Users can now pair two HomePods in stereo mode and configure them as audio output on the iPhone, iPad and even Apple TV. However, using a stereo pair of HomePods on a Mac is not so easy. The macOS Big Sur 11.3 beta, released today for developers, finally adds an option to set HomePods paired with stereo as the standard sound output on the Mac.
In previous versions of macOS, HomePods paired with stereo were available as an option in the Music app or for other AirPlay content, but you had to select them for each content via the AirPlay menu. When trying to choose HomePods paired with stereo as a standard option, macOS shows the left and right sides as separate outputs.
With macOS Big Sur 11.3 beta installed, the system now shows a HomePod pair as a single option in the sound output list instead of showing each HomePod separately. After clicking on the pair of HomePods, the system will automatically use them to play sounds in stereo mode.
The feature is still not working consistently, but it is still a big step compared to the experience Mac users have had with HomePod so far. It is important to note that this only allows you to use two HomePods to play stereo sound from media such as music and videos in different applications, but the system sounds will remain playing only on the Mac’s built-in speakers.
As pointed out by my 9to5Mac colleague Ben Lovejoy, Apple never implemented AirPlay 2 on macOS, adding it only to some native applications on the system. This may suggest that the company is finally rolling out its latest system-wide audio protocol.
The reason for this is, incredibly, because the macOS system doesn’t natively support AirPlay 2, only AirPlay 1. Yes, the latest version of Apple’s main operating system doesn’t support the latest version of Apple’s own audio protocol. . Apple incorporated the protocols in its audio applications, but not on macOS itself.
MacOS Big Sur 11.3 is now available exclusively to developers and it is unclear when Apple plans to release it to the public.
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