Although HomePod is available in Apple's Home app, the company's smart home speaker as of yet can't be integrated into HomeKit scenes and automations. With such a feature, users would be able to activate their favorite ‌HomeKit‌ scenes, alongside a specific Apple Music playlist, album, or song from their ‌HomePod‌.

how to homepod shorcuts pic
Reddit user Running_In_Space on r/HomeKit explained recently that this is actually possible today, thanks to a helpful (and super simple to create) Siri Shortcut. With the Shortcut, you can tie any Home scene together with any ‌Apple Music‌ playlist. While the Shortcut is limited to playlists, you can choose from your own playlists or those created by ‌Apple Music‌.

In the example below, we created a holiday themed ‌Siri‌ Shortcut that turns on Christmas tree lights (connected to an iDevices Switch) and shuffles a holiday playlist any time we say, "Hey ‌Siri‌, Merry Christmas." Also remember that you'll need an ‌Apple Music‌ subscription, HomeKit-enabled lights or other devices of some kind, and the updated ‌Siri‌ Shortcuts iOS app.

How to Create the Siri Shortcut

  1. Open the iOS "Shortcuts" app
  2. Tap "Create Shortcut"
  3. homepod how to shortcut 5

  4. In the search bar, type "Get Playlist" and add it into your Shortcut
  5. Next to Playlist, tap "Choose" and pick your desired playlist
  6. Search for "Play Music" and add it (here you can also edit settings for shuffling and/or repeating the playlist)
  7. Search for "Run Home Scene" and add it
  8. Next to Home, tap "Choose" and select your home
  9. Next to Scene, tap "Choose" and select your desired scene
  10. Before you tap "Done," select the toggle icon under the Done button at the top right corner of the screen
  11. siri shortcuts homepod how to 2

  12. Name the Shortcut, and tap "Add to ‌Siri‌" to record your preferred trigger phrase
  13. Tap "Done" until you're back on the Library screen of the app

Now you will be able to say, "Hey ‌Siri‌, [Trigger Phrase]" to your ‌HomePod‌ and have the selected Home scene activate along with the chosen ‌Apple Music‌ playlist, connected via AirPlay on your iPhone. ‌Siri‌ typically responds with, "Okay, running your shortcut," and it can take a bit longer than a normal scene activation in ‌HomeKit‌ due to the multiple actions.

There are numerous versions of this ‌Siri‌ Shortcut that could be created, like having a nighttime scene in ‌HomeKit‌ tied to a mellow ‌Apple Music‌ playlist that's triggered when you say, "Hey ‌Siri‌, goodnight." We tried testing out Home scenes that are activated via geofences, but in the few times we tried we could not get ‌HomePod‌ to turn on and play the specified ‌Apple Music‌ playlist when the arriving home scene in ‌HomeKit‌ was activated.

It's also worth noting that the desired ‌Apple Music‌ playlist will play on whatever device you are talking to ‌Siri‌ with, so in our example if we said, "Hey ‌Siri‌, Merry Christmas" and ‌HomePod‌ picked it up, then the holiday playlist played on ‌HomePod‌. If we said the same phrase to our ‌iPhone‌, the playlist would play there instead. In both scenarios, the Christmas tree lights were still activated regardless of the Apple device used.

Apple introduced ‌Siri‌ Shortcuts as an update to its Workflow iOS app back in September, and although creating Shortcuts can be an arduous task in some cases, there are a few super useful actions that have been shared over the past few months. Do you use ‌Siri‌ Shortcuts and have a favorite one to share? Give us the details in the comments below or Tweet us @MacRumors to let us know your most-used Shortcuts.

Related Roundup: HomePod
Buyer's Guide: HomePod (Buy Now)

Top Rated Comments

benroberts3 Avatar
69 months ago
Very cool hack, but way too many compromises.

Set up myself and ran into a number of issues. With trial and error I finally got it right. Ultimately it’s party trick that’s cool, but flawed mostly because of where the music comes from depending on which device picks up the request.

+1 for the guy who said in the comments Apple needs to allow HomePod in HomeKit automation scenes
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mrderik Avatar
69 months ago
I really thought they would have 'fixed' this by now It's not tough Apple. Just put the homepod icon in the 'Scene' menu. I'd be perfectly happy just having it turn 'on' like any other device and have it continue playing where I 'paused' it. duhhh.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ryannealcordwell Avatar
67 months ago
Very cool hack, but way too many compromises.

Set up myself and ran into a number of issues. With trial and error I finally got it right. Ultimately it’s party trick that’s cool, but flawed mostly because of where the music comes from depending on which device picks up the request.

+1 for the guy who said in the comments Apple needs to allow HomePod in HomeKit automation scenes
Likewise!

