Apple is officially rolling out support for Sound Recognition on the HomePod (2nd generation) and HomePod mini today, according to a TechCrunch report,

Apple described the Sound Recognition feature availability for users of its smart speaker as coming “later this spring” in its January press release for the second-generation HomePod. Apple appears to have delivered on this promise with the feature rolling out over-the-air (OTA) for HomePod (2nd generation) and HomePod mini devices running Software Version 16.4.1

HomePod Sound Recognition

The Sound Recognition feature, originally debuted on the iPhone with iOS 14, enables iPhones and now HomePod speakers with Software Version 16.4.1 to listen for specific sounds and then send users notifications based on the sounds it detected, including support for carbon monoxide alarms, smoke detectors, crying babies, barking dogs, doorbell rings, and more.

The feature is handy for those who do not own HomeKit-equipped doorbells or smoke detectors, allowing users to receive sound notifications from their Apple smart speakers on their iPhones while away from home. The feature is built with user privacy in mind working on the same deep neural network (DNN) sound detection protocol as the “Hey Siri” feature, meaning sound recognition is processed on-device and not sent to Apple servers. Users can configure the feature by visiting Settings > Accessibility > Sound Recognition.