Thank you to Nota for once again sponsoring iPhone J.D. this month. Nota is a no-cost IOLTA management solution powered by M&T Bank. It was built by working directly with solo and small law firms and is designed to help simplify trust account management.
Nota’s cloud-based intuitive design uses real-time information directly from your bank accounts making it seamless for you to adhere to accounting requirements. Forget using a spreadsheet to track your individual client balances. All money in and out of your IOLTA account can be assigned to a client, and reconciled down to the penny.
Features include one-click reconciliation reporting, custom transaction alerts and virtual client sub-accounts with smart tagging.
I had a chance to see a comprehensive demo of how Nota works, and I was impressed. You access Nota by using a web browser on your PC or Mac, and the interface is clean and straightforward. The service makes it easy to create and manage virtual sub-accounts for each of your matters with no limit to the number of client matters. Nota closes the loop between your bank account, checkbook, and client ledger to help you to minimize IOLTA management headaches. After all, you went to law school to be a lawyer — not to be an accountant.
Nota is currently available to attorneys whose offices are located in and who are practicing law in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Florida, and West Virginia and to whom the rules and regulations for IOLTA accounts are applicable.
Click here to learn more about Nota. Terms and conditions may apply.
Nobody but Apple knows for sure, but there seems to be a feeling in the air that Apple will soon announce some new products, including perhaps a new iPad Pro. There had been rumors that the announcement would occur this week, but (obviously) that did not happen. But I still think that we are likely close to a new iPad Pro. What will it include? In an article for Macworld, Dan Moren has some pretty good ideas of what we might see in the next iPad Pro. And now, the news of note from the past week:
In an article for Macworld, Jason Snell writes that twenty years ago this week, Apple introduced Mac OS X, the operating system for the Mac that was based on software developed by NeXT, a company created by Steve Jobs after he was kicked out of Apple. I rarely discuss Mac software on iPhone J.D., but this story is directly relevant to the iPhone. The software at the heart of Mac OS X is the same software that is used on the iPhone and iPad. And if it were not for Apple purchasing NeXT so that it could develop Mac OS X, Steve Jobs may not have returned to Apple. And without Steve Jobs, I don’t think that we would have seen the iPhone and iPad — certainly not in the form that we know today.
It is extremely rare for any company to buy another company and have the ramifications become as major as Apple’s purchase of NeXT in the 1990s. But any such purchase has the potential to have important implications, and Filipe Espósito of 9to5Mac reports that Apple has purchased more Artificial Intelligence (AI) companies than anyone else between 2016 and 2020. It is hard to imagine that those purchases are just to improve Siri’s ability to answer questions, so my guess is that Apple has big plans for AI in the future.
Jakub Vávra of the security company Avast writes that bogus apps on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store have scammed people out of $400 million. These apps entice you to into a free trial, but after that, they charge you for a subscription, and unless you pay attention and cancel the subscription, you may find yourself charged hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year. Be careful about signing up for subscriptions when you download an app.
This wasn’t a scam but instead a price error, but Stephen Warwck of iMore notes that a woman in London noticed that a grocery store charged her £1,599 (more than $2,200) when she used Apple Pay to pay for bananas. I can understand how this happens. Apple Pay is so easy to use that it is often tempting to just pay and go, without paying attention to how much you were charged — even if you were grossly overcharged.
And finally, Apple posted a new video this week called Fumble which demonstrates how the iPhone 12 has extra protection that might protect the iPhone if you drop it. Hopefully, you have not had too many experiences like the one demonstrated by the woman in this video:
Apple’s AirPods are such a great product that many folks – like me – use them every day. Unfortunately, after you use them a lot, the rechargeable batteries start to wear out. Instead of listening for up to five hours before needing to recharge, you eventually may find the batteries wearing out after only an hour, or even less. And because you cannot open up AirPods to replace the batteries yourself, many folks respond by spending $160 on a new pair of AirPods — with a new charging case, even though they didn’t really need a new charging case. Apple does offer an AirPods battery service, but it costs $49 for each AirPod, so that will cost you about $100.
