Apple HomePod, HomePod mini Get Support for Apple Music Lossless, Spatial Audio Through Beta Update

If you’re running both iOS 15 and HomePod 15 beta 5, you may see toggles to activate the features on Apple Music.

By Ali Pardiwala | Updated: 13 August 2021 13:06 IST

Apple HomePod, HomePod mini Get Support for Apple Music Lossless, Spatial Audio Through Beta Update

Apple HomePod mini is priced at Rs. 9,900 in India

Highlights

Apple Music rolled out support for Lossless and Spatial Audio recently
For now, it’s widely supported on iOS, Android, and MacOS
The latest beta update for HomePod expands the features’ availability

Apple HomePod and HomePod mini now support Apple Music Lossless Audio and Spatial Audio through the HomePod 15 beta 5 update. Users with either of the HomePod devices and on the latest beta software path on both HomePod as well as iOS will be able to activate the high-resolution audio streaming tiers on Apple Music, as well as listen to tracks in Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos. The features will likely roll out for all HomePod and iOS users in the coming months.

Both HomePod products, including the larger HomePod and smaller HomePod mini, will support the feature. Users with the correct software version will have to activate the features through the settings in the Home app on iOS. It's worth mentioning here that not all users on the beta software path will be able to see the updates yet, according a report by 9to5Mac.

Although Apple Music requires a wired connection to properly transmit the data for high-resolution audio streaming on smartphones, tablets, and computers because of the limitations of Bluetooth headphones and earphones, the HomePod range uses Wi-Fi — and its better data transfer capabilities to receive and decode the data to play back. Therefore, HomePod users will likely hear the improvement in sound quality with Lossless audio since the device directly streams using its own connection to the Internet.

Apple Music price starts at Rs. 99 per month for individual subscription plans in India, and offers all users on iOS, Android, and MacOS access to Lossless and High-Resolution Lossless streaming, as well as support for Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos. The HomePod range works exclusively with Apple Music to stream music directly, once linked with your Apple account and subscription. With support rolling out for the high-resolution streaming tiers and Spatial Audio, users on the HomePod and HomePod mini will be able to enjoy better sound quality when streaming music over Apple Music.

Is HomePod mini the best smart speaker under Rs. 10,000? We discussed this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Apple HomePod Speaker

KEY SPECS

Model HomePod

Color Space Gray, White

Power Requirement 100V to 240V AC

Touchpad Yes

Network connectivity Bluetooth v5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11ac

Display included No

Apple HomePod mini

REVIEW
KEY SPECS

Design
Smart Features
Audio Quality
Value For Money

Good
Looks great 
Clean, detailed sound 
Excellent soundstage 
Works very well within the Apple ecosystem

Bad
Some connectivity issues with stereo pairing 
Limited smart capabilities

Read detailed Apple HomePod mini review

Model HomePod mini

Touchpad Yes

Comments

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Further reading: Apple, Apple Music, Apple HomePod, Apple HomePod mini, Apple Music Lossless Audio, Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos, Streaming, iOS, HomePod