Temperature sensor included in HomePod mini - two years after the release of the column

Yesterday Apple introduced the second generation of the HomePod speaker. Outwardly, it does not differ from the first, but it received a number of new chips, including support for Spatial Audio surround sound, the ability to give Siri commands by voice, and a temperature and humidity sensor.

The latter will allow you to create new scenarios for the operation of a smart home without the use of third-party sensors, and also ask Siri about the temperature or humidity in the house (and even individual rooms, if the speakers some).

It is noteworthy that back in 2021 Bloomberg and iFixit found a similar sensor manufactured by Texas Instruments in HomePod mini, but so far the function has not been used in any way. But after the presentation of the second HomePod, the HomePod mini page was unexpectedly updated with information about this sensor. Now the sensor is listed in the characteristics list along with the following explanation:

Apple representative told The Verge edition that users of the column will not have to do anything: in the next firmware update, the sensor will turn on automatically. However, for some users everything has already worked, as evidenced by the posts on Twitter And on reddit.