In this episode of iOS DecodeWe take HomePod’s new Sound Glow feature for a test drive and try out the new Lock Controls feature to prevent accidental activation of its top cap.
We’re also going hands-on with other changes, like the handy new profile option for the TV app and suggested actions for messages. Continue watching and listening to some of the assets and sounds of Apple TV’s new surround-sound home theater functionality.
Watch our full hands-on video as we dive into these changes and much more, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more.
Sound shine
Starting with iOS 27.2, the HomePod mini will be seen in the 2.
Sound Glow transforms the top cap into a color-matched animated visual canvas that matches the album art. The screen flashes and pulses in concert with the currently playing song or podcast, reacting to changes in bass and treble. For soundscape ambient sounds such as rain, forest, fireplace, etc., bespoke RGB animations are used instead of the Sound Glow audio processing pipeline, as soundscapes are very different from music.
Video: iOS 27.2 top features
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Users who have updated their iOS devices and HomePods to 27.2 will find a new one Sound shine toggle in the Home app under the HomePod settings.
I’ve tested Sound Glow quite extensively, and I’m impressed with the feature. It gives music playback a slightly unique experience with each song. I’m also impressed by the sheer vibrancy of the display, as Apple clearly uses all the LEDs embedded under the top cap to generate unique colors based on the current song.
Sound Glow is vibrant, but it’s not extremely bright, and won’t light up your room or anything. But if you place your HomePod in an area where the top cap is easily visible, it’s a really nice addition.
What’s more notable is that Sound Glow isn’t just limited to new hardware like Apple’s recently announced HomePod mini 2. The feature also works with the first-generation HomePod mini and the second-generation full-size HomePod.
We’ve known for a long time about the LED matrix display that sits below the touch sensor, but it makes you wonder how long Apple sat on such a feature internally before it decided to announce it during the HomePod Mini section of Apple’s recent HomeView hardware unveiling. My takeaway: Sound Glow may look simple on the surface, but there’s a lot of impressive engineering under the hood that generates these animations!
Lock controls
Another new HomePod-focused feature found in iOS 17.2 is the ability to lock the touch surface to prevent accidental as well as intentional interactions. User will find a new one Lock controls switch when you open the HomePod settings in the Home app. Enabling this feature will disable touch interactions for touch, touch and hold, and volume controls.
If you touch the top cap with Lock Controls enabled, you’ll see a red animation that shakes back and forth as if it’s saying “no.”
As I mentioned in the video walkthrough above, my cat sometimes paws at the top cap, causing the HomePod to play music. Enabling lock controls would eliminate this issue while still allowing human household members to control Siri by voice or through another iOS device.
In addition, Apple notes that Lock Controls do not interfere with the ability to use features such as timers, intercom alerts, check-in or FaceTime calls via touch. All these elements remain responsive to a touch of the top cap.
Apple TV profiles
The TV app on iOS 27.2 now supports creating new profiles and switching between them, something we already used on tvOS. This feature is especially useful if you have small children who enjoy using your phone to watch content via the TV app. Now you can easily switch to your child’s profile, and they can enjoy their content without affecting your profile. In other words, no more episodes of Duck & Goose or Frog and toad Trash your Up Next queue.
Proposed actions
The Suggested Actions feature for the Messages app first appeared in the initial iOS 27 betas but was eventually removed before iOS 27 shipped. Now, in iOS 27.2, Apple is ready to ship the feature that automatically suggests actions based on what’s in your message thread. For example, if you paste an address, you might get one Open to cards Suggestion, or if you type in a date, and Add to calendar suggestion may appear.
Users can fine-tune the types of suggestions presented in Settings → Messages → Suggested Actions. There you can turn on or off Add to Calendar, Reminders, Notes, Show a Maps, and Flight and Packages suggestions. Apple also notes that suggestions you don’t use will expire after a month.
Apple TV Home Theater Setup
We’ve discovered a lot of interesting new assets that give us a behind-the-scenes look at the setup process for the fourth-generation Apple TV’s home theater capability, made possible by adding four HomePods in two separate stereo pairs.
We also get a look at some of the animations used during that process, along with some impressive sounds celebration Animation when you successfully calibrate your home theater. You can listen to the corresponding sound just below:
9to5Mac’s take
These features are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of everything we discovered in the iOS 17.2 beta. In our hands-on video, we discuss details about unreleased iPhone and iPad hardware we found. I’ll let you hear and see lots of new sounds and assets from the HomeView setup process, and more. Stay tuned for future episodes of iOS Decoded where we go deeper than the surface level in terms of new iOS releases!
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