One week before the expected release of new home devices, the third betas of the 27.2 systems provide further clues. The code contains details about surround sound with multiple HomePods, Siri in home theaters, and profiles in the Apple TV app. Additionally, a new feature for Dynamic Island has been added.
According to Bloomberg, Apple is expected to unveil new home devices on October 13, including the HomePod mini and Apple TV 4K. The third developer betas of iOS, tvOS, macOS, and HomePod software version 27.2 have been distributed since October 5 and contain new traces relating to these devices.
They found two developers who regularly analyze the betas: Aaron Perris and pdfu, who each published their findings on X. The same beta also provided the references to Apple Intelligence for Apple TV, which will not be discussed again here.
Key Facts at a Glance
- In the code of HomePod software 27.2 Beta 3, Siri can assign a speaker to its surround system.
- HomePods in a home theater group will soon be able to forward Siri requests directly to the Apple TV.
- macOS 27.2 Beta 3 includes two new icons featuring four speakers in a room.
- Profiles in the Apple TV app will feature characters from Apple TV series and movies as their profile picture.
- iOS 27.2 Beta 3 includes code for controls on nearby Home devices in the Dynamic Island.
Surround sound with four HomePods
That Apple is testing the Apple TV 4K with four HomePods as a surround sound system was already evident in the HomePod software code at the beginning of September and became more concrete with the second beta of tvOS 27.2. Beta 3 adds to this: According to pdfu, the HomePod software code contains a diagnostic message that allows Siri to assign a speaker to a specific surround sound system.
This ties in with a discovery by Aaron Perris in macOS 27.2 Beta 3. He found two new icons depicting four speakers in a room; one of them, according to its name, refers to a home theater setup. The icons do not explicitly mention the HomePod.
In the current tvOS version, the Apple TV 4K accepts a maximum of two HomePods as a stereo pair as the standard output.
Siri requests from HomePod to Apple TV
A second finding concerns voice control in home theater systems. If a HomePod is part of a home theater setup with a compatible Apple TV, it will be able to forward Siri requests directly to the Apple TV via a new method. According to pdfu, an older method, in which the HomePod only sends the microphone signal to the Apple TV, will remain available.
Characters as profile pictures in the Apple TV app
Profiles in the Apple TV app can currently be personalized with an emoji. According to pdfu, Beta 3 contains a note indicating that characters from Apple TV's content will also be selectable in the future. However, the server is currently only delivering emojis.
The profiles themselves are coming to iPhone and iPad for the first time with iOS 27.2. Previously, they were only available on Apple TV.
Home devices in the Dynamic Island
Aaron Perris also discovered new code in the Home framework of iOS 27.2 Beta 3. He specifically mentions displaying controls for nearby devices in the Dynamic Island. This is controlled by a component that detects which Home devices are near the iPhone.
A home cinema that thinks for itself.
I consider the Siri connection from HomePod to Apple TV to be the most practical of the findings. Anyone listening to Apple TV via HomePods is more likely to speak to the speakers than the remote anyway – if the request goes directly to the Apple TV, the detour via microphone forwarding is eliminated.
Together with the surround code and the speaker icons, a picture emerges that points towards October 13th. I expect Apple to showcase surround sound with four HomePods there, because the evidence for it has been mounting since September with each beta release and is now also appearing in macOS.
Would you equip your home theater with four HomePods, or would you stick with a soundbar or stereo pair? Let us know your prediction in the comments.
