The long-anticipated U1-based music Handoff music feature finally arrived to the HomePod mini with Apple's release of its new iOS 14.4 Beta 1 update.
The new iOS 14.4 Beta 1 update, aside from bringing the usual fixes for previous versions' bugs, also brought along three other notable changes. These are the updated HomePod mini handoff experience, some improvements to the Shortcuts app, and a new accessibility feature.
Testing the new HomePod mini music Handoff feature in iOS 14.4 https://t.co/jL0Qi4OSEL pic.twitter.com/NsgIbxeDBM — GizmoLO (@SuriLike) December 17, 2020
The new version of the music Handoff feature, which came along with Apple's iOS 14.4 Beta 1 update, makes use of the HomePod mini's U1 chip to keep track accurately of the whereabouts of other U1 devices, like the iPhone for instance. Using the U1 chip allows Apple to generate a more reliable and immersive version of the music Handoff feature.
If you have a HomePod mini running 14.4 and an iPhone recently updated with Apple's iOS 14.4 Beta 1, both of the versions are presently in beta, you will notice several things happen. For one, when you bring your iPhone near the HomePod mini, the small and dim light found at the top of the speaker starts to glow brighter as the phone gets closer. This is aside from the new music Handoff feature that the update brought. You will also notice your phone will start to vibrate, which increases in intensity, as your phone gets closer to the HomePod mini.
As you start bringing your phone and HomePod mini together, you will see a status bar appearing at the top of your iPhone's display. You will see an icon of the HomePod mini and its name, as well as the location of the device. You can then tap it to pass over your audio manually, or continue on moving the two devices closer until it passes over the audio automatically. This is one of the best features of the new music Handoff feature, which came along with Apple's iOS 14.4 Beta 1 update. When the two devices are close enough, the HomePod mini's light will start flashing and your iPhone's audio will then transfer to the HomePod or vice versa.
Once the audio transfer is complete, a card will appear on your iPhone showing the huge album art, the title of the music currently playing, and audio controls, as well as an AirPlay button for rerouting the audio. While the new music Handoff feature that came along with Apple's iOS 14.4 Beta 1 update is still a bit buggy, the improvement brings you a more satisfying experience compared to its previous version.
Another change that Apple's iOS 14.4 Beta 1 update brought along, aside from the music Handoff feature, is the enhancement to the Shortcuts app's wallpaper workflow. If "preview" is toggled off when setting a wallpaper through Shortcuts, a new option that allows you to enable or disable perspective zoom will appear. In the case of accessibility, Apple's iOS 14.4 Beta 1 update also brought the new Direct Touch feature, which allows VoiceOver users to interact with an app directly without the need for further interaction.