Kevin Purdy of iFixIt writes about a new company called Podswap which came up with a way to replace the batteries in a pair of AirPods. For only $60, the company will send you a refurbished pair of AirPods, and then you use the same shipping box to send back your AirPods. Podswap refurbishes the AirPods that you sent in by replacing the battery and cleaning the product, and then the company sells that pair to the next person, and so on. You keep the same charging case that you had originally, and you use your original case with the refurbished iPods.
I haven’t tried Podswap, so I cannot vouch for the company. However, iFixIt is a trusted website when it comes to repairing Apple products, and so I trust Kevin Purdy when he says that, based on his experience, the service seems to work as advertised. Check out the iFixIt article for more information. Podswap currently only works with first and second generation AirPods, not the AirPods Pro.
I like the idea of spending only $60 instead of $160 or $100 when your batteries start to wear out. And it is also nice to know that when you use Podswap, your old AirPods are being reused instead of ending up in a trash heap somewhere.
In my review of the HomePod mini from a few weeks ago, I noted that the original HomePod didn’t appeal to me but that I’m a big fan of the mini version. Matthew Panzarino of TechCrunch reports that Apple has now discontinued the HomePod and will instead focus on the HomePod mini. I guess that lots of other folks agreed with me that amazing sound in an expensive device is not as appealing as very good sound in a $100 device. I hope that Apple does indeed continue to develop the HomePod mini because it is a great device. In fact, I’d like to see Apple develop even more devices for a connected home. And now, the news of note from the past week:
California attorney David Sparks explains on his MacSparky website why he likes using the Reeder app to read his RSS feeds. (I’ve been using Feedly for a long time, and that app works well for me.)
David Sparks also talks about how actor Justin Long, who appeared with John Hodgman in the successful I’m a Mac/I’m a PC commercials, is now appearing in commercials for Intel that criticize Apple products — part of Intel’s response to the Apple-made processors used in the new M1 Macs (and iPhone and iPad) that are so much faster than anything else on the market. David wonders if Apple could have included some sort of non-compete language in their original contract with Justin Long that would have stopped him from doing ads for Intel. However, given the limitations that many states have on non-compete agreements, I wonder if that would have even been enforceable.
Jason Snell of Six Colors discusses the new features in the latest version of the Overcast app for the Apple Watch for people who run with an Apple Watch. I mostly use my Apple Watch on my treadmill at home, but I used just the Overcast app on my Apple Watch and my AirPods Pro when I was jogging in the park this past Sunday, and it worked great. I really like the new version of Overcast on the Apple Watch.
If you want to turn your iPad into something that is close to a laptop, Apple’s Magic Keyboard for iPad is a great option. But what if you want to turn your iPad into something close to a desktop computer? Kensington’s new StudioDock iPad docketing station is expensive at about $400 but for some folks it might be the perfect solution. Darragh Murphy of Laptop Mag posted this review. And Federico Viticci’s review on MacStories is also worth reading.
The Apple Support account on Twitter notes that you can swipe to delete a digit in the iPhone’s Calculator app. I did not know that.
If you have been to a Disney park recently, then you know about the MagicBand that you can wear to enter the park, pay for items, and more. Avery Maehrer, the Manager of Communications at Walt Disney World Resort, announced this week that you will soon be able to use your own Apple Watch or iPhone in place of a Magic Band.
And finally, Apple is now running a fun commercial for the AirPods Pro called Jump, with the tagline: “Turn the world into your playground with AirPods Pro.” Apple is also using its TikTok account to encourage people to make their own version of a Jump video, and Apple is posting some of the best results to the Apple TikTok account, and the ones that they have posted so far are impressive.
We are finally getting to the point where more and more people are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. My wife and I got our first dose this past Friday, and I have never been more happy to see a nurse in my life. However, I know that some people who are eligible are still having some difficulties finding out where to go. I myself have relatives in other states who are less tech-savvy and have been having difficulties. If you are trying to find a place to get the vaccine, either for yourself or to assist your friends or family members, the Maps app on your iPhone (or iPad) can now provide some help.
Apple announced yesterday that the Maps app can now identify over 20,000 locations where the vaccines are available. You can also find out the operating hours, addresses, phone numbers, and link to the websites that you can use to book appointments.
For example, here in New Orleans, if I search for Vaccination Sites in Maps, I see that there are 25 locations near me:
The data comes from a free online service called VaccineFinder. And unfortunately, that seems to mean that the data is not complete in some areas. For example, all of the New Orleans locations are pharmacies, which means that the Maps app is not currently showing some of the “super vaccination” sites such as the New Orleans Convention Center and the drive-through location at the baseball stadium on Airline Highway (which is where I went). But it is a start.
