or iPad.

  2. Tap the ellipsis button (three encircled dots) in the top-right corner of the main Home screen.

  3. Tap Home Settings in the dropdown menu.
  4. Under "People," tap your name.
    home

  5. Under the "Music & Podcasts" section, tap Update Listening History.
  6. Toggle off the switches next to the ‌HomePod‌ devices that you want to disable listening history updates on.
    home

That's all there is to it. By turning off the setting, ‌HomePod‌ will happily continue to play songs from Apple's vast music catalog for you on behalf of others in your home, but the songs will be excluded from its personal curation algorithms and they will no longer appear in your recommendations. You can easily revert this setting by turning the switches back on in the last step.

Related Roundups: HomePod, HomePod mini

Top Rated Comments

TwoLivesLeft Avatar
95 months ago
So I need to take out my phone to control a voice activated speaker?
I just tried "Hey Siri turn use listening history off" and "Hey Siri turn use listening history on" — this works just fine. The HomePod says "I turned on/off use listening history."

It also works if you say it more naturally, e.g., "Hey Siri start using listening history" or "Hey Siri stop using listening history."

Edit: You can also ask "Hey Siri are you using listening history?" or "Hey Siri is use listening history on?" and it will tell you if it's on or off.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mcdspncr Avatar
95 months ago
Man this thing really needs multiuser/multiaccount support
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nheilweil Avatar
95 months ago
So I need to take out my phone to control a voice activated speaker?
It’s a one-time setting they are recommending.
[doublepost=1518189472][/doublepost]They totally fail to mention the downside of this workaround that turning off that setting not only prevents your Music from being affected by other users — it also prevents the system from recommending music based on what you listen to!

So because the system can’t recognize multiple users (as can similar Amazon or Google units), one is left reducing the functionality of the experience in order to safe guard it from others in the family that use it as well.

I’m a total Apple fan boy but this unit is a real fail and Apple needs to figure this out!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
95 months ago
So I need to take out my phone to control a voice activated speaker?
The alternative you seem to favor could accidentally start a nuclear war, shut down power in 6 states and/or initiate the HP self-destruct sequence countdown

"Hey Siri toggle my use listening history off"
Siri: I don't know what use listening history means.

"Hey Siri toggle my use listening history off"
Siri: I found this on the web about the history of Listerine.

"Hey Siri toggle my use listening history off"
Siri: I can't find any stores that sell used Listerine near you.

"Hey Siri..."
Siri interrupts: RandyHudson, maybe you should try asking Alexa?

All ;)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cknibbs Avatar
95 months ago
Man this thing really needs multiuser/multiaccount support
I have no sources and this is just my gut speaking, but I have full confidence that multi-user support is in the pipeline. First and foremost it always seems that privacy and security are the most important to Apple and that’s why up front some of the features are limited (like not being able to start a call from the HomePod) I wouldn’t be surprised if in HomeOS 2.0 or whatever they call it, that many of the requested features will be arriving, and that as developers take advantage of SiriKit that the HomePod will compete with Alexa and Google Assistant in third party support. But again, that’s just my gut feeling (or perhaps wishful thinking)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
randyhudson Avatar
95 months ago
So I need to take out my phone to control a voice activated speaker?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
CarPlay Ultra Climate Controls

Apple Says These Vehicle Brands Plan to Offer All-New CarPlay Ultra

Thursday May 15, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. CarPlay Ultra features deep integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in Radio and Climate apps, customizable widgets, and more. The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can also adjust...
iPhone 12 Made in India

Trump Tells Tim Cook to Stop Building iPhones in India

Thursday May 15, 2025 2:21 am PDT by
President Donald Trump has asked Apple CEO Tim Cook to halt the company's manufacturing expansion in India, in a potential disruption of Apple's plan to shift iPhone production away from China. "I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday," Trump said during his state visit to Qatar, according to Bloomberg. "He is building all over India." "They [India] have offered us a deal where...
apple music

Apple Music Gets New Transfer Tool to Make Switching From Spotify Easier

Wednesday May 14, 2025 5:17 pm PDT by
Apple this week introduced a new feature designed to allow prospective Apple Music users to import their saved music and playlists from third-party music services to Apple Music. The feature is either in an expanded testing phase or it has started rolling out, and it is available in Australia and New Zealand according to an Apple Support document. Signs of the transfer option first surfaced...
maxresdefault

Here's the First Real-World Look at Apple's CarPlay Ultra

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:52 am PDT by
The first videos of Apple's CarPlay Ultra experience are now available, providing a never-before-seen look at the long-anticipated iPhone-linked infotainment software. British automaker Aston Martin today shared the first video of Apple's CarPlay Ultra experience in-action, followed by a detailed walk-through of the CarPlay Ultra system on Top Gear's YouTube channel, which provides the...
vision pro video recording

WSJ: Some Apple Vision Pro Buyers 'Feel Total Regret'

Friday May 16, 2025 7:43 am PDT by
Apple's Vision Pro headset has left many early adopters expressing dissatisfaction over its weight, limited use cases, and sparse software ecosystem, according to a new article from The Wall Street Journal. In the year following the device's launch, user feedback suggests that it has failed to meet expectations for comfort, software support, and social acceptance. In interviews conducted by T...