Apple debuted an updated HomePod speaker today, and one of the new features is the ability to track temperature and humidity with a built-in sensor. As it turns out, these are things that the smaller, cheaper HomePod Mini can do, even the ones that are already in the house.
The company quiet added a feature overview to its website, indicating that Apple plans to enable a latent temperature and humidity sensor that has been in the devices since launch but was previously unavailable. Having this sensor means you don’t have to buy a separate gadget to measure temperature or humidity and run Apple Home automations to turn on a fan when it goes above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, for example, or to connect a compatible smart adjust thermostat.
The temperature and humidity sensing features don’t appear to be live in iOS 16.2 yet; multiple Forget the staff couldn’t get theirs to work, even on the iOS 16.3 beta. But at least a person seems to have early access. Apple spokesperson Lance Lin confirmed that the feature would appear in an upcoming software update.
Once you start using the temperature and humidity sensing feature, there are a few caveats to keep in mind. In the footnotes of Apple’s HomePod Mini page, it indicates that the speaker “takes some time to calibrate the sensors immediately after powering up”. What’s even more remarkable is that Apple says the “accuracy may decrease in some situations where audio is played at a high volume level for an extended period of time.” So if you get what you think are inaccurate results, maybe you can dismiss the glitches and check again after some time.
It’s great that Apple retroactively added a nifty new feature to a device that already lives in many people’s homes. Bloombergs Mark Gurman reported in March 2021 that the HomePod Mini had the capability, and it took nearly two years for it to come to light. So even if you don’t plan on upgrading to the bigger, much more expensive HomePod now that’s readily available again, you won’t be left wanting to get some cool smart home features. And personally, I just love the idea of secret sensors living in devices.
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