How to Use Sound Recognition on Your HomePod to Detect Smoke Alarms: A Step-by-Step Guide
When Apple introduced the brand new 2nd-generation HomePod in January, it additionally introduced a cool new characteristic known as Sound Recognition. All HomePod fashions (1st-gen, 2nd-gen, and mini) can pay attention for a smoke alarm and send a notification to your iPhone and Apple Watch when it goes off. Although the characteristic was introduced months in the past, it has solely simply turn out to be obtainable–in case you’ve upgraded the Residence app with the new Home architecture underneath iOS 16.4, it is best to see the choice with no different software program replace mandatory.
Right here’s the way it works. When enabled, the HomePod will repeatedly pay attention for “sure sounds” and use on-machine intelligence to notify you when an alarm sounds. It should send the notification to your iPhone, which may then be used to examine in and pay attention to the alarm your self, and name emergency companies if mandatory. If in case you have a safety digicam in the identical room with HomeKit assist, it is going to even send a video feed of it.
All audio evaluation is carried out on-machine, and when you examine in to pay attention the audio connection is end-to-end encrypted. It’s a superb security characteristic, and a lot cheaper than changing all of the smoke detectors in your house with new sensible web-enabled smoke detectors that may notify you when they’re sounding. Right here’s how to set it up.
- Time to full: 2 minutes
- Instruments required: none
- Supplies required: HomePod and iPhone, iPad, or Mac
- Value: 0
Open the Residence app and choose your HomePod
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Open the Residence app
Discover your HomePod and faucet to open it on it.
Open your HomePod settings and choose Sound Recognition

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From the HomePod now enjoying display, faucet the gear icon within the decrease-proper nook to entry its settings.
Scroll down and choose Sound Recognition.
Allow Smoke & CO Alarm

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Allow the Smoke & CO Alarm choice. This can acknowledge smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and send notifications to your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.
So as to see the notifications as they arrive, be sure your machine doesn’t have notifications disabled for the Residence app.