If you are advising a loved one who lives in another city, this is an easy resource to use as you help them to make an appointment for the vaccine.
By the way, you can still use the Maps app if you need find a place to get a COVID-19 test. Just search for COVID-19 Testing in the Maps app.
I’m happy to welcome back Lit Software as a sponsor of iPhone J.D. Lit Software has been making sophisticated iPad apps for litigators since 2010, the same year that the iPad was introduced. And the company is always looking at ways to do more.
Lit Software recently introduced Lit Suite, a subscription that gives you access to all of the Lit Software apps including all updates. Right now, that means that you get access to TrialPad, TranscriptPad, and DocReviewPad. I recently reviewed the latest versions of those apps. I’ve enjoyed using all of these apps in my own law practice. Indeed, for the past week, I’ve used TranscriptPad every single day.
The subscription also gives you access to upcoming new features and products. For example, I mentioned last month that Lit Software is working on app called ExhibitPad, which can be used for a purely digital presentation of evidence and demonstratives.
Moreover, now that Apple has provided new tools for using iPad apps on a Mac, Lit Software gave me permission to reveal that the company is exploring the possibility of bringing its iPad apps to the Mac. The company is not ready to announce anything yet, and there is a lot of work that still needs to be done to see how this might work. But ever since July 2020 when Apple started sending developers the tools to create programs for the new Macs with an M1 processor, Lit Software has been working on porting the apps. And as the following photos show, early builds of the apps are up-and-running on the Mac:
Time will tell when Lit Software will have something specific to announce on the Mac. Nevertheless, I mention this ongoing R&D because it is an example of how the company is constantly looking at what Apple is making possible and then exploring how the Lit Software products can take advantage of those opportunities to become even more useful for attorneys. This is exactly what I look for when I decide whether to subscribe to an app: is the developer actively working to improve the app? For Lit Software, the answer is definitely yes.
If you own an iPad and you work with deposition transcripts, work with documents, and/or present evidence to a judge or jury, then the Lit Suite collection of apps is perfect for you. Thanks to Lit Software for more than a decade of supporting attorneys who use iPads, and thanks again for being a sponsor of iPhone J.D. this month.
I often share stories of people who used an Apple Watch in a dire circumstance, and this one has a new twist: ice. A teacher in New Hampshire who is an experienced ice skater fell through the ice and could not get out. There was nobody around and he knew that he had about 10 minutes to live. Then he realized he was wearing his Apple Watch, so he was able to use it to call 911. Firefighters arrived about five minutes later, and he was saved. This report from Mike Cronin of WMUR has more details. And now, the news of note from the past week:
I mentioned this in yesterday’s post about ABA Formal Opinion 498, but just in case you missed it, Apple issued an important security update this week to patch a flaw in the Safari web browser that can be exploited by malicious websites. Apple has more information here. If you haven’t yet upgraded to iOS 14.4.1, you should do so soon.
In an article for Wisconsin Lawyer, James Pearson (who is not a lawyer) recommends the best smartphone. His top recommendation is the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, or he recommends the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra for folks who use Android.
Ed Hardy of Cult of Mac reviews a new iPad stand from Twelve South called the HoverBar Duo. If you use an external keyboard and mouse/trackpad with an iPad, this looks like a great way to lift the iPad as if it was a monitor.
If you use a Magic Keyboard for iPad, José Adorno of 9to5Mac has a good list of keyboard shortcuts. And most of his tips work with any Bluetooth keyboard.
Heather Kelly of the Washington Post writes about how efforts by parents to limit screen time of their kids has completely gone out of the window during the pandemic. That’s certainly been true at my house. And I’m glad that my kids have been able to use an iPhone or iPad to stay in touch with friends even when they cannot be with them in person.
