Leaks Point to Apple Intelligence, Dynamic Island Controls for New Apple TV and HomePod
Beta code hints at new Apple TV 4K and HomePod features next week, including Apple Intelligence and Siri surround sound.
The report says Apple will unveil a fresh push into home products next week, with new Apple TV 4K, “HomePad,” and HomePod mini models set to launch. Leaks in the beta 3 releases of tvOS 27.2, HomePod 27.2, and iOS 27.2 reveal more of the features expected to accompany that hardware.
9to5Mac’s Aaron Perris found references in tvOS 27.2 beta 3 to Apple Intelligence coming to Apple TV. The features are headlined by Siri AI and are expected to be exclusive to new hardware, according to the report.
Perris also found code in iOS 27.2 that suggests nearby home accessories could show controls in the iPhone’s Dynamic Island.
On the HomePod side, the leaker pdfu posted several discoveries related to a surround sound feature previously detailed. In audioOS 27.2 beta 3, Siri can match a speaker to its surround system. The code includes the diagnostic “Accessory [X] is a speaker in surround system [Y].” The function relies on HomeKit exposing the surroundSystem interface.
When a HomePod is part of a Home Theater group for an eligible Apple TV, it can now use a new proxy-activation path to pass Siri requests to Apple TV. A separate, older path still forwards microphone audio to Apple TV, according to the findings.
The leaker also found evidence that Apple TV profiles are expanding their available image options by adding characters from Apple TV shows and movies. In addition to choosing from emoji, users will likely be able to make Ted Lasso, Mark S. from Severance, or Carol from Pluribus their profile image.
Apple TV profiles are expanding to iPhone and iPad for the first time in iOS and iPadOS 27.2, the report says. Until now, the profiles had been exclusive to tvOS.