I have two HomePods in the same room (Living Room) - One is the full size HomePod and the other is the Mini. I want to set the Mini as the default audio for Apple TV, but when I go into settings for that, all I see are TV Speakers or Living Room. If I choose Living Room, it is set to the full size HomePod, and not the Mini. What do I need to do so that both HomePods show up in the default audio setting on the Apple TV?
HomePod
It was made very clear that the default option was only possible on the regular HomePod as it was directly linked to the Home Theatre feature. That feature uses spacial awareness to output surround sound/Atmos and the mini does not have that capability.
Set up home theater audio with HomePod and Apple TV 4K - Apple Support
It was made very clear that the default option was only possible on the regular HomePod as it was directly linked to the Home Theatre feature. That feature uses spacial awareness to output surround sound/Atmos and the mini does not have that capability.
Set up home theater audio with HomePod and Apple TV 4K - Apple Support
Right, but I wasn't sure what difference you were referring to. If you want to give each a distinct name it will make it easier for classification but it won't make a difference as far as the default setting. Just to be clear.
OK-am disappointed, because the only reason I bought the Mini was to make it the default audio for the TV- I probably wouldn't have bought it if I'd known it could not be set as the default. I wonder what the logic behind that is.
Sadly, I agree that folks are well-advised to verify every single hope and expectation of modern Apple products before buying.
In this case, I chaff at the assertion that "it was made very clear" that this no-brainer feature expectation (that a HomePod mini by Apple can be selected as default sound output using the latest Apple TV 4K when an older HomePod model can) is not supported. I don’t care about the home theater feature even if that effort spawned the default output feature. Why should a buyer need to study a support article about a logically-unrelated feature to learn that Apple TV doesn’t support HomePod minis any better than generic airplay speakers? For that matter, I should be able select 3rd party airplay speakers as default output (but I’ll not hold my breath for that).
Apple should avoid making marketing decisions regarding product functionality that are too awkward to explain in compelling sales copy. I once viewed Apple’s brand with the certainty that Apple products worked insanely great with Apple products.
Sorry (stepping down from soapbox). In this case, I hope and sort of expect that a future version of tvOS will offer better HomePod mini support now that the original HomePod is being discontinued.
That would apply to any product, it is hardly isolated to Apple.
The standard HomePod worked in exactly the same way, and it was only very recently that the home theatre feature was introduced. The default option is not a separate feature and is directly tied to the home theatre function. This was made very clear, not only in support articles but also well documented in many areas, including the release notes for TVOS
When used as default it is no longer being used over airplay, so the best that could happen is an option for the mini.
Anyway, I do not wish to get deeper into such a discussion (and it’s not what the forum is for) so let’s just leave it at that.
Thanks. I feel exactly the same way. I'm no techie but it would seem that all it would take is a software update or something so that the mini can be set as the default output for audio. I am keeping the Mini, but was very disappointed and surprised that using it as the default was not already an option. Maybe it was an oversight?
Only the regular HomePod can be set as default.
So, I would have to go to the Control Panel each time? I do have that option there.
Yes, you would be using control centre each time to set it as an output through airplay.
Would it make a difference if I give a distinct name to each of the HomePods?
Not sure I follow.
In the Home App you're able to rename your devices. "Fred" and "Ethel" for example.
Guess I should have read more about it before buying. Thanks for your assistance.
I always recommend doing so. Glad I could provide some assistance. Have a nice day
Setting default Audio for Apple TV 4K
