How to Enable and Disable Smoke and CO Alarm on HomePod

Do you ever worry about the safety of your home when you’re not there to hear the smoke alarm? Well, Apple has introduced a new feature called Sound Recognition to help solve this problem. This feature is available on all Apple HomePod smart speakers and it sends an alert to your phone when the speaker detects the sound of a smoke or CO alarm. You can then check in through the Home app and hear what’s going on wherever you are.

This feature is easy to enable and completely free. If you already own one or more HomePods, it’s a cheaper option than investing in smart smoke alarms that regularly cost three to four times more than non-connected alarms.

The Sound Recognition feature works on all HomePods, including the first-gen, second-gen, and the Mini. Once enabled, the speakers will continuously listen for the unique signature of a smoke and/or CO alarm. When an alarm is heard, a critical alert notification will appear on any iPad, iPhone, or Apple Watch associated with that Apple Home. Clicking that alert lets you check in and hear what’s happening in your home and talk to whoever is there.

Apple has assured its users that all audio analysis happens on the speaker itself, and nothing is sent to the cloud. Additionally, the audio is end-to-end encrypted when you drop in on the speaker.

Enable Smoke and CO Alarm on HomePod

Sound Recognition is a feature that allows your Apple HomePod smart speakers to detect specific sounds, such as a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm, and notify you immediately. To use this feature, you need at least one HomePod and to have set up a Home in Apple’s Home app.

Your iPhone and any device associated with the Home must be on iOS 16.4 or later and upgraded to the new Apple Home architecture. If you have not upgraded, you can follow the steps on Apple’s website to do so.

To turn on Sound Recognition, open the Home app and tap the prompt about New Safety & Security Features. Then, turn on the feature. Sound Recognition is on for all your HomePods, although it may take up to a day to appear on every speaker.

If you do not see the prompt or choose not to turn it on, you can access the feature from the menu icon in the top left corner of the Home app homescreen. Scroll down to the list of device categories, select Safety & Security, and then Sound Recognition. Toggle on Smoke & CO Alarm, and select which HomePods you want to use to listen for the sound.

You can choose as many HomePods as you wish. Once you have completed these steps, your HomePods will listen for the specific sound and alert you if it is detected. This feature can provide an added level of safety and security for your home.

How to Disable This Feature

If you want to turn off the Smoke and CO Alarm monitoring feature on your HomePod, you can do so by following a few simple steps. First, go to the Settings page for the HomePod or stereo pair that you want to disable the feature on. Then, tap Sound Recognition.

To quickly disable the feature on an individual HomePod, simply tap on that HomePod in the Home screen of the Home app. Scroll down to the HomePod’s settings and toggle off Sound Recognition for the HomePod you want to stop listening.

Alternatively, you can turn off Smoke & CO Alarm under Sounds to disable the feature on all HomePods. To do so, toggle off the feature in the Settings page of the Home app. With these steps, you can easily turn off the Smoke and CO Alarm monitoring feature on your HomePod or stereo pair.