Siri AI is hiding inside Apple's HomePod — so why isn't it working?

After years of delays, Siri AI is finally available for everyone bringing an Apple-supported AI experience to most of your devices. One of the few things that hasn't been graced with Siri Ai just yet to the HomePod smart speaker — but that might be changing soon.

Details related to Siri AI have been uncovered by pdfu in HomePod's audio OS 27 software. The code contains references to "Linwood," which is apparently the system that will power Siri AI on Apple's speaker. However, the downside is that it may not be available unless you buy a brand new HomePod first.

There are more updates than just which version of Siri you'll have access to. The light and sound effects on the HomePod seem to be changing, much like they do on other devices. The comparison pdfu posted shows the standard Siri with a simple "bing" chime and the classic rainbow light effects. Meanwhile Siri AI uses a lighter tone, with more yellows and blues, as well as a longer chime with an echo-effect.

Obviously audioOS 27 is already available and Siri AI is non-functional. This leads pdfu to speculate it may be limited to newer HomePod devices. However, they do note HomePod is "accepted as a Siri AI-capable device" and "activation is separately blocked in current versions."

That could mean that Apple is simply not ready to roll out Siri AI to HomePod yet, even if there's no hardware reason for it not to work.

We're not expecting a new version of the large HomePod anytime soon, but there have been rumors suggesting two different devices could be on the way. That includes the HomePod mini 2, which is supposedly coming with a newer chip, as well as the long-awaited Apple smart display — often referred to as a HomePad.

Considering the HomePad was reportedly delayed because Siri AI wasn't ready, we can certainly expect it to come equipped with the full range of Apple AI tools. As for other models, we're not so sure. However, it would be bizarre for Apple to restrict which devices can use Siri AI unless there are hardware incompatibility issues.

I would personally hope Apple is just holding off on releasing Siri AI to HomePods until the newer devices have been formally revealed. Sadly we'd need Apple to clarify what the deal is, otherwise all we can do is wildly speculate until an official announcement is made.

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