Using Your HomePod’s Temperature and Humidity Sensors
With iOS 16.3 and accompanying HomePod 16.3 software, new features have opened up in the recently announced HomePod mini and full-size HomePod. That’s right, the temperature and humidity sensors that were inactive for so long are now activated. Here’s how you can use your HomePod’s temperature and humidity sensors for automation and information.
Using Automations with your HomePod’s temperature and humidity sensors
One of the most useful things you can do with the temperature and humidity sensors on HomePod mini and second-gen HomePod is set up automations. You can, for example, set an automation to activate a smart thermostat whenever the temperature goes above or below a certain threshold.
Time required: 2 minutes.
If you want to set up this type of automation, just follow these steps.
Open the Home app and select the room where the HomePod mini or the second generation HomePod is located. Press the temperature sensor button to access its settings map.
Tap Add Automation
On the dial provided, choose the temperature threshold.
Configure when automation should be active.
Use the Time setting to choose between Anytime, Daytime, Nighttime, or Specific times. You can also access the People setting to fine-tune the automation even further. You can configure it to run only when you are home or not.
Tap Next and give your automation a name. Next, choose the accessory you want the automation to control.
You can set a thermostat to a certain temperature, for example, or turn on a smart plug that has a fan connected to it.
Tap Done and your automation will work as you set it up. Checking your home environment quickly and easily
You’ll also be able to check the temperature and humidity inside the room where you have your HomePod. You can do this from your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac in the Home app.
For this to work, of course, you need to be running the correct version of your device’s operating system.
On the iPhone, you’ll need to be on iOS 16.3 or newer. From your iPad, the minimum required version is iPadOS 16.3. Macs need macOS Ventura 13.2 or newer for this to work. Your Apple Watch must be running at least watchOS 9.3.
From any of these devices, you can simply open the Home app and see the climate readings at the top. Tap any of them and, if you have multiple compatible HomePod devices in different rooms, you’ll see each one playing.
You can also get this info by going to Home > HomePod > Settings (the gear icon) > Accessories.
Ask Siri for details
Of course, you can also ask Siri for the information. It doesn’t matter whether you ask Siri on your HomePod, Apple Watch, Mac, iPhone, or iPad. Here’s how it works.
Activate Siri as you normally do, whether with a “Hey Siri” command or by pressing a button. Say, “What’s the temperature in the office?” You need to replace “desk” with the room where your compatible HomePod is located. If you ask your HomePod itself, you can also just ask it, “What’s the temperature here?” »
Note that you can ask for humidity instead of temperature.
What to do when my HomePod isn’t giving me the information
After updating to the correct version of HomePod software, it takes a while for your smart speaker to calibrate its sensors. Siri can tell you to try again in a few minutes, but I had to wait nearly two hours for it to start working.
You should also note that the accuracy of the sensors may be reduced if the sound is played for a long time at a high volume. After all, playing loud music generates heat that can disturb these ambient sensors.