Apple has added HomePod surround sound setup to the tvOS 27.2 release candidate, with support for four speakers. The same support is in iOS 27.2 and HomePod Software 27.2, which Apple seeded on October 19, so the software is ready before the hardware it needs goes on sale.
Setup happens directly on the Apple TV, with an option to start the process from the Apple TV remote app on iPhone, MacRumors noted. Combining the speakers with an Apple TV creates a home theater group, and that group is treated as a single accessory instead of four separate audio devices.
HomePod surround sound setup runs on the Apple TV and groups four speakers into one home theater
The new Apple TV 4K (4th generation) and the speakers work out where each one sits, and audio timing and levels are calibrated to the room automatically. The Apple TV also has to be running the latest operating system software for any of this to work.
Testers got a rough version of the feature in earlier tvOS 27.2 betas. audioOS 27.2 beta 3 code then showed Siri matching a HomePod to its surround system, and a HomePod in a home theater group handing Siri requests to the Apple TV. A release candidate is meant to be the exact build that ships, so the setup flow is unlikely to change much from here.
Only HomePod mini 2 and HomePod (2nd generation) speakers work, in matching pairs
The setup supports two speaker models, HomePod mini 2 and HomePod (2nd generation). You can use four HomePod mini 2 speakers, four HomePod (2nd generation) speakers, or two of each. The front pair has to match, and so does the rear pair, so Apple’s own example puts two HomePod (2nd generation) speakers in front and two HomePod mini 2 speakers at the back.
The original HomePod and the original HomePod mini can’t be used for surround sound. Older Apple TV models don’t support it either, even though Apple TV 4K (2nd generation) and later models are getting Siri AI with tvOS 27.2.
At list price, four HomePod mini 2 speakers at $149 each plus the Apple TV 4K (4th generation) at $299 come to $895. That is the entry point for a complete four-speaker system.
Apple should release the update next week, ahead of both new products
iOS 27.2, tvOS 27.2, and HomePod Software 27.2 are expected to come out next week, though Apple has not announced a date. HomePod mini 2 can be pre-ordered now and reaches stores on Friday, October 30.
That gives buyers the speakers two weeks before the Apple TV 4K (4th generation) goes on sale on Friday, November 13, the earliest date a four-speaker system can run.
