Here’s how HomePod mini’s temperature and humidity sensors operate.

The announcement of the second-generation HomePod by Apple last week came as a surprise to many. The HomePod 2 boasts numerous additional functions, including a bass-EQ microphone and a temperature and humidity sensor for detecting the indoor environment.

While the next-generation HomePod has garnered all the attention, the smaller HomePod has also been updated with a number of new capabilities. With the release of HomePod 16.3 this week, the HomePod mini will receive the same smart home capabilities as the second-generation HomePod.

Here’s how some of the new temperature and humidity sensors on Apple’s tiniest speaker performed in the HomePod 16.3 beta before its official release.

sensors for temperature and humidity

Apple has never enabled the temperature and humidity sensors that have always been included in HomePod mini. Soon after the release of HomePod 16.3, the mini will be able to monitor the room’s temperature and humidity. Before you can view the readings, you must upgrade the Home app for iOS and iPad OS to iOS 16.3 (which is likely to roll out this week). Because we obtained HomePod software version 16.3, we were able to preview all planned HomePod features in advance.

After updating our HomePod mini, a new Climate shortcut appeared at the top of the screen, which displayed the temperature and humidity sensor readings. If you own multiple HomePod minis and there are many sensors in the room, it will display a weighted average. You can tap the reading to get the readings and settings for each sensor.

According to our tests, the Mini’s sensors are slow to provide results. They only read “calibrating” once they have adapted to their environment. A few minutes later, the app is updated with the most recent data. As usual, Siri can always be asked about the room temperature. Unfortunately, the program does not give a message when the temperature or humidity changes significantly.

From the settings menu, you can also establish automations to do things like close the curtains or activate smart home appliances in response to the temperature or humidity exceeding or falling below the threshold. You can, of course, set the parameters using time (any time, day, night, or particular times) and/or persons (when somebody is home or nobody is at home).

The temperature and humidity sensors of the HomePod mini require some time to display their readings. They are not as swift as we had planned.

Apple is taking its smart home initiative seriously.

Users of the HomePod mini will soon have access to a variety of new features, including the option to add remastered ambient sounds to scenes, automations, and alarms, as well as the capability to use Siri to make recurring automations and locate people in your Find My Contacts.

The relaunch of the full-size HomePod and the mini’s newly hidden humidity and temperature sensors demonstrate that Apple’s smart home plans are on track. Apple has a significant advantage over Google and Amazon due to consumers’ trust in the company’s ability to protect their personal information. Apple might take advantage of the situation and begin focusing on its smart home plan, as Google and Amazon are under pressure to modify their hardware businesses due to a slowdown in the IT industry.

Apple’s current approach appears to be to continue offering products aimed at various price points. The HomePod 2 is still a high-end smart speaker, but the HomePod mini is less expensive and has the same home features. Apple is rumored to be developing a smart speaker with a display similar to the Amazon Echo Show 10, which would combine the HomePod and Apple TV with a camera, suggesting that Cupertino’s smart home goods would only continue to improve in the future.

 

 

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