YouTube Music can be a default service on the Apple HomePod now

The Verge

YouTube Music is now compatible with HomePods, as announced by the product head Brandon Bilinski on Reddit. You can now ask Siri to play songs from the service or make it your default music source on your Apple smart speakers. You can follow the steps on this support page to set it up.

HomePods have limited options for third-party music services so far. Besides YouTube Music, only Deezer and Pandora have added support so far. Spotify can be controlled by Siri on HomePods, but not connected directly to the speakers.

To use YouTube Music on your HomePods, you need a YouTube Music or YouTube Premium account. In the app, tap your user icon, then Settings > Connected Apps > Connect with HomePod. To make it your default service, open the Home App, tap the settings icon, then Home Settings > Your username > Default Service.

If you don’t see the "Connected Apps" option in YouTube Music, try closing and reopening the app. You may also need to update the app to the latest version.

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YouTube Music is testing song lyrics casting

Source: u/PmMeYourChromebook / Reddit

It might not be like the recently launched Apple Music Sing feature, but it looks like YouTube Music wants to at least catch up with Spotify. Reddit user u/PmMeYourChromebook spotted a test running on the music streaming service where scrolling lyrics are shown alongside the album art and track details on a compatible display. The Reddit user tested it on a Pixel 6 Pro and Chromecast Ultra.

The feature looks like it's optimized for larger screens as it shows a few lines of lyrics at a time, with the current line highlighted as the song goes. It's similar to Spotify, although that shows most of the lyrics it can as the track song continues. For songs with lyrics available, they will pop up as soon as it starts. The album art is relegated to the right side with the title and singer. Songwriters are credited near the end of the song. It's unclear when Google plans to bring this to YouTube, but we'll keep our eye out for it.

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YouTube Music on the iPad gets Now Playing redesign

It took a while, but YouTube Music on the iPad finally gets YouTube Music's revamped Now Playing design. The cover art is no longer edge-to-edge, but you still get the song/video switcher at the top with the Cast next to the Cast option. The overflow menu is accessible from the top-right corner. It has thumbs up and down options flanking the cover art, song name, and title. At the bottom, you have the controls for playing and pausing the music, back and following buttons, and the shuffle and repeat options.

It doesn't get the Android tablet's two-column design, which can show you the queue next to the controls. 9to5Google noted a bug with the cover art taking up the entire screen when you rotate from the portrait orientation. So, if you're experiencing that, then you know what's happening.

YouTube Music recommendations shows up in Android 12

Source: 9to5Google

YouTube Music wants to make it easier for you to check out music recommendations on Android 12. It will automatically display recent albums and playlists when connecting an audio device like headphones or Bluetooth speakers. It'll also show up in your Quick Settings. There's the app icon and app name in the top-left corner. When you open Quick Settings, six albums are on display, while the lockscreen can show you three.

If you tap on any of the albums, it'll immediately start playback and switch you to the Now Playing controls. 9to5Google reports seeing the recommendations consistently when connecting headphones on Android 12.