Use Siri with AirPlay 2
One of the features of AirPlay 2 is that you can use the appropriate speakers in combination with Siri. By adding a speaker in the Home app and placing it in a room, you can instruct Siri to play the music in that specific room. What do you need for this, how do you set this up and which commands can you use with AirPlay 2? We explain everything.
- Supplies
- Set up
- To use
What do I need for Siri with AirPlay 2?
To use Siri with AirPlay 2, you need a suitable AirPlay 2 speaker. That can be an Apple TV, suitable smart TV, suitable Sonos speaker or another AirPlay 2 speaker. You also need an iPhone or iPad to use AirPlay 2. You need at least version 11.4 of the operating system on the iPhone, iPad or Apple TV. This version is years old, so you’re probably on the right track.
How do I set up AirPlay 2 for Siri?
If you have a suitable speaker, you must first prepare it for use with Siri. That means you need to add it to the Home app. On an Apple TV, you do this by going to Settings > AirPlay and HomeKit > Room. From there, choose a suggested room or a pre-existing HomeKit room to add the Apple TV and place it in the correct room.
With other speakers it works as follows:
- Open the Home app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap the plus sign at the top left and choose New accessory.
- Scan the HomeKit sticker on the speaker. Isn’t there? Then tap More options.
- If you have chosen More options, select the speaker from the list. This may take a while.
- Now choose a room where you place the speaker.
The speaker is now ready to be used in combination with Siri. You must repeat these steps for each speaker you add.
How can I use Siri with AirPlay 2?
To then use Siri to play music via AirPlay 2, several actions are possible. You can call out the name of the speaker as well as the name of the room. If there are multiple AirPlay 2 speakers in the room, you can play the music on all speakers in that room at the same time by using the room name. You can use the following commands, where you can choose a playlist, artist, album or song:
- “Play my favorite music in the living room”
- “Play The Weeknd on the Apple TV in the bedroom”
- “Shuffle my favorite music in the kitchen”
- “Play my 80s playlist anywhere”
- “Play One Kiss on all speakers”
- “Skip to the next track”
- “Turn up the sound in the living room”
- “Pause the music in the bedroom”
In addition to these specific commands, you can also use the standard Siri commands for music. Think of rewinding or fast forwarding a song or adding a song to your list of next songs. With these commands you do not have to say the name of the speaker or room every time, because Siri knows that music is being played there.
If you are unable to use Siri with AirPlay 2, check the name of the speaker and the rooms. You can change the name of the speakers in the Home app. It is best to choose a name that is as unique as possible that is different from the rooms, so that Siri can clearly recognize and distinguish them.
If you already have a HomePod at home and you want to use Siri for music there, you can ask the HomePod (mini) directly if you have Apple Music or Deezer. If you have another service such as Spotify, you have to do it via Siri on the iPhone via the steps in this article.
