How to Connect Apple HomePod to TV

HomePod by Apple is a voice-activated smart speaker that delivers clear, space-filling sound like its competitors with ease Google Home and Amazon Echo . As a standalone speaker, HomePod can serve as a sound source for digital TV. However, the HomePod has a few limitations worth noting.

In this guide, we provide instructions on how to connect your HomePod to your TV.

What you need to connect HomePod and TV

Top view of homemade pod with siri — Apple Inc.

To connect your HomePod to your TV, you’ll need the following:

Apple HomePod.
four — 1st generation Apple TV or Apple TV 4K with Bluetooth enabled.
Both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
Both devices use the same Apple ID .

HomePod cannot be connected directly to a TV. As a Bluetooth wireless device, HomePod must connect to your Apple TV via Airplay to play sound from the TV.

Playing Apple TV Audio with HomePod

After you set up HomePod you will need to make it the audio source for your Apple TV. This lets you play audio from Apple TV content on your HomePod instead of your TV.

On Apple TV, open Appendix » Settings» .
Select Video and Audio .
Select Audio output .
Choose a name for your HomePod. A checkmark will appear next to it, indicating that audio from the Apple TV will be sent to the HomePod.

Shortcut to play Apple TV via HomePod

There is another, easier way to send audio to HomePod, although not all Apple TV apps support this shortcut.

Start playing content in a compatible app.
Swipe down on the Apple TV remote to open menu Audio Subtitles Audio . (If you don’t see this menu when you swipe down, the app is not compatible with this option and you should use other instructions.)
Select Audio .
AT menu speaker select the name of your HomePod so that a checkmark appears next to it. The sound will start playing through the HomePod.

Limitations of HomePod and Apple TV

Homepod in the whole white room — Apple Inc.

While connecting a HomePod to a TV is pretty straightforward, it’s not ideal for home theater sound. This is because the HomePod is designed primarily for audio and does not support surround sound features.

For the best sounding on TV and movies, you need a speaker system that offers surround sound or multi-channel audio, which can play audio in multiple directions. This provides a more immersive sound experience with sound moving in all directions, just like in a movie theater. This can usually be done with a speaker on each side of the TV, or with soundbar with independent left and right speakers.

HomePod does not support multi-channel audio, but with AirPlay 2 it does support stereo audio. This means that it can transmit two channels of audio (left and right). This is great for music, but still not ideal for a home theater system that must have at least 5.1 channel system .