Are you tired of manually turning on your HomePod or iPhone speaker every morning just to be able to enjoy some music? Wouldn’t it be nice to have your favorite songs automatically play at a designated time every day?
Good news, this is now possible with the Shortcuts app! With the correct settings and a few taps, you’ll be able to wake up to your favorite tunes, either from your iPhone speaker or your HomePod. In this article, I’ll walk you through the steps to set up automatic music playback on your HomePod or iPhone speaker.
How to set up HomePod or iPhone to play music automatically
Before you put your step forward to set up a custom timer to play music on your HomePod, make sure your HomePod is paired with your iPhone.
- Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone.
- Enter the Automation tab → select Create Personal Automation.
If you don’t see this option, tap the (+) icon in the top-right corner. - Select any feature you crave from the New Automation menu.
Here, I have opted for Alarm.
- Make desired changes to the alarm feature → tap Next to proceed.
- Select the Play Music option.
If you’re unable to find the Play Music option, you can search the same from the search bar. - Then in the search bar at the bottom, look for Change Playback Destination.
You’re now enabled to add music of your choice or mood. - Tap the Music option located next to Play.
The button might be faded out. - Now, when the Apple Music app opens, select Library → choose an album or track of your choice.
- You can change the actions of the music with the help of the drop-down menu adjacent to the selected music:
- If your desired output device is your iPhone, you can tap Next to proceed.
- If you wish to change the output device, tap iPhone and select your HomePod.
- Once the Actions are set to your preference, tap Next.
- Toggle off Ask Before Running → tap Don’t Ask when prompted.
- Verify the When and Do of your automation → select Done to confirm.
- Now your personal automation is ready.
- In my instance, it’ll activate my HomePod only if my alarm goes off.
Once you’ve set up your personal automation, your HomePod or iPhone speaker will automatically start playing the integrated music at the designated time. You can create multiple automation for different times of the day or for different days of the week.
Troubleshooting common issues in HomePod
Undoubtedly, this feature is a bliss for many iOS users, but no matter the level of perfection a device can achieve, it’ll still be prone to glitches and system failures. However, you can avoid these errors by adhering to a few precautionary guidelines.
- Make sure your HomePod or iPhone is connected to the internet. Without an internet connection, your setup won’t be able to pull up your selected songs or playlists.
- Check that your HomePod or iPhone speaker is compatible with the music streaming service you’re trying to use. Some services may not be supported by your device.
- Check that the time is correctly set on your device. If it’s wrong, your HomePod or iPhone won’t be able to detect when to play the music.
- Ensure you have the latest software updates installed on your HomePod or iPhone. This will ensure that the music streaming app and the device are compatible.
If the problem still persists, try resetting your HomePod and setting up the configurations again from the ground up. Following this, you can effectively clear any issues that may have been preventing your song from playing automatically on your HomePod.
FAQs
Yes, you can choose any song from your music library to play automatically at a specific time.
Yes, you can set up multiple alarms with different songs on your HomePod or iPhone speaker.
Yes, you can use Siri to set up automatic song playback on your HomePod or iPhone speaker by saying, Hey Siri, set the alarm to play [song name] at [time].
Give yourself an energized start!
The ability to automatically play songs on HomePod or iPhone speaker at a set time can make any home office space infinitely fulfilling. Whether it’s waking up to your favorite tune or adding background music in your office on particular occasions, it’s a great way to easily elevate your surroundings.
With a few basic steps, you can add a whole new level of atmosphere and comfort to your home or office.
Have a quick peek:
- How to use HomePod and HomePod Mini with Mac
- HomePod 2nd gen vs HomePod 1st gen vs mini
- How to Use Handoff with HomePod Mini and HomePod
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