HomePod and HomePod mini may not have achieved the success Apple hoped for, but they nonetheless continue being actively developed, and iOS 26 will bring two new features to the smart speakers.
Crossfade and Wi-Fi settings controls coming to HomePod
Heading into 2025, Apple was expected to have a big new Home products push on the way.
Per Mark Gurman, the company was originally planning to ship a brand new ‘HomePad' product earlier this year. It's reportedly been delayed until Siri's AI upgrades are ready, though it might make a surprise fall appearance.
We are still expecting HomePod mini 2 to debut, plus a brand new Apple TV 4K.
It turns out, HomePod is getting at least a couple new software features too.
Beta testers of HomePod 26 (the HomePod version of iOS 26) have discovered two changes so far:
- You can view and change your HomePod's Wi-Fi network
- And there's a Crossfade feature for Apple Music
Updating a HomePod's Wi-Fi network hasn't always been the most intuitive process.
Apple's support page says, “HomePod automatically connects to the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone or iPad.” But if you've ever had to troubleshoot connectivity issues on your HomePod, you know it's not quite that simple.
But in iOS 26, as discovered by Nils Streedain, there's a new Wi-Fi network selection screen inside a HomePod's settings menu.
Additionally, Hidde Collee found the new Crossfade toggle for Apple Music.
With Crossfade, you can set songs to transition in anywhere from 1 to 12 seconds, just like has been available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac already.
Here's hoping with new HomePod hardware on the way, and the HomePad in the works too, we'll see even more new HomePod features added to iOS 26 over time.
What changes do you hope iOS 26 brings to HomePod? Let us know in the comments.
