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Setting default Audio for Apple TV 4K

I have two HomePods in the same room (Living Room) - One is the full size HomePod and the other is the Mini. I want to set the Mini as the default audio for Apple TV, but when I go into settings for that, all I see are TV Speakers or Living Room. If I choose Living Room, it is set to the full size HomePod, and not the Mini. What do I need to do so that both HomePods show up in the default audio setting on the Apple TV?

HomePod

Posted on Mar 11, 2021 9:53 AM

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Posted on Mar 11, 2021 10:12 AM

It was made very clear that the default option was only possible on the regular HomePod as it was directly linked to the Home Theatre feature. That feature uses spacial awareness to output surround sound/Atmos and the mini does not have that capability.


Set up home theater audio with HomePod and Apple TV 4K - Apple Support



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Mar 11, 2021 10:12 AM in response to dennyup

It was made very clear that the default option was only possible on the regular HomePod as it was directly linked to the Home Theatre feature. That feature uses spacial awareness to output surround sound/Atmos and the mini does not have that capability.


Set up home theater audio with HomePod and Apple TV 4K - Apple Support



Mar 15, 2021 5:21 PM in response to vazandrew

Sadly, I agree that folks are well-advised to verify every single hope and expectation of modern Apple products before buying.


In this case, I chaff at the assertion that "it was made very clear" that this no-brainer feature expectation (that a HomePod mini by Apple can be selected as default sound output using the latest Apple TV 4K when an older HomePod model can) is not supported. I don’t care about the home theater feature even if that effort spawned the default output feature. Why should a buyer need to study a support article about a logically-unrelated feature to learn that Apple TV doesn’t support HomePod minis any better than generic airplay speakers? For that matter, I should be able select 3rd party airplay speakers as default output (but I’ll not hold my breath for that).


Apple should avoid making marketing decisions regarding product functionality that are too awkward to explain in compelling sales copy. I once viewed Apple’s brand with the certainty that Apple products worked insanely great with Apple products.


Sorry (stepping down from soapbox). In this case, I hope and sort of expect that a future version of tvOS will offer better HomePod mini support now that the original HomePod is being discontinued.

Mar 15, 2021 7:43 PM in response to bgmeek

That would apply to any product, it is hardly isolated to Apple.


The standard HomePod worked in exactly the same way, and it was only very recently that the home theatre feature was introduced. The default option is not a separate feature and is directly tied to the home theatre function. This was made very clear, not only in support articles but also well documented in many areas, including the release notes for TVOS


When used as default it is no longer being used over airplay, so the best that could happen is an option for the mini.


Anyway, I do not wish to get deeper into such a discussion (and it’s not what the forum is for) so let’s just leave it at that.

Mar 16, 2021 11:03 AM in response to bgmeek

Thanks. I feel exactly the same way. I'm no techie but it would seem that all it would take is a software update or something so that the mini can be set as the default output for audio. I am keeping the Mini, but was very disappointed and surprised that using it as the default was not already an option. Maybe it was an oversight?

Setting default Audio for Apple TV 4K

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