THE Apple launched audioOS 12.0 (Ma's operating system that HomePod) just over two months ago, and although the software has brought good features to the company's smart speaker, many users still do not know or have adapted to the news.
Here in Brazil, this may have a lot to do with the fact that Crab, on HomePod, still not being compatible with the Portuguese, making this interaction a little more complicated for many people. However, Apple's personal assistant already understands Spanish and French (from Canada) very well if you are more familiar with those languages. 😉
As we mentioned, it is now possible to define multiple timers in HomePod for different tasks; previously, the user could create only one at a time. This is certainly a favorable feature for those who use the HomePod in the bedroom or kitchen and need to stay connected in time.
Before you start, make sure your HomePod and iPhone are up to date. Generally, the speaker automatically updates to the latest available version; however, to check this information, access the Casa app (Home) on the iPhone and tap the little house cone in the upper left corner of the screen. Then, tap on “Software Update”.
Setting up multiple timers
Follow the steps below to define multiple timers In this tutorial, we will adopt English as the default speaker language as Siri still doesn’t speak Portuguese.
- Summon Siri by saying "Hey Siri" or by touching the HomePod top surface for a few seconds.
- It is possible to name a timer saying its purpose, for example: "Hey Siri, set a twenty-five minute french fries timer" (something like "Hey, Siri, set a 25-minute timer for fries").
- To define a second or how many others timers you want, repeat the same step changing the time and / or the name of the timer. Make sure to name them, otherwise, Siri will remind you after the set time, for example: “There is one minute left on the twenty-five minute timer” (“1 minute to go timer 25 minutes ”).
To check the remaining time for a timer, just call Siri from the remote "Hey Siri" and ask about the progress of that task, for example: "Hey Siri, how’s the french fries timer?" ("What's up, Siri, how's the potato timer?"). If you have created several timers and you want to know all about them, you can ask Siri to list them: "Hey Siri, list the timers" (“And, Siri, list all timers“).
After one timer, the termination noise sounds and Siri informs you which alert has been completed. As usual, the user can touch the top of the HomePod to silence the timer or ask Siri to turn it off. In the case of multiple timers, it is also possible to ask Siri to finish them all at once, from the command: "Hey Siri, stop all of the timers" (“And, Siri, stop all timers“).
Setting reminders
If you don't need one timer, create reminders for Siri to notify you when a certain period of time is met. The option to create multiple reminders was already available before the audioOS update and can also help a lot of users.
The process for creating reminders is also very simple, see:
- Summon Siri by saying "Hey Siri" or by touching the top surface of the HomePod for a few seconds.
- Say the reminder and the time you would like to be remembered, for example: "Hey Siri, remind me to check the cookies in ten minutes" (“And, Siri, remember to look at the cookie in 10 minutes").
In the case above, this creates a reminder (no one timer) and Siri will remind you at the end of the set time. The disadvantage of this method is that, unlike timer, Siri will not warn you about the end of the timer, informing you only at the end. In addition, the reminder will remain on the list and alert you as long as you do not mark it as completed.
Alarms
Another way to use HomePod to define timers from the good old alarm. We usually set an alarm to wake up, since your alerts are continuous. However, this function can also serve to define the time of an activity. Just like the other two steps above, use Siri to set alarms quickly and conveniently:
- Summon Siri by saying "Hey Siri" or by touching the top surface of the HomePod for a few seconds.
- Ask the assistant to create an alarm according to your need, for example: "Hey Siri, set an alarm for twelve minutes to check my food" ("So, Siri, set a 25-minute alarm for me to look at the food").
Like the reminder, the alarm sounds after the set time, doubling the final result of a timer. However, in the same way as the other method, Siri will not inform you of the approaching end of the alarm and it will remain on your list until you delete it, which can be annoying for something you only wanted to use once. To delete them, just ask Siri: "Hey Siri, delete all alarms" ("So, Siri, clear all alarms").
While the HomePod does not become compatible with the Portuguese, it remains for us to use the available means and make the most of the resources of Ma's smart speaker.
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via iMore