And finally, this has nothing to do with the iPhone, but if you have not yet seen the amazing video of a drone going through a bowling alley, you really need to watch this one. This is one of those I-cannot-believe-that-they-did-this videos, and while the technical feat is impressive enough, the way that they worked the people into the video is equally impressive. Mike Ives of the New York Times explains how the video was made — one shot, no computer graphics, albeit on the tenth try. The video is called Right Up Our Alley:
The American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility issues ethics opinions that interpret the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. While not binding precedent, these ABA Formal Opinions are often cited as persuasive when courts and others interpret the rules of professional conduct in states that are similar or identical to the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Yesterday, the Committee released Formal Opinion 498 titled “Virtual Practice,” which you can download here in PDF format. The opinion provides guidance when using technology to practice law outside of a traditional law office. Every lawyer has had to do quite a bit of that over the past year of the pandemic. But many lawyers who use an iPhone or iPad have had, at least in part, a virtual practice long before 2020. Here are the recommendations in Formal Opinion 498 that jumped out at me as particularly relevant for any attorney using an iPhone or iPad.
Guiding principles
The opinion begins by citing three guiding principles that are especially relevant to the virtual practice of law. First, a lawyer has a duty of competence and diligence, and this means that a lawyer should keep abreast of the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology. That makes sense, but it can be easier said than done considering how quickly new risks arise. For example, a large number of law firms use Microsoft Exchange (Outlook) for their email, and just a few days ago, tens of thousands of Microsoft Exchange servers were infiltrated by Chinese hackers, as noted by this article by Andy Greenberg of Wired. If you didn’t learn about that right away and patch the server in your law firm, you increase your risk of being hacked.
Second, lawyers have a duty of confidentiality. We all know that.
Third, lawyers with managerial authority have an ethical obligation to supervise other attorneys so that there is compliance with the ethical rules. That means that many of us need to not just do the right thing in our own practice but also ensure that those who work with us do the same.
Specific recommendations
Here are a few of the specific recommendations that struck me as important for lawyers using an iPhone and/or an iPad.
Security. The opinion recommends that attorneys use secure Wi-Fi routers and consider using VPN, depending upon the risks associated with any specific Wi-Fi router. Lawyers should also use strong (and unique) passwords, which is why I recommend a password manager such as 1Password. The opinion also recommends that lawyers install software updates that fix security flaws. For example, just a few days ago, Apple released iOS 14.4.1 to address security issues related to maliciously crafted websites.
Cloud services. Cloud services are great because you can access important documents no matter where you are located in the world. But you need to make sure that hackers cannot access the same content, especially when it can contain confidential and/or privileged information. The opinion repeats a recommendation from a 2018 opinion that lawyers using cloud services should “(i) choose a reputable company, and (ii) take reasonable steps to ensure that the confidentiality of client information is preserved, and that the information is readily accessible to the lawyer.”
Virtual meetings. I’ve participated in a large number of virtual court hearings, and I’m a big fan. Not only do you eliminate the risk associated with the pandemic, but you also avoid the inconvenience of transportation to and from a courthouse. But for the most part, virtual court hearings do not involve confidential information. On the other hand, virtual meetings with clients and others can concern very confidential topics. The opinion advises being aware of security measures associated with virtual conferencing software. That makes sense in theory, although the opinion doesn’t offer specific suggestions other than the use of strong passwords and taking advantage of higher tiers of security offered by vendors.
The opinion also advises considering whether the meeting is or can be recorded and the implications of that. The opinion also warns not to participate in a virtual meeting in a place where a third party can overhear the conversation. These are all good suggestions, but they are really nothing new. I have often encountered attorneys and others in an airport, restaurant, etc. having what appears to be a confidential telephone conversation even though others can hear them.
(By the way, before I leave the topic of virtual hearings, I recommend that you check out this recent post from attorney Kevin Underhill on his Lowering the Bar website. It is amazing to me that Michigan prosecutor Deborah Davis figured out that the defendant in a domestic abuse hearing was attending the Zoom hearing from the same house as the victim, presumably to influence her testimony, while he lied to the judge about his location. According to a local news report, the prosecutor received a tip before the hearing that this might occur.)
Smart speakers. The opinion states: “Unless the technology is assisting the lawyer’s law practice, the lawyer should disable the listening capability of devices or services such as smart speakers, virtual assistants, and other listening-enabled devices while communicating about client matters. Otherwise, the lawyer is exposing the client’s and other sensitive information to unnecessary and unauthorized third parties and increasing the risk of hacking.”
