Apple is bringing a helpful change to its smart speakers with an upcoming software update. Users testing the beta version noticed a new toggle inside the Home app that turns off the physical touch panel on top of the HomePod. This addition gives you more control over the device and stops accidental taps from changing your music or waking up Siri when cleaning or moving the speaker.
How to find and use the new lock controls setting
The new feature lives inside the device settings of your Home app. When you open the app and tap on your speaker, you will see a toggle labeled Lock Controls right under the accessibility section. Turning this toggle on completely disables the touch surface on top of the device.
This means kids or pets can no longer pause your music or trigger commands by touching the top. You can also wipe dust off the glass without pausing your current song or starting a random playlist. If you need to use the touch panel again, you just flip the toggle back off in the app.
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Developers are already testing these features after the company pushed out the iOS 27.2 release candidate to everyone enrolled in the testing program.
The update rolls out alongside other device software versions
This new speaker setting arrives as part of a much wider software release from Apple. The company is busy preparing updates for almost every piece of hardware it makes. You can expect to see this feature go live for the public very soon.
Alongside the phone update, you will see new software drops for your watch, television set-top box, and mixed reality headset. The tech giant has already made the release candidates for watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS available to testers. This means the final versions are just around the corner, ready to bring these small but welcome changes to your living room.
Giving users the choice to turn off the touch surface solves a very common problem. It shows that the company pays attention to how people actually use its products at home. Once the new software installs on your phone, managing your smart speaker will be much easier and require less worry about accidental touches.
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