HomePod mini 2 Ships October 30, but Siri AI Comes Later

Apple’s HomePod mini 2 costs $149 in the U.S. and reaches stores on Friday, October 30. Siri AI, the feature Apple leads with, will not be on the speaker at launch.

Apple says Siri AI will come to HomePod mini 2 later, as a free software update. Using it will also require an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad in the home.

HomePod mini 2 in five colours lined up on a white background — Image: Apple

HomePod mini 2 Price, Colours and Availability

Price: $149 (U.S.)
Colours: pink, green, blue, white, midnight
Pre-orders: open today in the U.S. and more than 23 other countries and regions
In stores: Friday, October 30

Pre-orders run through apple.com/store and the Apple Store app. The October 30 date matches what we reported on October 11, and Apple has now confirmed it.

Siri AI Comes Later, and Needs an iPhone or iPad

When the update lands, Siri AI on HomePod mini 2 will work in English in these markets:

U.S. and Canada
UK and India
Australia and New Zealand
Singapore and South Africa

Apple’s release gives no date for that update. Its footnotes also set a condition. The owner of the home in the Home app needs an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad on the latest software, with Siri AI turned on.

Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Home Product Marketing, summed up the pitch in one line.

“HomePod mini 2 brings together Siri AI, gorgeous new colors, and incredible audio,” Drance said.

For buyers on October 30, the first part of that sentence is a promise rather than a shipping feature. Apple says Siri requests on the speaker can use on-device processing or its Private Cloud Compute servers. That privacy claim is Apple’s own.

What HomePod mini 2 Does at Launch

The speaker runs HomePod software 27.2 on Apple’s S10 chip. It plays 360-degree sound from a single unit and can be stereo-paired or used in multiroom setups.

A feature called Sound Glow makes the top light up in time with music, using colours from the album artwork. Voice control for Sound Glow needs an Apple Intelligence iPhone.

HomePod mini 2 can also act as a speaker for a Mac with Wi-Fi 6E or later. Paired with the new Apple TV 4K, it supports four-speaker surround sound. That needs four speakers in matching front and rear pairs.

Sound Recognition can listen for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Apple itself warns not to rely on it where you could be harmed, or in high-risk and emergency situations. Treat it as an extra alert, not a substitute for a working smoke or CO alarm.