Deezer is the latest music streaming service to announce native HomePod integration. When the HomePod launched, it required an Apple Music subscription to play music natively—that is, without using AirPlay. But last year, Apple opened up the APIs to support third-party services.
The API was introduced in iOS 14.3 last fall. Pandora was the first service to come on board. Spotify shared its frustration at being locked out of the HomePod in 2017. However, the company has not yet announced any plans to adopt the API now that it is available. Be that as it may. Now Deezer has announcedto support the API. This means that users will be able to configure Deezer as the default music service on the HomePod mini (and the now-discontinued full-size HomePod).
HomePod: Deezer users can get started right away
After setup, users can ask the HomePod to play songs, albums and playlists via Siri. Instead of using Apple Music, the device streams directly from the Deezer service. According to Deezer, the HomePod can even stream high-quality, lossless music, provided the user has a Deezer HiFi subscription. However, the integration does not extend to podcasts or live audio content from Deezer; it only covers music. So anyone who has a HomePod and a Deezer subscription can get started right away with the latest version. (Image: Deezer)
