New HomePod 14.4 beta includes HomePod mini's fancy U1 Handoff featureWhat you need to know
Apple has released a new HomePod software beta, version 14.4.
The update includes the HomePod mini U1-powered Handoff feature Apple announced earlier this year.
Haptics and on-screen prompts make for a better Handoff experience.
Apple released iOS 14.4 beta 1 yesterday and quietly pushed out a HomePod 14.4 beta 1 to go with it. The HomePod beta program isn't open to developers – Apple seeds the betas to select users. And one of them shared details of the update to Reddit.
According to u/kyemaloy14, the new beta adds the U1-powered Handoff feature that Apple announced alongside HomePod mini earlier this year. That means that anyone putting an iPhone 11 or iPhone 12 series handset near a HomePod mini with the beta installed will see a new interface, complete with haptic feedback that varies depending on proximity to the speaker.
Here's how it's described on Reddit.
Starts the process when you're like... 12" away from the HomePod? When it works corre...
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New HomePod 14.4 beta includes HomePod mini's fancy U1 Handoff feature