Does this mean that you need to disable Siri on your iPhone, iPad, HomePod, etc.? I don’t think so because of the way that Apple makes these devices, but you should consider this and decide for yourself. These devices only listen for you to say the phrase “Hey Siri,” and unless that phrase is uttered, nothing that you say is sent to any Apple server. If the phrase is heard, these devices virtually always alert you that Siri is listening, so you will often know if it is occurring. And even when a voice recording is sent to an Apple server, it is encrypted and anonymous so that it is not associated with you.
On the other hand, as I mentioned in my recent review of the Apple HomePod, devices made by other companies may not work the same way. Thus, if you are talking near one of those smart devices, I recommend that you take the time to learn how they work. I’m comforted by the fact that Apple works hard to maintain privacy and doesn’t have any economic incentive to invade your privacy, but that is not true for many other companies.
Conclusion
I’ve covered most of the highlights, but there is even more addressed in this Formal Opinion, so I encourage you to read it. The opinion doesn’t provide many bright-line answers, but it does a good job of highlighting the issues that attorneys should consider when using mobile technology.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it has often been said that you could tell how bad the virus was in a particular city based upon whether or not the local Apple Store was open for business. Often, an Apple Store would close, and then shortly thereafter the local municipality would impose stricter rules because positive cases were starting to increase. It is sort of like the Waffle House Index, which is actually used by FEMA and others to determine the severity of a storm. With that in mind, I was pleased to see this report by Michael Steebar: for the first time since March 2020, all 270 U.S. Apple Stores are now open. That doesn’t mean that we should be foolhardy and drop mask mandates (do you hear me Texas and Mississippi?), but that is a good sign that things are getting better. And now, the news of note from the past week:
Marius Masalar explains how to use VIP notifications in Apple Mail. I rely on this feature to make sure that I get notified when I receive an email from certain clients and partners, depending upon the project that I’m working on.
And finally, in this short video for Apple called Hometown, Phillip Youmans used an iPhone to show off a number of black photographers in their cities. There are some amazing photographs and great video angles in this film.
In mid-2017, Apple announced the HomePod and started shipping it in early 2018. According to the reviews, the audio quality is great, but with an introductory price of $349 (it now sells for $299), and with Apple encouraging you to get two or more for multi-room audio or stereo, I considered it too expensive to be worth it for me. And I get the sense that lots of others felt the same way.
In late 2020, Apple introduced the HomePod mini, and this one made me pay more attention, although I still wasn’t sure if it was for me. At only $99, the price was far more attractive. The smaller size meant that the audio was not quite as loud and full as the HomePod but it needed less space. Although I had not even mentioned to my wife that I was thinking about it, she knows me well and bought me a pair of HomePod minis for Christmas. I’ve now been using them for just over two months, and I love them. If you have been wondering whether these are worth having, my answer is a very strong yes. Here is why.
Design
The HomePod mini is indeed mini. At only 3.3” tall and 3.9” wide, it doesn’t take up much space. The weight is .76 lb.
The built-in power cord is only about 4’10” so you will want to place it reasonably close to a wall outlet unless you use an extension cord. But unlike a typical speaker, 360° music comes out of all of the sides of the small round ball, so it doesn’t have to face any particular direction. The speakers are pointed down so that music bounces off of the surface that is holding the HomePod mini.
The outside of the device is wrapped in an acoustic mesh fabric, and you can choose between white or black. I haven’t seen the white model in person, but the black looks great.
The top of the HomePod mini is typically a black circle. But when Siri is listening to or responding to a command, that display becomes illuminated with moving colors.
When a HomePod mini is playing music, there is a soft white light in the middle of the black circle. With that light, you can see the – and + that will allow you to change the volume on the HomePod mini. (You can also adjust the volume from an iPhone.)
Pass the music
There are a few different ways to get music to start playing on a HomePod mini (including using Siri, which I discuss below), but one of the most interesting (and satisfying) is to pass the music using Handoff. Start playing a song on your iPhone and then put your iPhone near the top of the HomePod mini. As you start to do so, you will feel a slight vibration on your iPhone, a signal that the song has passed from your iPhone to the HomePod mini. At that point, the music stops playing on your iPhone and starts playing on the HomePod mini.
