Apple's HomePod speaker can recognize the voices of up to six people and tailor the music selection to an individual user's taste profile, respond to their own Personal Requests, and access their information to help them with everyday tasks.

homepodmultiuser
Before you can make use of ‌HomePod‌'s multi-user voice support, you have to set up the feature, and there are a few steps involved. This article explains what they are and also offers a few troubleshooting tips if you're experiencing issues.

Check That Your Software is Up-to-Date

The first thing you need to do is ensure that the ‌HomePod‌ and the iPhones or iPads of the people who intend to use it are updated to iOS 16.3 or later or iPadOS 16.3 or later. You can check what software your iOS devices are running by opening the Settings app and selecting General -> Software Update.

To check the software version of your ‌HomePod‌, launch the Home app on your iOS device, tap the home icon in the upper left corner of the display, then scroll down to Software Update. You can pull down from the top of the iPhone or iPad screen to check for an update if you need to.

Turn on Share My Location in Find My

Share My Location must be set to This Device on the ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌ of every user who wishes to be recognized by ‌HomePod‌, including yours.

  1. Launch the Settings app on the ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌.
  2. Tap your name in the banner at the top of the screen.
  3. Tap Find My.
    settings

  4. Tap the toggle next to Share My Location to turn it to the green ON position.
  5. Next, set My Location to This Device.

Add People to Your Home Network

Whoever wants to be recognized by your ‌HomePod‌ must be part of your Home network. Here's how to add them.

  1. Launch the Home app on your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌.
  2. Tap the ellipsis button (three encircled dots) in the top-right corner of the screen.
  3. Tap Home Settings in the dropdown menu.
  4. Under People, tap Invite....
    home

  5. Enter the person's Apple ID that they use with iCloud.
  6. Tap Send Invite.

Additional Settings to Check/Enable

You'll also need to check the following settings on your ‌HomePod‌ and iOS device to ensure everything works.

  • Make sure Listen for "Hey, Siri" and Personal Requests are enabled on your ‌HomePod‌: In the Home app, long press on your ‌HomePod‌, tap the cog in the bottom-right corner of the screen, then toggle the requisite switches. On the same screen, check also that the Language is set to English. (Siri on ‌HomePod‌ multi-user only supports English at this time.)
  • Make sure Listen for "Hey, Siri" is enabled on the iOS device of every user who wishes to be recognized by ‌HomePod‌, including your own device. The associated toggle can be found in Settings -> Siri & Search. On the same screen, check also that the device is set to the same Language as your ‌HomePod‌.
  • Likewise, location services must be enabled on the device of every user who wishes to be recognized by ‌HomePod‌: Go to Settings -> Privacy -> Location Services, and make sure the Location Services toggle is green.

Testing HomePod Multi-user and Fixing Issues

When someone that you've set up to be recognized by your ‌HomePod‌ first asks it a personal request, ‌Siri‌ will ask who it is. If the user states their name, ‌Siri‌ should be able to recognize them after that.

Apple does say ‌HomePod‌ can have trouble distinguishing some voices, like those of young children, but rest assured whenever ‌HomePod‌ isn't sure, it will ask who's speaking.

If ‌Siri‌ doesn't recognize you after multi-user setup, try these steps. After each step, see if ‌Siri‌ recognizes you.

  1. In the Home app, tap the home icon, then tap Home Settings. Choose your home, then turn off Recognize My Voice, then turn it on again. Wait a few minutes before trying ‌Siri‌ again.
  2. Restart the iOS device that you use with "Hey ‌Siri‌."
  3. Restart your ‌HomePod‌: Open the Home app on your iOS device, tap and hold ‌HomePod‌, then tap the cog wheel in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Scroll down and select Reset HomePod, then tap Restart HomePod to confirm.

  4. On your iOS device, go to Settings -> Siri & Search, then turn off Listen for "Hey Siri", then turn it on again, and follow the onscreen instructions to teach ‌Siri‌ your voice.

To test out out the voice recognition further, you can get users to try asking different questions that relate specifically to them, like what their upcoming calendar events are. If everything works, ‌Siri‌ will reply with their respective name and the answer to their query.

The neat thing about ‌HomePod‌ multi-user support is that it doesn't apply to queries and commands that aren't person-specific – so you can ask what time it is or what the weather is like, just as you would do so normally.

Similarly, anyone can ask ‌HomePod‌ to play music, and it will play from the primary user's account without affecting that person's taste profile.

Related Roundups: HomePod, HomePod mini

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 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. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
macbook pro blue green

When Will Apple Release the M5 MacBook Pro?

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:53 pm PDT by
Apple regularly refreshes the MacBook Pro models, and a new version that uses M5 series chips is in the works. Apple just finished refreshing most of the Mac lineup with M4 chips, and now it's time for the M5. Rumors suggest that we could see the first M5 MacBook Pro models this fall. Design There have been no rumors of a design update for the M5 MacBook Pro models that are coming this...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Facebook Feature

Facebook's New iPhone App Feature Turns the Clock Back to 2007

Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out. That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook. Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
iOS 18 4 Ambient Music Control Center

How to Use iOS 18.4's New Ambient Music Feature in Control Center

Thursday March 27, 2025 7:45 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone adds an Ambient Music feature to Control Center. Below, we take a closer look at how it works. iOS 18.4 is currently in beta, so the Ambient Music feature is not widely available yet. The update will likely be released to the general public next week. To use the feature on iOS 18.4, open Control Center and tap on the plus sign in the top-left...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

'iPhone Fold' to Feature Metallic Glass Hinge That Resists Deformation

Thursday March 27, 2025 4:21 am PDT by
Last week, we covered a report claiming that Apple's book-style foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold," as we are provisionally calling it here) will use liquid metal hinges to improve durability and help minimize screen creasing. Today, a Chinese leaker provided more details on the properties of this hinge material that help to clarify why Apple chose it for its first foldable device. According...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
Apple Lumon Terminal Pro

Apple's Mac Site Features Fictional 'Lumon Terminal Pro'

Wednesday March 26, 2025 12:19 pm PDT by
Apple is going all out with promotions for the popular Severance Apple TV+ show today, and as of right now, you'll find a new "Lumon Terminal Pro" listed on Apple's Mac site. The Lumon Terminal Pro is designed to look similar to the machines that Severance employees like Mark S. and Helly R. use for macrodata refinement. The Terminal features a blue keyboard, a small display with wide...