Apple appears to be testing a HomePod surround system using four speakers in audioOS 27 beta code, with front and rear positions, automatic room calibration and separate processing for films and music. The feature is not available in the current Home app or Apple TV, and Apple has not announced it.
HomePod surround system appears in beta code
The references, reported by MacRumors, describe front-left, front-right, rear-left and rear-right positions for four second-generation HomePods. The system would map speaker locations, adjust timing, manage bass and tune equalisation automatically.
The same code mentions dialogue enhancement and different processing modes for films and music. Stereo content could either be spread across all four speakers or kept on the two front speakers.
Apple is also testing a more diffuse Party Mode for stereo-paired HomePods. Rather than tuning the sound for one listening position, it would spread playback more evenly around a room. Useful for parties, or for anyone who has stopped pretending the sofa is the only place people sit.
What Apple may be planning for HomePod
The beta files refer to a tuning system called Forklift, combining two second-generation HomePods with two speakers from an unidentified AID12007 hardware family. That could point to a future HomePod mini, a third-generation HomePod or another unreleased speaker, but the code does not identify the product.
Apple has not said when, or whether, the surround system will ship. Earlier reporting on Apple’s upcoming HomePod mini, Apple TV and smart home hub points to new home products arriving as early as September or October, although that report does not confirm this audio feature.
For UAE buyers, there is no confirmed price or local release date to report. The existing HomePod refresh remains the relevant story until Apple turns the beta code into a product feature.
Apple’s existing HomePod refresh plans are covered here, while the reported Apple TV update is covered in tbreak’s Apple TV 4K report.
How many HomePods would the tested surround system use?
The beta references four speakers: front-left, front-right, rear-left and rear-right.
Is Apple releasing the four-HomePod surround system?
Apple has not confirmed a release. The feature appears only in audioOS 27 beta code and is not available in the current Home app or Apple TV.
What is HomePod Party Mode?
Party Mode is described as a wider, more diffuse sound field for stereo-paired HomePods, designed to spread audio around a room rather than focus it on one listening position.