If the HomePod mini is already playing a song, you can also do the reverse, although it works a little differently. Put your iPhone close to the HomePod mini until you feel the vibration. At that point, your iPhone screen will show you what is playing on the HomePod mini and will show a button that you can tap to transfer the music back to your iPhone.
You can also send music from an iPhone to a HomePod mini by tapping the AirPlay icon and switching the audio output from the iPhone to the HomePod mini. Or you can swipe to bring up the Control Center on your iPhone and control a HomePod mini that way.
When my HomePod mini plays music, the Music app on my iPhone will sometimes (although not always) show what is playing on the HomePod mini. You can tap the AirPlay icon at the bottom of the screen to change which device you are controlling. This system makes sense, but I will admit that sometimes I get confused about whether my iPhone is controlling the HomePod mini or not. I’m used to using traditional Bluetooth speakers in which the speaker is always an extension of the iPhone. The HomePod mini, on the other hand, is taking over control of the music, not just streaming music from the iPhone. The music actually moves to the HomePod mini. You and your iPhone can leave the room (and get out of Bluetooth range), or you can even turn your iPhone off, and the song, album, playlist, etc. will continue to play on the HomePod mini.
Music quality
Before the HomePod mini, I used a Bose SoundDock Portable in my living room that I purchased in 2008. That was a $400 speaker (although I purchased mine at a discount from a Bose outlet) and I was very happy with the sound quality of that Bose device. While I normally kept it plugged-in, it had a rechargeable battery so you could easily move it to another room or the backyard. That speaker had a 30-pin connector for an iPod, and after Apple moved the iPhone to a Lightning connector, I added dockBoss air (my review) to turn it into a Bluetooth speaker.
The HomePod mini is much smaller than my old Bose speaker, but the sound quality is actually a little better. It is difficult for me to pick the best words to describe an audio experience, but I suppose it is accurate to say that the sound seems fuller? I would not call it a major improvement, but it is nice that a smaller $99 device sounds as good as a device that used to cost much more.
Stereo
When you have two HomePod minis, you can use the Home app on your iPhone to designate one as a left speaker and one as a right speaker. That way, you can sit in the middle of two of them and get a stereo experience. It works very well. The stereo effect in some songs is more obvious than other songs, but most songs sound richer when you are in the middle of a stereo experience, much like movies in your home sound better when you can take advantage of 5.1 surround-sound speakers.
At first, I thought that I would be using the HomePod minis in the stereo mode all of the time. But I don’t. There are four reasons for that. First, with the layout of my living room, I don’t have two good places that are close to power outlets.
Second, I don’t find myself sitting in that one middle spot and listening to music very often. Instead, I often have music playing when I am doing other things in the house, walking around my living room and other rooms. So I’m not really spending much time in the “sweet spot” to take full advantage of stereo. This is very different from the TV room in my house, where I have a couch and a TV and 5.1 surround sound speakers and I’m virtually always sitting on the couch in a spot where I can get the full effect from optimal speaker placement.
Third, just a single HomePod mini, on its own, sounds great. It may not be stereo, but the sound fills the room. Apple says that each HomePod mini “creates the full, detailed tones of a much larger speaker,” and I agree with that. And as a result — to my surprise — I really don’t feel like I am losing that much when I use a single HomePod mini instead of two of them in a stereo pair. As Apple explains on that webpage: “An Apple-designed full‑range driver uses an incredibly powerful neodymium magnet to deliver deep bass and crisp high frequencies. The unique acoustic waveguide directs sound out the bottom of the speaker, creating a 360‑degree audio field for consistent sound no matter where you are in the room.“
If you have good places to put two HomePod minis in a room where you will often be between those locations, then the stereo experience that you get with two HomePod minis will be more enjoyable for you. For me, stereo isn’t worth it for the reasons noted above … plus, there is a fourth reason that I don’t use the HomePod mini stereo mode: it is far more enjoyable to me to take advantage of the ability to have two speakers in two rooms.
Multiroom audio
The idea of having the same music played in multiple rooms at the same time is nothing new. For decades, some high-end homes have had speakers in multiple rooms that were wired to a central amplifier. But when you have multiple HomePods or HomePod minis, you can do something similar without wires.