This seems like one of those blatantly obvious launch-features Apple would’ve worn on their sleeve, but we somehow won’t end up seeing for another long span of time.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
d5aqoëp Avatar
70 months ago
This is the new age of doing simple things in complicated way.
A small software update can make you re-learn to do same things differently.... again.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
travoose Avatar
70 months ago
This is neat. This is exactly how I have mine setup. However, the problem still is that you can't execute this without an iPhone to get the music from...which you would think since the HomePod has access to your entire Apple Music collection and it can execute running the HomeKit scenes along with playing a separate playlist individually, that there should be no problem in creating a Siri Shortcut that allows you to do both at the same time with one voice command. This is where Apple has dropped the ball.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
apendergast Avatar
69 months ago
('https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/homepod-homekit-siri-shortcuts/')


Although HomePod is available in Apple's Home app, the company's smart home speaker as of yet can't be integrated into HomeKit scenes and automations. With such a feature, users would be able to activate their favorite HomeKit scenes, alongside a specific Apple Music playlist, album, or song from their HomePod.



Reddit user Running_In_Space ('https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeKit/comments/a18ngb/play_music_on_homepod_via_scene/eanom8p/') on r/HomeKit ('https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeKit/comments/a18ngb/play_music_on_homepod_via_scene/') explained recently that this is actually possible today, thanks to a helpful (and super simple to create) Siri Shortcut. With the Shortcut, you can tie any Home scene together with any Apple Music playlist. While the Shortcut is limited to playlists, you can choose from your own playlists or those created by Apple Music.

In the example below, we created a holiday themed Siri Shortcut that turns on Christmas tree lights (connected to an iDevices Switch) and shuffles a holiday playlist any time we say, "Hey Siri, Merry Christmas." Also remember that you'll need an Apple Music subscription, HomeKit-enabled lights or other devices of some kind, and the updated Siri Shortcuts iOS app.

How to Create the Siri Shortcut

[LIST=1]
* Open the iOS "Shortcuts" app



* Tap "Create Shortcut"





* In the search bar, type "Get Playlist" and add it into your Shortcut



* Next to Playlist, tap "Choose" and pick your desired playlist



* Search for "Play Music" and add it (here you can also edit settings for shuffling and/or repeating the playlist)



* Search for "Run Home Scene" and add it



* Next to Home, tap "Choose" and select your home



* Next to Scene, tap "Choose" and select your desired scene


* Before you tap "Done," select the toggle icon under the Done button at the top right corner of the screen





* Name the Shortcut, and tap "Add to Siri" to record your preferred trigger phrase

* Tap "Done" until you're back on the Library screen of the app

Now you will be able to say, "Hey Siri, [Trigger Phrase]" to your HomePod and have the selected Home scene activate along with the chosen Apple Music playlist, connected via AirPlay on your iPhone. Siri typically responds with, "Okay, running your shortcut," and it can take a bit longer than a normal scene activation in HomeKit due to the multiple actions.

There are numerous versions of this Siri Shortcut that could be created, like having a nighttime scene in HomeKit tied to a mellow Apple Music playlist that's triggered when you say, "Hey Siri, goodnight." We tried testing out Home scenes that are activated via geofences, but in the few times we tried we could not get HomePod to turn on and play the specified Apple Music playlist when the arriving home scene in HomeKit was activated.

It's also worth noting that the desired Apple Music playlist will play on whatever device you are talking to Siri with, so in our example if we said, "Hey Siri, Merry Christmas" and HomePod picked it up, then the holiday playlist played on HomePod. If we said the same phrase to our iPhone, the playlist would play there instead. In both scenarios, the Christmas tree lights were still activated regardless of the Apple device used.

Apple introduced ('https://www.macrumors.com/2018/09/17/apple-releases-ios-12-shortcuts-app-for-all-users/') Siri Shortcuts as an update to its Workflow iOS app back in September, and although creating Shortcuts can be an arduous task in some cases, there are a few super useful actions that have been shared over the past few months. Do you use Siri Shortcuts and have a favorite one to share? Give us the details in the comments below or Tweet us @MacRumors ('https://twitter.com/MacRumors') to let us know your most-used Shortcuts.

Article Link: How To Play Music on HomePod When Activating HomeKit Scenes Using Siri Shortcuts ('https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/homepod-homekit-siri-shortcuts/')
Do I
('https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/homepod-homekit-siri-shortcuts/')


Although HomePod is available in Apple's Home app, the company's smart home speaker as of yet can't be integrated into HomeKit scenes and automations. With such a feature, users would be able to activate their favorite HomeKit scenes, alongside a specific Apple Music playlist, album, or song from their HomePod.



Reddit user Running_In_Space ('https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeKit/comments/a18ngb/play_music_on_homepod_via_scene/eanom8p/') on r/HomeKit ('https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeKit/comments/a18ngb/play_music_on_homepod_via_scene/') explained recently that this is actually possible today, thanks to a helpful (and super simple to create) Siri Shortcut. With the Shortcut, you can tie any Home scene together with any Apple Music playlist. While the Shortcut is limited to playlists, you can choose from your own playlists or those created by Apple Music.

