The best tips and tricks for getting the most out of your HomePod

The HomePod is enjoying a bit of a resurgence now that Apple has slashed the price by $50, and I suspect a lot of you are wondering what you can do with Apple’s essentially buttonless smart speaker.

Let’s get this out of the way: No, it still doesn’t do as many things as your average Alexa-powered speaker. It can, however, do a heck of a lot more than it could do at launch thanks to a couple of big patches Apple rolled out last year—though many features aren’t obvious. Follow the tips below, and you’ll find that HomePod can feel like a member of the family, after all.

A quick note: You’ll need to set up Personal Requests to use some of these features. Once you’ve set up your HomePod, open to the Home app on your iPhone and then press the house icon in the upper left. In the menu that pops up, you’ll see your name under People.