Where does HomePod Mini music come from?

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Level 2

165 points

Where does HomePod Mini music come from?

I cannot get my head round this...

All my music at home comes from my Music app, with music downloaded from CDs only. I never, ever stream music. I am the only person who uses the HomePod for music.

If I touch the top of my HomePod Mini, music plays. Mostly the same album, which is in my Music app, by Brandi Carlile. Nobody else in my home setup has that album, just me.

Yet my music app (see image) shows that album is not playing - and the last-cued album (which I played on my most recent car journey via CarPlay) is ready to play.

So my question is, where the heck is the Brandi Carlile music coming from, if not my iPhone?

(No other device of mine is switched on, my iPhone is the only possible source in the house.)

HomePod mini

Posted on Dec 30, 2023 5:00 AM

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Answer 1

Jagmurcredrea Author

Level 2

165 points

Dec 30, 2023 7:00 AM in response to turingtest2

Thanks.

I buy very little on iTunes, and a lot on Ebay, including the Brandi Carlile album which I imported to my Music app.

I'm trying not to be dense, honestly, but I'm seeing no AirPlay icon anywhere in my Music app. Can you give me a clue where to find it please, the only one I can see is in Control Centre? 😳

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Answer 2

Jagmurcredrea Author

Level 2

165 points

Dec 30, 2023 7:28 AM in response to turingtest2

Found it hiding as per Rudegear, thanks.

So this is what I get, no useful information I think - if I tap on HomePod (cunningly labeled 6 by my Home app) all I get is a white tick with the track in my first screenshot showing.

Still no mention of Brandi..!

The cache suggestion is making sense... I just find it very odd that it automatically plays something the source of which cannot be found.

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Answer 3

Rudegar

Level 10

170,916 points

Dec 30, 2023 6:26 AM in response to Jagmurcredrea

homepods can't access shared itunes libs, it can play music you have purchased from itunes store, and if you have apple music it can play that and if you have itunes match, and then it can play from radio stations tied with the TuneIn service TuneIn Radio | (100,000+ Stations) Free Live News, Sports, Music, & Podcasts

and then it can be used as airplay speaker from your ios device or mac/windows computer

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Answer 4

Jagmurcredrea Author

Level 2

165 points

Dec 30, 2023 6:35 AM in response to Rudegar

Okay.

So where is Brandi Carlile coming from? That is the question.

I don't have iTunes Match, don't stream anything, radio or otherwise.

As you can see, it's not coming from my iPhone.

I can only imagine the HomePod has kept Brandi Carlile's album - after being played, which it has been - in its RAM or whatever.

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Answer 5

turingtest2

Level 10

272,905 points

Dec 30, 2023 6:43 AM in response to Jagmurcredrea

If that isn't a purchased album, and you don't have either of Apple's music streaming services, then it must be coming from a cache on the device. If you tap the AirPlay icon in Music on your iPhone, the Control Other Speakers & TVs and select your HomePod you should be able to explore the library that is available to it, which I would expect to be your unhidden purchase history with iTunes.

tt2

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Answer 6

Rudegar

Level 10

170,916 points

Dec 30, 2023 7:17 AM in response to Jagmurcredrea

click on the circle with a pyramid on it and circles over the pyramid just over the w in the "it's the most w..." on your screenshot

it should list all airplay enabled devices on the network you are currently connected to

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Answer 7

turingtest2

Level 10

272,905 points

Dec 30, 2023 7:55 AM in response to Jagmurcredrea

Tap Control Other Speakers & TVs, select the HomePod in question (you can rename it in the Home app) then swipe down on the Now Playing screen to dismiss it so you can see the library the device has access to.

tt2

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