You can now jailbreak the HomePod, but maybe not

While you’ve been able to jailbreak iPhones and iPads for years, the same can’t be said for HomePods. Until now. If you want, you can now jailbreak the first generation HomePod via the latest Checkra1n update. Yeah, I guess?

Jailbreaking has become less popular over the years, but the main draw is to bypass Apple’s software restrictions to get apps not shown in the App Store or features that Apple just hasn’t introduced yet. other platforms. As reported by Mac 9to5, Twitter user L1ngL1ng shared a screenshot last week, showing them access to the HomePod operating system. However, as the Checkra1n release notes say, this is a jailbreak that only partially supports the HomePod and does not work with the new one. HomePod Mini.

So what would you do if you had to jailbreak a HomePod? Apparently, you could replace Siri with more competent assistance, because Siri is one of the main reasons why the HomePod is a lackluster smart speaker to begin with. You might also be able to find a way to install Spotify there natively (although the AirPlay 2 workaround is pretty decent). Freeing HomeKit’s HomePod as a smart home hub? Or maybe you could just change the touchpad interface if that’s not right for you. Either way, we’ll have to see what the developers come up with given that the jailbreak only partially supports the HomePod.

However, jailbreaking comes with risks. Above all, you are going to shell out for a pretty expensive speaker and void the warranty. Also, jailbreaks are not guaranteed to work on future software updates, so you might not get the new features that Apple created for a long time. On top of that, you’ll miss out on security updates – which in the case of anything smart home is not great from a security perspective.

For $ 300 and all that hassle, you should probably buy another smart speaker. The $ 100 Nest Audio and fourth generation Amazon Echo both offer better digital assistants and more widely supported smart home controls. They aren’t too shabby in the audio department, either, and I would venture that after trying both, the Echo Ball’s bass could give the HomePod a run for its money. Meanwhile, the Sonos One costs $ 200 and supports Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, and you can use it to create a home theater setup (which Apple says will arrive on the HomePod this year). In addition, Sonos speakers support AirPlay 2 which makes it very very easy to fit into your Apple gadget ecosystem.

The main reason to buy a HomePod (or a HomePod Mini) is its Apple-ness. If you can somehow handle Siri’s incompetence, that’s fine. It’s the smart speaker for people so deep in the Apple ecosystem that there’s less appeal to invest in third-party hardware. For everyone else, there are several other, easier, less expensive, and no-warranty ways to set up a home theater or smart home.