In the example below, we created a holiday themed Siri Shortcut that turns on Christmas tree lights (connected to an iDevices Switch) and shuffles a holiday playlist any time we say, "Hey Siri, Merry Christmas." Also remember that you'll need an Apple Music subscription, HomeKit-enabled lights or other devices of some kind, and the updated Siri Shortcuts iOS app.

How to Create the Siri Shortcut

[LIST=1]
* Open the iOS "Shortcuts" app



* Tap "Create Shortcut"





* In the search bar, type "Get Playlist" and add it into your Shortcut



* Next to Playlist, tap "Choose" and pick your desired playlist



* Search for "Play Music" and add it (here you can also edit settings for shuffling and/or repeating the playlist)



* Search for "Run Home Scene" and add it



* Next to Home, tap "Choose" and select your home



* Next to Scene, tap "Choose" and select your desired scene


* Before you tap "Done," select the toggle icon under the Done button at the top right corner of the screen





* Name the Shortcut, and tap "Add to Siri" to record your preferred trigger phrase

* Tap "Done" until you're back on the Library screen of the app

Now you will be able to say, "Hey Siri, [Trigger Phrase]" to your HomePod and have the selected Home scene activate along with the chosen Apple Music playlist, connected via AirPlay on your iPhone. Siri typically responds with, "Okay, running your shortcut," and it can take a bit longer than a normal scene activation in HomeKit due to the multiple actions.

There are numerous versions of this Siri Shortcut that could be created, like having a nighttime scene in HomeKit tied to a mellow Apple Music playlist that's triggered when you say, "Hey Siri, goodnight." We tried testing out Home scenes that are activated via geofences, but in the few times we tried we could not get HomePod to turn on and play the specified Apple Music playlist when the arriving home scene in HomeKit was activated.

It's also worth noting that the desired Apple Music playlist will play on whatever device you are talking to Siri with, so in our example if we said, "Hey Siri, Merry Christmas" and HomePod picked it up, then the holiday playlist played on HomePod. If we said the same phrase to our iPhone, the playlist would play there instead. In both scenarios, the Christmas tree lights were still activated regardless of the Apple device used.

Apple introduced ('https://www.macrumors.com/2018/09/17/apple-releases-ios-12-shortcuts-app-for-all-users/') Siri Shortcuts as an update to its Workflow iOS app back in September, and although creating Shortcuts can be an arduous task in some cases, there are a few super useful actions that have been shared over the past few months. Do you use Siri Shortcuts and have a favorite one to share? Give us the details in the comments below or Tweet us @MacRumors ('https://twitter.com/MacRumors') to let us know your most-used Shortcuts.

Article Link: How To Play Music on HomePod When Activating HomeKit Scenes Using Siri Shortcuts ('https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/homepod-homekit-siri-shortcuts/')
Do I have to select an accessory to get it to play the playlist? I set up the shortcuts but the HomePod doesn’t respond. Do I have to tell it the specific ‘scene’ if so, I can’t create a scene without selecting an accessory. I don’t want to have to turn lights on just for music.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone Home Screen Gradient Blank Spaces 1

Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid

Sunday March 24, 2024 1:33 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce...
iPad Pro 2024 Landscape Camera Feature

New iPad Pro Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front-Facing Camera

Monday March 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as "Instant Digital." Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will...
iPhone 15 General Feature Green

Apple Says These New iOS Features Are Coming Later This Year

Sunday March 24, 2024 7:45 am PDT by
Apple has previously announced three new iOS features that it said are coming to the iPhone later this year, as outlined below. The new features include the ability to install iPhone apps on the web in the EU, RCS support in the Messages app, and next-generation CarPlay. Web Distribution Apple recently announced that eligible developers will soon be able to distribute their iOS apps to ...
sonoma desktop wwdc

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

Monday March 25, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The ‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌ 14.4‌.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue Face ID Single Camera Hole

Seven Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Tuesday March 19, 2024 5:20 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models concurrently, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
maxresdefault

iOS 18 Rumored to Feature 'More Customizable' Home Screen

Sunday March 24, 2024 7:10 am PDT by
iOS 18 will feature a revamped Home Screen that is "more customizable," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He revealed this information in his Power On newsletter today, but he did not provide any specific details. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple will announce iOS 18 at its annual developers conference WWDC in June. Other features and changes rumored for...
combine images

Top Stories: iOS 18's Generative AI Features to Rely on Google?, Latest on New iPads, and More

Saturday March 23, 2024 6:00 am PDT by
We're getting closer to the launch of new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, while rumors about iOS 18 are continuing to ramp up with this week's surprise revelation that Apple has been talking to Google and others about potentially helping power the generative AI features expected to be a major part of this year's update. Other news this week saw the release of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1...