How to Play Ambient Sounds on HomePod & HomePod Mini

Did you know that your HomePod and HomePod Mini can play calm, relaxing sounds for white noise, background noise, or that can help you during your bedtime? This may be a feature that most people overlook while purchasing a HomePod, but it can be really pleasant and quite useful for some.

Most of us already know that both the HomePod models are capable of delivering high-quality audio for their size. Although music listening and home automation are the main selling points for these smart speakers, users can get really creative with the way they use their HomePods and what they use them for. This is made easier with the help of Siri, as you can get things done with just a simple voice command.

Interested in using ambient sounds to drown out some background noise or to ease you into a slumber before you go to sleep? That’s exactly what we’ll be covering. Read on and you’ll be playing ambient sounds on your HomePod and HomePod Mini in no time.

How to Play Ambient Sounds on HomePod & HomePod Mini

We’ll be making use of Siri to play ambient sounds on your HomePod. Depending on the ambient sound that you want HomePod to play, the voice command you need to use may vary. Here are the commands:

• “Hey Siri, play white noise.”
• “Hey Siri, play ocean sounds.”
• “Hey Siri, play fireplace sounds.”
• “Hey Siri, play forest sounds.”
• “Hey Siri, play stream sounds.”
• “Hey Siri, play rain sounds.”
• “Hey Siri, play night sounds.”

Try them out and see which you like the best. There are currently seven different ambient sounds that you can use.

Apart from all the commands that are listed above, you can use this universal command “Hey Siri, play ambient sounds” and Siri will randomly pick one of the seven different sounds and start playing it on your HomePod. Siri will respond something like “Rain, now playing.” or “Now playing white noise” before it starts playing the sound.

Using Ambient Sounds with a Sleep Timer

Once your HomePod starts playing the ambient sound, you can set a sleep timer using Siri. For example, you can use the command “Hey Siri, set a sleep timer for one hour.” and Siri will respond “Okay, I’ll stop playing in one hour”. This will make sure your HomePod doesn’t keep playing the ambient sound all night long.

This is just one of the many unique ways that you can use your HomePod. Of course, you can ask Siri to play some relaxing songs on Apple Music too if that’s something you prefer. Another cool feature would be using your HomePod to locate and ping your lost iPhone, iPad, or Mac if you can’t find it in your house.

We hope you were able to use HomePod’s ambient sounds to enjoy some lovely background sounds and maybe even sleep better during your bedtime. What are your thoughts on this nifty feature? Have you found any other unique uses with your HomePod? Check out more HomePod articles, and feel free to share your experiences and don’t forget to share your feedback in the comments.