What you need to know
- HomePod is adding support for third-party music services.
- This could create a much better experience for services like Spotify.
- There is currently little detail as to what this new feature will mean for end-users.
One of the biggest announcements for the Home section of Apple's WWDC keynote was not actually mentioned at all, and that has to do with the HomePod.
When Apple threw up the breakdown of all of the new features coming to its Home category with iOS 14, one tile mentioned that third-party music support was coming to the HomePod.
While there are no details know as to what exactly this means, this could bring a more user-friendly experience for services like Spotify to HomePod owners.
Currently, when you ask Siri to play music on the HomePod, she will only play music from Apple Music, Apple's own music streaming service. With this new support for third-party music services, you could potentially ask Siri to play music on Spotify - perhaps even setting Spotify as the default music service you want to use on your HomePod.
It is currently also unclear how developers will be able to take advantage of this new feature, but it is sure to be covered in a developer session at some point this week.
Apple seems to be opening up a lot of its hardware and software with its latest software releases. The company has also announced that users will be able to set default mail and browsers on iPhone and iPad, and that it will allow third-party accessory makers to add their devices to the Find My app.
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