Apple is reportedly preparing a new way to use four HomePod mini speakers together, with code in the iOS 27 developer beta revealing how the surround sound setup could work with Apple’s wider smart home ecosystem.
The company was first reported to be working on a four-HomePod mini surround sound configuration in September 2026. Now, code spotted by leaker pdfu offers more clues, including how Siri and Apple TV 4K could fit into the setup.
The code suggests Siri will be able to recognise when a HomePod belongs to a surround sound system. If an Apple TV 4K is also part of the setup, HomePods in the Home Theater group can pass Siri requests over to the Apple TV.
One piece of code describes an accessory as a speaker in a particular surround system, which appears to be how Apple will keep track of which HomePods belong to the same setup. There’s also a reference to a “separate, older path” that can still send microphone audio to an Apple TV 4K, suggesting the newer setup could require the latest Apple TV 4K rather than older models.
There’s another interesting change coming to the HomePod itself. The code points to a new light animation for Siri AI, which could appear when you touch a HomePod while Siri is still processing a request. In other words, it looks like a visual indicator that the speaker is busy handling your request rather than ready to respond.
Unlike the existing Siri animations, these effects are reportedly calculated in real time rather than using pre-rendered frames. Pdfu has even shown a demonstration of the animation, although it’s still unclear exactly when Apple will enable it.
The wider changes point to Apple making its HomePod range more closely tied to its upcoming AI and smart home features. The four-speaker surround setup could also give the HomePod mini a more useful role alongside Apple TV, rather than leaving it as a standalone smart speaker.
As always with features found in beta code, Apple hasn’t confirmed when any of this will arrive. But with multiple references now appearing in iOS 27, there’s clearly something bigger planned for HomePod.
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