Leaks reveal new Apple TV 4K and HomePod features coming next week

Apple will launch new products next week, including the Apple TV 4K and HomePod models. And leaks in the latest Apple software reveal several new Apple TV and HomePod features expected to be revealed.

New Apple TV and HomePod features leaked in code expected to be announced next week

Next week, Apple will unveil another advancement in home products, with the launch of the new Apple TV 4K, “HomePad” and HomePod mini models.

We’ve already had plenty of leaks about what new features to expect, but yesterday’s Beta 3 builds of tvOS 27.2, HomePod 27.2, and iOS 27.2 reveal even more.

Aaron Perris found references in tvOS 27.2 beta 3 to Apple Intelligence coming to Apple TV. Mentioned by Siri AI, these AI features are expected to be exclusive to the new hardware.

It also found code in iOS 27.2 that suggests nearby home accessories could display your iPhone’s dynamic island controls.

On the HomePod side, pdfu has published several findings related to the surround sound functionality that it previously detailed. Here are some of them:

Highlights of audioOS 27.2 beta 3:

• Siri can pair a speaker with its surround system. The code includes the diagnosis “Accessory (X) is a speaker in the surround system (Y). » Builds on HomeKit exposing the surroundSystem interface.​
• When HomePod is part of a Home Theater group for an eligible Apple TV, it can now use a new proxy activation path to forward Siri requests to the Apple TV. A separate, older path still transmits audio from the microphone to the Apple TV.

The leaker also found evidence of Apple TV profiles expanding its available picture options by adding characters from Apple TV shows and movies. So, in addition to choosing from emoji for your profile, you can probably make Ted Lasso, Mark S. from Severance or Carol from Pluribus your profile picture.

In case you missed it, Apple TV profiles are expanding to iPhone and iPad for the first time in iOS and iPadOS 27.2. Until now, they were exclusive to tvOS.

Are you interested in Apple’s new Home products? Let us know in the comments.

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