HomePod (1st generation): what it still does in Apple Home

The original HomePod went on sale in the UK on 9 February 2018 at £319. Apple no longer sells it. The HomePod on apple.com/uk today is HomePod (2nd generation).

What it can still do

• AirPlay 2. Apple’s specifications list “Multiroom audio with AirPlay 2”.
• Home hub, as Apple described it at launch. In 2018 Apple said HomePod “serves as the perfect home hub, enabling remote access and automations”.

Keep the two roles apart. AirPlay 2 is how audio reaches a speaker. It does not make a speaker a HomeKit hub, and most AirPlay 2 speakers in this directory are not hubs at all.

What Apple does not list for it

This is the part an owner needs to read before relying on it as the only hub in the house.

• The current Home architecture. Apple’s current hub pages say “HomePod” without naming a generation. Apple does not state whether the first-generation model works as a hub on the current Apple Home.
• The updated Home architecture of October 2026. Apple says it requires all Apple devices that access the home to use the latest software. Apple does not say which existing hubs it supports.
• Thread. Apple’s specifications for this model list 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO and Bluetooth 5.0. They do not list Thread.
• Temperature and humidity. Apple names HomePod mini and HomePod (2nd generation) as having the sensor. It does not name this model.
• Matter. Apple does not list Matter for this model.

Apple ended support for the previous version of Apple Home on 10 February 2026.

Specifications

The A8 chip, 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO, direct guest access and Bluetooth 5.0.

What replaces it

HomePod (2nd generation), at £349. Apple lists Thread networking technology, a temperature and humidity sensor and an accelerometer for it, and calls it “your smart home hub”.

If the hub matters more to you than the speaker, HomePod mini 2 at £149 does the same hub job and also lists Thread and a temperature and humidity sensor.

For AirPlay 2 speakers from other makers, see AirPlay-enabled speakers.

Specifications