SharePlay Music Control Expanding to HomePod and Apple TV
Starting with iOS 17.4 and tvOS 17.4, currently in beta, Apple has expanded SharePlay music control to HomePod speakers and the Apple TV. The feature was tipped to us by Hidde Collee, Aaron Perris, and Benjamin Xing.
This feature allows family and friends to control the music that is playing on your HomePod or Apple TV with permission. For now, this is limited to the Music app, but the other people do not need to have an Apple Music subscription in order to participate.
Apple already rolled out a similar feature for CarPlay last year, allowing anyone in a car to control music playback via SharePlay with permission.
The primary user can decide whether to approve or deny each request.
HomePod
While playing a song in the Music app on your iPhone, tap the SharePlay icon at the bottom of the screen to bring up a QR code, which another person can scan with their iPhone or Android smartphone’s camera to request access to music playback controls. Even a screenshot of the QR code suffices, allowing you to remotely grant access to people around the world if so desired.
The feature works on both the HomePod and HomePod mini, and we could imagine the QR code eventually being shown on the long-rumored HomePod with a screen.
Apple TV
With the tvOS 17.4 update, the Music app on the Apple TV can also show a QR code on the TV that guests can scan to request access to music controls.
The expansion of this feature to the Apple TV and the HomePod is useful for house parties, allowing everyone to be the DJ.
The first beta versions of iOS 17.4, tvOS 17.4, and HomePod software version 17.4 were made available to developers on Thursday for testing. Apple said iOS 17.4 will be released in March, so we can expect the other updates to launch then too.
Popular Stories
Apple Releases watchOS 10.3 With New Watch Face
Apple today released watchOS 10.3, the third major update to the watchOS 10 operating system that was released in September. watchOS 10.3 comes over a month after watchOS 10.2, a major update that brought Health data access to Siri. watchOS 10.3 can be downloaded for free through the Apple Watch app on an iPhone running iOS 17 or later by opening it up and going to General &…
Apple Confirms Next-Generation CarPlay Launching in 2024, Reveals New Features in iOS 17.4 Beta
Apple this week updated its website to confirm that the first U.S. vehicle models with next-generation CarPlay support will debut in 2024, but it did not provide a more specific timeframe, or indicate when availability will begin in other countries. In a next-generation CarPlay section of its website, Apple replaced “Vehicle announcements coming in late 2023” with “First models arrive in…
Apple Releases Updated Firmware for First-Generation AirPods Pro and AirPods 2
Apple today introduced a new firmware update for the first-generation AirPods Pro and second-generation AirPods. The new firmware is the same 6A321 version that was released for the third-generation AirPods last week and is up from the 6A300 firmware introduced last September. Apple’s AirPods firmware updates often do not come with details on new features, so it is unclear what might be…
Apple Releases tvOS 17.3
Apple today released tvOS 17.3, the third major update to the tvOS 17 operating system that came out last September. tvOS 17.3 comes over a month after tvOS 17.2, an update that brought the revamped Apple TV app. tvOS 17.3 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the Apple TV. Go to System > Software Update to get the new software. Apple TV owners who have automatic software…
New iPad Air, iPad Pro, and MacBook Air Models Likely to Launch in March or April
Apple plans to release new iPad Air, iPad Pro, and MacBook Air models in the spring this year, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Based on this timeframe, the devices could be released as early as this March or April. After the devices are released, he said attention will shift to Apple’s annual developers conference WWDC in June. Below, we outline rumored features and expectations for…
iOS 17.4 Beta: All the New Changes
Apple today introduced the first betas of iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 to developers, bringing some radical updates to the iPhone and iPad in Europe. Most of the big changes will only impact EU users, but there are also updates in the operating system that are available worldwide. In this article, we’ve rounded up everything new in iOS 17.4 beta 1. EU Changes Apple implemented several major …
iPhone 16 Pro Max Rumored to Feature Bigger, More Advanced Main Camera Sensor
The iPhone 16 Pro Max will feature a bigger, more advanced main camera sensor to deliver improved photography and videography capabilities, according to new information coming out of Asia. The claim comes from “Digital Chat Station,” a Weibo user responsible for a range of details about the camera technology of upcoming iPhone models. According to the latest post on the matter, the iPhone…
