Apple is testing a way to use four HomePods as a surround sound system, potentially giving the speakers a much bigger role in the Apple TV home theater experience.
The setup described in audioOS 27 beta 8 uses four second-generation HomePods positioned at the front-left, front-right, rear-left, and rear-right of a room.
It includes automatic room calibration, speaker positioning, timing adjustments, bass management, EQ and dialogue enhancement, along with separate processing for movies and music.
Apple is also considering how the system would handle regular stereo audio. One option would spread stereo sound across all four speakers. Another would keep traditional left and right playback on the front pair.
Apple may have another speaker in the works
The same software references a tuning system called “Forklift” that combines two second-generation HomePods with two speakers from an unidentified hardware family, labeled AID12007.
That identifier doesn’t correspond to an existing HomePod, suggesting Apple is working on another speaker. It could be a new HomePod mini, a third-generation HomePod, or something else entirely. The references don’t provide enough information to say which.
There’s also a Party Mode for stereo-paired HomePods. Instead of optimizing the sound for one listening position, it would create a wider, more diffuse sound field for people spread around the room.
The timing is interesting
Apple doesn’t currently offer a way to configure four HomePods as a surround system through the Home app or Apple TV. These features also haven’t appeared in earlier software builds.
The timing fits with Apple’s broader push into the home, which includes a new HomePod mini, a refreshed Apple TV, and a smart home hub with a display. Apple retail stores are also reportedly making room for the new products.
The timing fits with Apple’s broader push into the home, with reporting pointing to a new HomePod mini, a refreshed Apple TV, and a smart home hub with a display. Apple retail stores are also reportedly making room for the new products.
A four-HomePod setup wouldn’t be cheap, and there is another limitation to consider. Most movies are mixed for at least 5.1 channels, so a four-speaker system without a dedicated center channel can make dialogue harder to place correctly.
Apple appears to have thought about that problem. Dialogue enhancement is one of the processing modes mentioned in the software, although it’s too early to know how well it would work or whether Apple will actually ship the feature.
For now, this is still something Apple is testing. The presence of the surround-sound features in a beta doesn’t guarantee they’ll make it into a public release.
