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58 T3 WINTER 2018 Discover more at techradar.com/au
Setting up HomePod is easy, but there are some semi-
hidden features that make it loads better – let’s look at themA SONG AND DANCE
ELGATO EVE ENERGY
A smart plug is a pretty essential
smart home gadget. The Eve
Energy allows you to control your
devices remotely and check their
energy consumption.
LOGITECH CIRCLE 2
The Circle 2 is wire-free and
weatherproof, meaning you can
keep an eye on your home from
anywhere, and features a crisp
1080p wide-angle lens.
NETATMO THERMOSTAT
Netatmo’s smart thermostat lets
you control your heating from afar,
but since it auto-adapts your home’s
heating, you probably won’t even
need to delve into the Home app.
GREAT HOMEKIT
DEVICES FOR
HOMEPOD
Bring your (Apple) smart
home to life...
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TAP TO SET UP
Before you begin setting up
HomePod, make sure your iOS
version is up to date. Do this on
your iPhone or iPad in Settings
> General > Software Update.
Once this has completed, tap
your iPhone or iPad against the
HomePod to start setup. It will
automatically recognise your
device - tap ‘Set up’ to begin
the process.0202
FINISH INSTALLING
Choose where your HomePod
is going to live – select an area
from the list – and if you’re not
already signed up for Apple
Music, an option to try it will
appear. You can ignore this for
now, by tapping ‘Not Now’. Tap
‘OK’ on the next screen, tap
‘Transfer Settings’ and your
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‘Done’ on the last screen.0303
ADJUST SETTINGS
Inside the Home app on your
iOS device, you’ll see that your
HomePod has been added to
your My Home area. You can
turn it on or off by tapping its
icon. To adjust its settings
press the icon hard and tap
‘Details’. Here you can change
its name, adjust the way Siri
works and manage the music
that HomePod plays.MAKE A REQUEST
One useful feature of the
HomePod is the ability to make
personal requests with it, such
as adding reminders or reading
messages. If the HomePod is
on your Apple ID, you can
enable or disable this feature in
the Home app by tapping the
arrow in the top left corner.
Under People, tap your name
and turn on Personal Requests.AIRPLAY TO IT
Any app that plays audio can
stream its sound to the
HomePod over AirPlay. In the
app, look for the icon of circles
with a triangle intersecting
them, tap it, then choose your
HomePod for the list. You can
also use Control Centre – open
it, tap the top-right of audio
section, then choose your
HomePod from the list.REMOTE CONTROL
You can control your
HomePod without talking to it
or touching it. Open Control
Centre on your iOS device, tap
the top-right corner of the
audio section. Under the entry
for whatever’s playing on that
device, you’ll see an entry for
the HomePod – tap it to reveal
play, pause, skip and a handy
volume slider!“Sure, the main selling
point of the HomePod
is its wicked musical
abilities, but it also
allows you to control all your
smart home stuff (provided it’s
HomeKit compatible), and its Siri
voice control is really capable”
CLAIRE DAVIES, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
SAYS...
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