Image Credit: Deezer

The latest update to the music streaming service allows you to play Deezer hands free on HomePod and HomePod mini.

Following the release of iOS 14.5, you can now ask Siri on your iPhone to play music and set a preferred third-party streaming service such as Spotify, YouTube Music or Deezer. No more do you have to specify the service, such as “Hey Siri, play … on Spotify”.

Owners of the HomePod mini have been able to set a default third-party music streaming service for some time now, but until now, only Pandora utilised this abaility.

According to Deezer, 70% of smart speaker owners use voice controls to regularly play music. Today, Deezer subscribers will be able to play music, from Deezer’s catalogue of 73 million tracks, on HomePod mini and the (now discontinued) original HomePod. Once connected, you’ll simply be able to ask Siri to play any track, artist, album, favourite or playlist, by saying “Hey Siri, play my Flow” for example. You can also like, dislike, repeat or shuffle the music, totally hands free.

The new feature also applies to FLAC and high quality music streamed via Deezer HiFi. This will let subscribers play high fidelity music from the original HomePod or the small but impressively powerful HomePod mini.

The update is available for Premium, HiFi, Family and Student members in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Spain, UK and USA. Make sure you’re on iOS 14.3 or above and the latest HomePod software. To get started, head to the Deezer app and connect your account with your speaker in the settings.

HomePod owners can continue to play music from any music source on an iPhone using AirPlay 2, but this update removes that extra step.

Our listeners don’t have to compromise on audio quality thanks to HomePod. HiFi users can still enjoy all of their favorite tunes in true lossless audio. But, don’t worry, even if you don’t have HiFi, Deezer on Apple HomePod is the perfect at home companion when you need to multitask or want to give your eyes and fingers a break.

Nicolas Pinoteau, Director of Partnership Solutions, Deezer

Click here to see Apple’s HomePod mini, Google’s Nest Audio and Amazon’s Echo $100 smart speakers compared.