It is not usually the most common, but there are those who use their HomePods as stereo speakers for the television and are delighted. After all, one of the great values of both the original model and the HomePod mini is its audio quality. So, if you are considering this option, we tell you everything you need to know about how to use the HomePod as a TV speaker .
HomePod as your TV speaker
Unlike other smart speakers that do offer the possibility of being paired with any device with Bluetooth, Apple‘s HomePods do not provide this option. And not only that, even with TVs with AirPlay support it is not something that is allowed (at least for now).
Therefore, the only real and one hundred percent safe option to use the HomePod or HomePod mini as a TV speaker is to turn to Apple TV. This is not only how you can send the sound from any application or service you are using, but also access future functions and a better experience.
And, with the Apple TV 4K in particular, the HomePods could even be used as a Dolby Atmos sound system . The latter is especially interesting and brings a unique experience that for now is not so common, although with the AirPods Pro and their support for spatial audio it is a bit easier.
However, at this point what else you need to know about using the HomePod (original and mini) as speakers for your television. Well, let’s go in parts:
- The first thing is that you can use your Apple TV as a player and that the sound comes out of the HomePods, wherever they are, without even having the TV on
- When configuring a stereo set, it can only be done with two identical models. That is, you can use two HomePods or two HomePod mini to have stereo sound, but never mix one and one
- Only the HomePod allows you to enjoy immersive 7.1 sound and Dolby Atmos to create a home theater experience thanks to its spatial audio support
How to connect HomePods to Apple TV
Now that you know all the options, let’s see how is the connection process between the different HomePods (two for stereo sound) that you want to use and the Apple TV.
- The first thing you have to do is make sure that both the HomePod (s) and the Apple TV are updated to the latest software version available.
- Once you have started playing content on your Apple TV, press the Home button on the Siri Remote. This will open the Control Center
- Select the AirPlay option
- Next, choose the HomePod to start playing through it the sound of what you are playing with your Apple TV
This is the conventional method, but as we explained above, with version 14.2 of iOS and iPadOS comes the Home Theater option (exclusive to the original HomePod) and thanks to it you can pair the speakers permanently and by default. Thus, when you use your Apple TV 4K you will not have to do anything extra, but automatically all the sound will be reproduced by the HomePods.
This process of using HomePod with Apple TV 4K is as follows:
- Open the Home App from your iOS or iPadOS device
- Hold down on Apple TV and then tap on the gear icon to access the settings
- Tap on the Default Audio Out option and select the HomePod or HomePod pair of speakers (remember that they both have to be identical)
- Ready, from now on everything will sound through them, even the navigation clicks
As a last tip, Apple recommends that if you use a single HomePod it is already centered a maximum of 25 cm from a wall. In the case of using two, for that surround experience to gain in effectiveness, both speakers should be approximately 1.2 meters apart.
Likewise, although using the HomePods as speakers for the television can be very striking and even attractive, it may be much easier and more economically efficient to resort to a sound system designed for the television, for any model of television and without depend on an Apple TV.
