Upcoming HomePod 14.4 Software Update to Add New HomePod Mini U1 Features

The iOS 14.4 beta that was introduced today didn’t appear to include any new features, but an accompanying HomePod 14.4 beta will introduce new HomePod mini functionality that takes advantage of the U1 ultra wideband chip in the device.

homepod mini 14 4 u1 chip
The ‌HomePod‌ beta software is not made available to developers like iOS and macOS software and is instead provided to a limited number of Apple-selected testers. One of those testers shared the details on Reddit, along with screenshots, which were highlighted on the MacRumors forums.

When the ‌HomePod mini‌ launched, Apple said that an update “later this year” would bring visual, audible, and haptic effects when songs are transferred from one device to another. Personalized listening suggestions are also designed to appear on the iPhone when next to the ‌HomePod mini‌, complete with instant controls that are available without having to unlock the ‌iPhone‌.

According to the Redditor, when an ‌iPhone‌ is near the ‌HomePod mini‌, it begins a soft haptic touch rhythm that gets faster and faster as the ‌iPhone‌ gets closer until the interface to transfer a song between the ‌HomePod mini‌ and the ‌iPhone‌ opens.

Starts the process when you’re like… 12” away from the HomePod? When it works correctly. First beta is pretty buggy and may not be the best one to explain

Basically when your phone gets 12” away from the HomePod the banner shows and any minuscule phone movements result in haptic feedback which gets stronger as you move towards the HomePod. If you move away it gets weaker, get too far away and it stops and the banner goes away.

Get closer and closer and the haptics will get stronger until it’s so close that you must purposely be doing it and want to engage in handoff, at which point the banner expands into the full platter shown in the last photo.

This functionality will make handoff quicker and more reliable on a ‌HomePod mini‌ and an ‌iPhone‌ 11 or ‌iPhone‌ 12, all of which are equipped with U1 chips that let the devices better understand where they are in relation to one another.

Related Roundup: HomePod mini
Buyer's Guide: HomePod Mini (Caution)

Popular Stories

Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update. Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key...
CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

10 Products Still Coming From Apple in 2025

Friday April 11, 2025 4:14 pm PDT by
Apple may have updated several iPads and Macs late last year and early this year, but there are still multiple new devices that we're looking forward to seeing in 2025. Most will come in September or October, but there could be a few surprises before then. We've rounded up a list of everything that we're still waiting to see from Apple in 2025. iPhone 17, 17 Air, and 17 Pro - We get...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.4.1 With Bug Fixes

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:11 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1 come two weeks after the launch of iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. There have been complaints about ...
iPhone 6s MacRumors YouTube

Apple Says These Products Are Now Vintage

Tuesday April 15, 2025 9:53 am PDT by
Apple today updated its vintage products list to add the 2018 Mac mini and the iPhone 6s, devices that will get more limited service and repairs now that they are considered vintage. The iPhone 6s initially launched in 2015, but Apple kept it around as a low-cost device until 2018, which is why it is only now being added to the vintage list. The iPhone 6s had Apple's A9 chip, and it was...
tvOS 18 Thumb 1

Apple Releases tvOS 18.4.1

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 18.4.1, a minor update to the tvOS 18 operating system that came out last September. tvOS 18.4.1 comes two weeks after Apple released tvOS 18.4, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models. tvOS 18.4.1 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software....

Top Rated Comments

M115CLE Avatar
57 months ago
"According to the Redditor, when an ‌iPhone‌ is near the ‌HomePod mini‌, it begins a soft haptic touch rhythm that gets faster and faster as the ‌iPhone‌ gets closer until the interface to transfer a song between the ‌HomePod mini‌ and the ‌iPhone‌ opens."

IMO. That is definitely how your iPhone will find your keys/items that have the AirTags attached to it.

For someone that would lose their head if it wasn't attached to their shoulders, #IloveIt
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RamGuy Avatar
57 months ago

Incorrect again. The HomePod mini does NOT have a U1 chip inside.
Wait, what?

Wireless

* 802.11n Wi-Fi
* Direct guest access4 ('https://www.apple.com/homepod-mini/specs/#footnote-5')
* Bluetooth 5.0
* Thread5 ('https://www.apple.com/homepod-mini/specs/#footnote-6')
* Ultra Wideband chip for device proximity6 ('https://www.apple.com/homepod-mini/specs/#footnote-7')


Apple seems to be claiming otherwise? I'm not in the market for the HomePod mini so I don't really care but it seems to be there?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gorms Avatar
57 months ago
I would like it if handoff worked with the Watch. I usually have music playing after a run, wave my hand over the HomePod before remembering it doesn’t work and start looking for my phone to start the more cumbersome process of starting whatever I was listening to from there
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
danny842003 Avatar
57 months ago

so not for regular HomePods?
they don’t have the hardware for this to work.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RamGuy Avatar
57 months ago

It works you just need to make sure it's touching the top of the HomePod so it works for that just the mini is suppose to work by just putting it near it as you know I'm sure
You don't need to touch it. I have my wireless charger about 20 cm from the left HomePod Big-Boy in my office (it's the left one in a stereo pair) and pretty much all the time I listen to podcasts or music when putting my iPhone on the charger it automatically or ask me if I want to hand it off to the HomePod. I'm not even close to touching it.

I think the U1 in the mini is just supposed to make it smarter and more seamless so you can pretty much point your device in the direction of the HomePod mini to use hand-off instead of being in close proximity like you have to with the Big-Boy.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
danny842003 Avatar
57 months ago

Worked for me when I tried it on one of my HomePod a few weeks ago (iPhone to HomePod, iOS 14.1 IIRC).
no idea why you feel the need to dislike a question ?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)