You can have different HomePod minis playing different things, or perhaps have one play music while the rest of them are silent. But the real magic comes when they are all working together to play the same thing. As you leave one room and enter the next room, the music just moves with you, like you were on a ride at Disney World. Many people have been fans of Sonos speakers because they offer a similar experience. In my opinion, multiroom audio in two rooms is a far more enjoyable experience than stereo in a single room.
I can actually do this in three rooms at one time. Because I have an Apple TV in my TV room, which is connected to a nice set of 5.1 speakers, and because the Apple TV works with AirPlay 2, I can actually have the same music playing on two HomePod minis in two different rooms plus the Apple TV in my TV room.
Portable HomePod mini
I mentioned above that my old Bose speaker has an internal rechargeable battery. It normally stayed in my living room, but I could also take to the backyard to provide music, perfect for a BBQ.
The HomePod mini is not portable, at least not normally. It has a cord that is permanently connected to the HomePod mini on one side and the other side has a USB-C connection. The HomePod mini comes with a 20W USB-C power adapter. However, you don’t have to use the power adapter that comes with the HomePod mini, although you do need to use a power adapter that provides at least 18W of power. That led me to wonder: can I use a portable battery with a USB-C connector that provides 18W output so that I can move my HomePod mini wherever I want? The answer is yes.
As I noted in my recent review of the Anker PowerCore 10000 PD Redux, that $39.99 device is not only great for recharging an iPhone or an iPad, but it also works great with a HomePod mini.
The only real downside is that in this configuration, the cord on the HomePod mini is long and somewhat gets in the way. It is a shame that the HomePod mini doesn’t have a USB-C port on the device so that you can use a USB-C to USB-C cord of any length.
I noted in my review of the Anker PowerCore that I played music for eight hours while using only a fraction of the power in that battery. As I type this, I’m listening to some Jazz music on a HomePod mini that has been connected to that Anker battery for more than 24 hours. I haven’t been playing music that whole time, but even so, the four lights on my Anker battery are only at three lights right now. It looks like this battery can power a HomePod mini for at least two days. That is more than long enough to use a portable battery to take a HomePod mini outside and use it outside during an afternoon and then into the night.
Indeed, even when I am inside the house — right now, for example, I am typing on my iPad on my dining room table — I often use a HomePod mini connected to this Anker battery. Sure, there are power outlets in my dining room, but I have to reach behind a table to get to them, which is awkward, plus I would rather have the HomePod mini on the table with to me, not across the room on the table near the outlet.
I would love it if Apple sold a portable version of the HomePod mini. If so, I would want for at least one of the HomePod minis in my house to be the portable version. But for now, using a portable battery that was already in my house, I was able to achieve almost the same thing.
Siri
Like many other Apple products, you can use Siri to talk to a HomePod mini. From a hardware perspective, Siri works better on an HomePod mini than any other Apple product. I don’t know what Apple has done with the microphone on this thing, but it easily hears me even if I am far away. Even more impressive, a HomePod mini can be playing loud music, and yet using whatever sophisticated noise cancellation technology it uses, it has no trouble hearing my voice over the music. You can also trigger Siri by holding down a finger on the top of the HomePod mini for a second or two.
I subscribe to Apple Music, and using Siri to ask the HomePod mini to play a song, album, artist or playlist works very well. Almost too well. My 14-year old son quickly discovered that he could tell the HomePod mini to “play fart sounds” and it plays an album on Apple Music called Fart Sound Effects. And, unlike me, he finds that just as funny the 10th time as it was the first time. Sigh. But it is nice that I can be sitting in the living room with my daughter and, when she wants me to listen to a song that she likes, she can just ask Siri on the HomePod mini to play the song, and it happens right away.
While Siri on a HomePod mini will let anyone use their voice to control certain functions such as music (unless you turn that feature off), it is smart enough to recognize different voices for certain actions. If I tell a HomePod mini to send a message, create a reminder, create a note, or make a phone call, it will do so when it recognizes my voice but will decline to do so when my son or daughter say the same thing. And if my wife asks Siri to do the same thing, it will recognize her voice and handle that task for her (using her iPhone). I currently have my HomePod mini configured so that my kids are not given user credentials, but if I did so, then it would recognize their voices and work for them the way it does for me and my wife. And you can even require authentication on an iPhone before Siri on a HomePod mini will honor certain requests, such as a request to read a note, reminder, or calendar event.
