The HomePod won’t be a tethered speaker like the others: you’ll have to be in the Apple ecosystem to take advantage of it. Looking at the technical sheet, we discover that having an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch under iOS 11 is a prerequisite to be able to configure the connected speaker. But that’s not all: In terms of audio sources, the HomePod, at least initially, will only be compatible with Apple Music, your iTunes purchases, your music collection in iCloud or iTunes Match, Beats 1 Live radio, Podcasts, or any content streamed through it. AirPlay – A protocol exclusive to Apple devices.
HomePod: AirPlay, iTunes or Apple Music required… Android users will not be eligible!
Despite the presence of Bluetooth 5.0, there is no mention of this audio source. In short, if you’re down for a HomePod and have Android-only devices, your use may be pretty limited: once you start the speaker using a friend’s iPhone, you’ll theoretically be able to play music via Apple Music (the app also exists on Android). You can also test AirPlay streaming using AirStream or other similar apps. However, this will require your smartphone to be rooted.
We might be surprised at such limitations, especially since its real rival, Google Home Max, is compatible with both Android and iOS devices, in addition to having a more efficient personal assistant than Siri. In fact, it’s even more surprising that Apple doesn’t always limit its products to its ecosystem (although this usually happens). For example, AirPods can be used on both iOS and Android. In short, as it stands, we hope that this speaker will have other advantages, because otherwise, given the lack of wide enough compatibility and the price of the HomePod, it combines all the ingredients to make a flop… what do you do? think?
