How to Use Apple’s New Intercom Feature

Alongside the HomePod mini, Apple launched a brand new Intercom characteristic that is designed to let Apple machine house owners talk with each other all through the house, sending messages to particular rooms, areas, or folks.

Intercom works with the HomePod, ‌HomePod mini‌, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, and even CarPlay, so you’ll be able to dictate a voice message on any of your units you can have delivered to a single individual within the household or all members of the family.

Find out how to Set Up Intercom

After updating to ‌HomePod‌ software program 14.1 and iOS 14.2, which remains to be in public beta testing at the moment, Intercom might be arrange within the Residence app. Intercom works you probably have a ‌HomePod‌ or one other suitable machine, and there’s no devoted interface on the ‌iPhone‌ for utilizing Intercom outdoors of the Residence app.

Install HomePod 14.1 software.
Open up the Residence app.
Faucet on the little home icon within the higher left nook.
Faucet on “Residence Settings.”
Scroll all the way down to “Intercom” and faucet it.
Regulate your notification settings and choose the folks within the residence who’re in a position to make use of the Intercom characteristic.

Those that have distant entry to your Residence app can ship or obtain Intercom messages even when away from residence, with these messages displaying as audio notifications on ‌iPhone‌ and Apple Watch.

Notice that anybody who needs to have the ability to use Intercom will have to be added as an individual with entry to the house. This may be carried out by getting into the Residence Settings display and tapping on “Invite Individuals.”

Intercom Necessities

Intercom works with the ‌HomePod‌ after putting in the ‌HomePod‌ 14.1 replace, and it’s practical on the ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ after putting in the iOS 14.2/iPadOS 14.2 updates. On Apple Watch, it seems to work with watchOS 7.1 and later.

There could also be some Intercom options reserved for ‌HomePod‌ 14.2 as Intercom doesn’t operate seamlessly but, so for the absolute best Intercom outcomes, make sure that your whole units have the newest working system updates which are accessible. Notice that if two HomePods are arrange in stereo mode, Intercom shouldn’t be accessible.

Find out how to Use Intercom to Ship a Message to a HomePod

Intercom messages might be despatched to the HomePods all through a house utilizing Siri on ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, Apple Watch, one other ‌HomePod‌, and extra. To ship an Intercom message, simply activate ‌Siri‌ in your ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, Apple Watch, ‌CarPlay‌, or ‌AirPods‌ after which say “Intercom” and your message.

So for those who wished to inform everybody that dinner is prepared, simply say “Intercom, dinner is prepared” and the message “Dinner is prepared” will likely be relayed to the entire HomePods within the Residence.

Different instructions like “Hey ‌Siri‌, inform everybody dinner is prepared” additionally work in its place phrase for speaking via Intercom.

Within the Residence app on ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌, there’s additionally an choice to faucet on the small waveform within the higher proper nook to report a message that is then despatched to Intercom units within the residence.

Find out how to Use Intercom to Ship a Message From a HomePod to One other System

You should utilize the ‌HomePod‌ to ship a message to different HomePods within the residence or to the units that belong to family members.

It is so simple as activating ‌Siri‌, saying “Intercom” after which the message, with the message capable of be despatched to each individual within the household no matter who’s at residence. It’s going to play on ‌HomePod‌ audio system in the home in addition to on particular person iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches.

Find out how to Ship a Message to a Particular Room

In case you have HomePods in separate rooms, you’ll be able to direct a message to that room by activating ‌Siri‌ after which saying “Intercom [room name] [message].”

So for instance for those who wished to inform everybody in the lounge that dinner is prepared, you’ll say “Hey ‌Siri‌, intercom front room dinner is prepared.”

Notice that to make use of the room command, HomePods have to be appropriately assigned to a room within the Residence app. Assigning or altering a room might be carried out by following these steps:

Open the Residence app.
Choose the ‌HomePod‌ or ‌HomePod mini‌ from the machine listing.
Lengthy press on the ‌HomePod‌ icon.
Faucet on the gear icon on the backside of the interface that pops up or scroll down forcefully.
Faucet on “Room.”
Choose a room from the listing of accessible rooms or faucet “Create New.”
When carried out, shut the interface by tapping the “X” on the prime of the window.

Find out how to Reply to an Intercom Message

For those who obtain an Intercom message in a single room of the home and wish to ship a message again, you’ll be able to activate ‌Siri‌ after which say “reply” alongside along with your message.

So for those who obtained an Intercom message that mentioned “Dinner’s prepared,” you’ll be able to say “Hey ‌Siri‌ reply I am on my manner” to ship a message proper again.

Gadgets Suitable With Intercom

You should utilize iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and ‌AirPods‌ to ship Intercom messages to the members of your family, and you may even ship messages via ‌CarPlay‌ for those who’re driving.