HomePod users can now set any music, podcast and audiobooks service as default

Apple updated its HomePod with the iOS 14 beta today and those changes now allow its owners to set a number of defaults that were in the past locked down.

With the iOS 14 beta 2 update today, users can now set their own default music, podcast and audiobook services if you prefer alternatives to Apple’s own Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and Apple Books. Now when you ask your HomePod to play something it will come from a source of your choosing.

If you like Spotify, Pandora, Deezer, Amazon Music and so on, you can now enjoy them with your HomePod. In the past if you want to play from an alternative source like the ones above, you have to use AirPlay, which for the average users, is a pain.

If you would like to try this your for yourself and you are already on iOS 14 beta 2, you can set the defaults through your Home app. Unfortunately, these features have not made it over to iOS 14 for iPhone or iPadOS, but perhaps the antitrust pressure Apple and other Trillion Dollar Goliaths are under will push them to give users more choice.