Apple has made it easier to navigate through the new HomePod smart speaker, thanks to the new set of tutorial videos freshly uploaded on YouTube.
All videos found on the company's Apple Support YouTube channel run an average of just one minute but are instructive enough to provide the key details required to easily master the latest of Apple's hardware release. The tutorial sufficiently covered three areas that will allow one to get going on the HomePod real quick.
The clips touched on the speaker's basic setting configurations, the touch controls, and making full use of Siri to listen to music on the smart device.
Taking Control Of the HomePod
Coming right out of the box, the HomePod is easy to set, as the whole routine merely involves plug and play. Once the speaker has been fired up and paired with an iPhone or iPad, it is programed to work like a charm. Afterward, everything else is all about voice command, but the device gets more optimal with the help from the Home app.
As shown in the tutorial clip titled "How to Adjust HomePod Settings," the Home app offers useful tweaks that will make Siri work on the speaker as intended by the user. If one wishes the digital assistant to respond on voice prompt or touch gestures, this can be activated (and deactivated) on the HomePod setting menu of the Home app.
In the same way, users can normalize the volume for all tunes that will play on the speaker by turning on the Sound Check mode. There is an option too to keep the HomePod from playing explicit music, which should come handy for users with kids at home.
HomePod Touch Controls
In the tutorial "How to Use Touch Controls on HomePod," Apple showed the way to control the speaker beyond the voice command structure. The key is to know the different combinations of touch gestures to make the device work.
For instance, touching and holding the top of the HomePod will wake up Siri, which will be indicated by the glowing circular light. A quick tap on the device will be interpreted as play or pause command if one is on listening mode. The capacitive plus and minus buttons on top of the HomePod do as intended — turning up or turning down the sound volume.
Siri At Your Command
In the end, though, the HomePod is best used hands-free such as letting Siri function as the DJ, all ready to act at the users' request. The video "How to Use Touch Controls to Play Music" displayed the speaker's voice command features in action, showcasing how Siri can start the party with an appropriate playlist. At the same time, Siri can skip a tune, rock the volume up and down, and just let the music set the mood.
If there is a need to set the music volume at a specific level, one only needs to say, "Hey, Siri, turn up the volume to 50 percent," and the HomePod will respond accordingly.
