Apple could soon let you easily build a surround sound setup with four HomePods

The Apple HomePod hasn’t been refreshed since the second-generation model launched in 2023. But it still remains one of the most appealing options for anyone who doesn’t mind being in the Apple ecosystem or spending more than they typically would on smart speakers. Apple also gives you the option of making the setup sound even better by combining two HomePod speakers in a stereo arrangement, which can also be used alongside Apple TV — something that Google Home speakers can’t even imagine doing without lagging, after getting its back broken by Sonos over patents. Now, Apple might be looking to expand support to a surround sound setup comprising four speakers.

Apple seems to be looking to support home surround sound setups featuring four HomePod speakers, set up in front-left, front-right, rear-left, and rear-right positions. Hints to this upcoming feature were found by a user named pdfu on the MacRumors Forums in the code of audioOS 27, the upcoming version of the operating system controlling HomePod speakers. Each of the four speakers supposedly assumes a dedicated role, with different tunings to create a spatial arrangement.

As per the code discovered by the curious user, the configuration with four speakers could only support HomePod (2nd Gen), but not the first HomePod or the HomePod Mini. Since the HomePod already uses automatic calibration for stereo arrangements, it would do the same for quad speakers. The surround system setup would also calculate the distance between speakers and measure timing offset based on that distance. It would also detect distance from walls or corners and compensate for reflections.

According to the findings, the quad speaker setup would also be automatically tuned to match the content. Bass, dialogs, and even Siri and other system sounds could have dedicated multi-channel audio mixes for video or Apple TV content, while music could get its own settings for bass, dynamic range, and EQ.

Users will also have the option to disable spatialization, in which only the two front speakers play in a stereo configuration, while the two rear speakers play an empty mix. Besides this, the setup could also include a low-latency mode.

Party Mode

In addition to the quad-speaker setup, Apple may also offer a Party Mode in which the speakers form a wider soundscape so the audio doesn’t feel concentrated in a single spot around the speakers.

This mode is specifically designed for stereo setups.

Upcoming hardware

The code from the quad-speaker setup also includes tuning presets for multiple different speakers. In addition to the HomePod (2nd Gen), Apple appears to be referring to an unidentified speaker, with tuning represented by the identifier “AID12007.” User pdfu believes this could either be a new generation of the HomePod or the HomePod Mini. While there have long been rumors that the latter may be getting refreshed, including from reliable sources such as Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, it’s difficult to say with certainty.

Apple has also tested an “SUV” configuration where the two front speakers are HomePod (2nd Gen), while the rear two speakers are the unidentified AID12007.