The latest beta version of the firmware for the Apple HomePod appears to include an option to enable lossless audio.
Of course: it is and remains a beta version. Which means it’s not 100 percent certain whether the lossless option for the Apple HomePod will eventually make it into the final version of the firmware. But if not with this update, then the next one will.
In any case, it is now clear that the HomePod can handle lossless or uncompressed audio streams, which is always good news. Via a trick it was (and is) already possible to play lossless sound on the HomePod with ‘old’ firmware. 9to5mac explains how to do that exactly. That same 9to5mac, by the way, also discovered the new lossless option in the beta firmware.
Beware of betas
Be very careful when installing beta versions (or test versions that are obviously not called that for nothing) of software in general and firmware in particular. Recently, users of the Apple HomePod complained that their smart speaker stopped working. In this particular case, it turned out that the trouble was not only in the beta versions but that the HomePods equipped with regular firmware also went down. Although it could be that the problems arise when using a mix of HomePods in the house, some of which are running on the beta firmware. In any case, we think it’s wise to wait and see before installing an update.