Apple HomePod Pairing with Unique Audio Tones Michael Kwan September 4, 2017 News Pairing your smartphone with your Bluetooth speaker isn’t a total pain the rear end, but typically do have to jump through a few hoops. There’s the whole thing with “discovery” and pairing and passcodes and all the rest of it. NFC helps where it’s available, but the process for Apple HomePod pairing could be even more convenient. The rumor floating around the Internet is that Apple’s upcoming foray into the smart speaker arena could utilize a new pairing method involving special audio tones. You can probably guess where this is going. The HomePod plays this unique tone, your iPhone detects it, and then you’re ready to rock with blasting everything from iTunes and Apple Music. This way, you don’t have to bumble with authentication and passcodes and all the rest of it. That’s what you see in the screenshot above, showing that an iPhone will be “listening to a tone from the HomePod.” One of my favorite features of the Linksys Velop mesh Wi-Fi system is that my phone connects to the router via Bluetooth automatically through the setup app. I don’t have to choose it or authenticate it or anything. This tone-based system for HomePod pairing seems fundamentally similar. You know how you can pair your Apple Watch to your iPhone by using the visual swirly pattern thing? This is the same idea, except using an audio tone instead. This follows in other unique pairing systems for the Apple TV and the Apple AirPods. Seeing how the HomePod won’t have Bluetooth or NFC, this seems like a very solid and even preferable alternative. The Apple HomePod is expected to launch this December, priced at $349 US. It’ll come equipped with the Siri voice assistant and come in your choice of either white or space gray. Share This With The World!