#Homepod mini dolby atmos update#

Previously, you were only able to experience Dolby Atmos on HomePod speakers connected to an Apple TV – and lossless audio wasn't ever really expected to land on the compact wireless speaker, as Apple had previously said it wouldn't be supported by the HomePod mini.ĩto5Mac says that Apple still promises these features will be supported this year, but there's no indication of when that might be – in any case, we'll have to wait for another software update or patch for the technology to reach our homes. Spatial Audio takes 5.1, 7.1, and Dolby Atmos content and applies directional audio filters, placing sound in a 3D sphere – making it feel as though your music is coming at you from every angle for an immersive listening experience. And, for audiophiles, there's Hi-Resolution Lossless, which increases all the way up to 24 bit / 192kHz.

Starting at CD quality (16 bit / 44.1kHz), it goes up to 24 but / 48 kHz, and can be played natively on Apple devices. The Lossless tier of Apple Music brings hi-res audio to the streaming service.

We're talking about Lossless and Spatial Audio support via Apple Music on the HomePod Mini, both of which were tested in the beta version of the new software. It is also important to note that with HomePod 15 Software and tvOS 15, the company released HomePod mini support as Apple TV speakers.Those new features all sound very promising – but the one thing we were really excited for hasn't been mentioned by Apple. While it’s unclear if this is a bug or if Apple intended it this way, the only way to stream Spatial Audio is with a HomePod mini with a pair connected to your Apple TV. So the tweak is: If you connect a pair of HomePod mini to Apple TV 4K, you’re able to stream Spatial Audio songs – and they sound while using this feature. Apple is testing this feature now, and, as noted by 9to5Mac in a separate report, tvOS 14.2 beta 3 allows Apple TV 4K owners to set the HomePod as the default speaker output. That means it won’t be able to output Dolby Atmos audio when connected to an Apple TV 4K. On 9to5Mac, we performed a few tests to try streaming in Dolby Atmos with a pair of HomePod mini speakers, but Apple Music did not show a change of “Dolby Atmos”, only “Lossless.” Not only that, but Apple’s release notes also make it clear that the HomePod mini cannot play Spatial Audio unless you connect them to the Apple TV … It’s worth noting that Apple’s new, smaller HomePod mini doesn’t support the home cinema feature. The HomePod mini can play songs in Lossless, but it does not support Spatial Audio.

Unfortunately, it is not as simple as it seems.įor example, the original HomePod can play songs in Lossless and with Spatial Audio enabled, even if you have only one speaker. Then, with the HomePod version 15.1 Software beta, Apple started testing these features again, and now it’s finally releasing them. When iOS 15 and all the other systems were released, the company pushed Lossless and Dolby Atmos support back to its smart speakers because the features were not ready. After WWDC21 keynote, the company started testing HomePod 15 Software, and 9to5Mac reported a few times that Apple was preparing this feature. In June, when Apple first released Lossless and Dolby Atmos support, it said that by 2021, both HomePod and HomePod mini would offer these new features. There’s no sign so far of Dolby Atmos support. While both HomePod and HomePod mini support Lossless if you want to listen to Spatial Audio with HomePod mini, there is a hidden solution … A HomePod mini pair also is not as loud as some may like if you want to blast the soundtracks for shows and movies, you may be disappointed. Apple today released HomePod 15.1 software with the long-awaited Lossless and Dolby Atmos support.

Homepod mini dolby atmos