Are you the proud owner of the brand new HomePod 2 or the HomePod mini? If so, you have access to temperature and humidity sensors right at your fingertips! With the recent iOS 16.3/HomePod software 16.3 update, you can now accurately measure temperature and humidity in your home. Here’s our guide on how to set up and use HomePod temperature and humidity sensors, as well as look at some very useful ways to bring the same functionality to the Home automation app without a HomePod.
Temperature and humidity sensors are both features of the HomePod 2 and HomePod mini that are activated with the 16.3 update. The new sensors are different from the primary thermostat in your home. That said, this feature can still be incredibly useful for automations. Turning on your furnace or A/C, a smart plug for controlling a heater or a humidifier. Adding this feature to the Home app with third-party devices can also be a great plus.
To get started with the HomePod temperature and humidity sensors, this is what you need to do. To begin, make sure that your iPhone and HomePod mini/HomePod 2 are both running iOS 16.3/HomePod software 16.3. If your HomePod 2 is shipping with 16.0, head to the Home app, find the HomePod, swipe down to the gear icon, then search for any available update at the top.
From there, open the Home app, tap on Climate, and you should see a temperature and humidity range. Tapping on it will show you all of your HomePods and devices that are reporting data. After updating your HomePods to 16.3, you may see a Calibrating message before live data is available.
To get your HomePod temperature and humidity sensors up and running, you can rename it, create an automation, and then dial in other settings. One example of how to use HomePod temperature and humidity sensors is detailed in Derek’s video.
If you’re looking for a way to get temperature and humidity sensors in your home without a HomePod, you can always depend on third-party devices. Eve Room with Thread at $99 is a perfect HomeKit-enabled device, offering sensors for temperature, humidity, and VOC concentration. Plus, it has a high-contrast e-ink screen to view readings in the Home app.
Other great options to get temperature and humidity sensors without HomePod are the ONVIS Smart Sensor at $26, the Philips Hue Motion Sensor at $40, as well as ecobee room sensors at $79.
With all of these options, you can now measure temperature and humidity accurately across your home, and set up custom automations with the HomePods you have set up. What do you think of this feature? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
