Apple released tvOS 27.2.1 and HomePod Software 27.2.1 on 13 November. The Apple TV update is the one with news in it: older Apple TV 4K boxes, the second and third generations, can now run Siri AI. The HomePod update, which some owners hoped would do the same for the new HomePod mini 2, does not.
On the Apple TV, Siri AI is switched off after the update. Owners have to open Settings, go to General, then Siri, and turn on Siri AI (Beta), which starts a download. If you install the update and do nothing else, the older Siri stays in place. The feature needs an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence paired with the box, which means an iPhone 15 Pro or newer. The new 4th-generation Apple TV 4K, which reached customers the same day, got Siri AI in the tvOS 27.2 build it launched with. The update is installed from Settings, System, Software Update, and it also carries security fixes.
The HomePod side is less clear-cut. Apple’s release notes for HomePod Software 27.2.1 say only “This update provides bug fixes.” Apple promised Siri AI for the HomePod mini 2 through a future update when the speaker launched in October, and its website still describes the feature as “coming in a future software update” with no date given. pdfu, who tracks Apple’s software builds, posted that the 27.2.1 audio build does not enable Siri AI on any HomePod model.
pdfu also warned Apple TV owners on the beta track not to move to tvOS 27.3 beta 1 if they want Siri AI, because that build lacks it. Anyone already on that beta will have to wait for the next one.
Siri AI is the smarter assistant Apple announced earlier this year, and on these boxes the heavy lifting depends on the iPhone sitting next to them. Until the HomePod gets its own update, owners of the speaker stay on the older Siri.
The mix of results shows how Apple is rolling Siri AI out: the boxes that have a clear way to pair with an Apple Intelligence iPhone got it first, and the speaker has no timetable. Our earlier post covers the Siri AI beta on Apple TV in more detail.