You can also use Siri on a HomePod to make a phone call. It will do so by connecting to your iPhone, with the HomePod mini operating as a speakerphone.
I’ve been particularly impressed with using Siri on a HomePod to control HomeKit devices in my home. I can already turn the lights in a room on or off by using an Apple Watch or my iPhone, but the better microphone on the HomePod mini is more accurate. Controlling a HomeKit device using Siri on my Apple Watch is pretty simple, but I do need to raise my wrist to near my mouth, and it sometimes has trouble understanding me. With a HomePod mini, I just speak out loud into the room. I don’t need to press a button or take an iPhone out of my pocket or anything like that. I didn’t expect this to be the case, but using a HomePod mini is now my favorite way to turn HomeKit lights on or off.
When it comes to asking Siri on a HomePod general questions, such as how old is President Obama or what year did Elvis die, it works well. When I’m talking to my family at the dinner table, Siri often helps us to answer random questions. I’ve read reviews from other folks who say that the similar feature on an Amazon Echo works even better, providing more sophisticated responses, but I’ve never used an Amazon Echo so I cannot comment on that. All I can say is that Siri has done a good job with almost all of our requests.
Privacy
Speaking of Amazon Alexa, a HomePod mini is the only listening device that I feel comfortable allowing into my home because of Apple’s commitment to privacy. Although a HomePod mini is always listening so that it can tell if you say “Hey Siri,” nothing is sent from the device to Apple’s servers until it hears that phrase. Then, all communications between your HomePod mini and Apple’s server are encrypted, with anonymous IDs used with your requests to protect your identity.
This is the same way that an iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch work. Thus, if you already use other Apple devices, adding a HomePod mini to your home doesn’t really change the tech privacy issues that you are already facing.
Moreover, I like the fact that Apple regularly touts its commitment to privacy as a core value. And Apple doesn’t make money based on using your personal information … at least, not directly. (Apple does get a lot of money to use Google as a default search engine in Safari, but you can change that default if you want.) Companies like Google, Amazon, and Facebook, on the other hand, have a core business value of taking advantage of personal information to convince you to buy things, or to sell your information to other companies who want to do so. That makes me favor a HomePod over an Amazon Echo or a Google Nest Smart Speaker. To eliminate any privacy risk, I suppose that you need to stay in a room without windows, smart speakers, smartphones, etc. But my desire is to use technology while keeping the privacy risks to a minimum, and staying within the Apple ecosystem works best for that.
Other features
You can use one or more HomePod minis to work as an intercom — say a message and it will almost instantly be repeated (a recording of your voice) in other rooms. This article by Juli Clover of MacRumors does a good job of describing Apple’s Intercom feature.
A HomePod mini can act as a HomeKit hub. This means that you can control and automate accessories in your home even if you are away from home, so long as the HomePod mini is plugged in. (You can use a modern Apple TV to do the same thing.)
You can use a HomePod mini (or better yet, a pair of them) as a speaker for an Apple TV. I haven’t tested this feature, but I understand that you need to tell the Apple TV to start using the HomePod minis. (With a full-size HomePod, the Apple TV can connect automatically, plus the larger and more expensive HomePod can create surround sound.)
The HomePod mini also supports a new smartphone communication standard called Thread. This is a cross-platform alternative to HomeKit and similar services that allows devices from different companies to communicate with each other using a mesh network. For now, there are not many devices supporting the Thread protocol. But it has the support of Apple, Google, and Amazon, and my hope is that we will see widespread adoption of Thread in a few years. When that happens, the HomePod mini that you buy today will be ready. If you want to learn more about the Thread protocol and how the HomePod mini supports it, check out this article by Illinois attorney John Voorhees of MacStories.
Conclusion
The HomePod mini has been a pleasant surprise for me. I had some interest in and curiosity about the product when it was first announced, but I wasn’t rushing to buy it. However, after using two HomePod minis for two months, I like this product far more than I expected because it does so many things to well. For personal audio, I still use my AirPods Pro more often, especially if I am listening to something like a podcast that nobody else in my house would want to hear. But for playing music that can be enjoyed by many, the HomePod mini is great. Plus, it has so many other useful functions, such as asking Siri questions and controlling HomeKit devices. The HomePod mini was a nice addition to my house. I encourage you to think about whether you might want to get a pair — or more — for your home.
