iOS 17, the latest version of Apple's operating system, brings a new feature that makes it easier to play Spotify on your HomePod using Siri, the voice assistant
New iOS 17 Feature
With this feature, you can simply say, "Hey Siri, play [song/artist] on Spotify," and Siri will start playing Spotify on your HomePod, hands-free
Voice Command for Spotify
When you give Siri the command, it starts an AirPlay session from your phone to the HomePod. Siri may mention that it needs to "AirPlay from your iPhone," but it will do this automatically
How It Works
To use this feature, both your iPhone and HomePod need to be running iOS 17 and software version 17, respectively. You should also have the latest version of the Spotify app, which is currently 8.8.72
Requirements
Before this feature, you had to manually AirPlay Spotify from your iOS or Mac device to play it on a HomePod because Spotify didn't support HomePod's Siri music API
Previous Limitation
Only a few services, like Apple Music, Deezer, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn, could be directly controlled by Siri on HomePod. Spotify and other music services required this workaround until now
Supported Services
Apple introduced a new API at WWDC 2023 that allows third-party apps, like Spotify, to sync with Siri. This means you can control these apps via Siri on your HomePod or iPhone
New Siri API
For this to work, your iPhone and HomePod must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network
Wi-Fi Network Requirement
This feature can be used for other audio apps that use the new Siri API, not just Spotify. It opens up the possibility for more hands-free control of various audio services
Potential for Other Apps
The article mentions that this workaround could potentially be applied to other services like Audible, making it more convenient for users of different audio apps
Hope for Audible
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