Apple HomePod Mini may have an extra sensor inside

The HomePod Mini may have some hidden abilities that Apple has yet to announce. A sensor that can read humidity and temperature is reportedly embedded inside the small speaker, with Apple having talked within the company about how the sensor could link up to smart thermostats and potentially help adjust the settings in a home, reports Bloomberg.

Smart devices use sensors to trigger actions. Motion sensors, for example, can turn on lights in a dark hallway, water sensors can alert people that there may be a leak in a home and temperature sensors can help to control fans and thermostats.

The temperature sensor in the Apple HomePod Mini is made by Texas Instruments, is located inside the speaker at the bottom, and measures 1.5 by 1.5 millimeters. And currently there is nothing mentioned by Apple in the description of the device that indicates any kind of support for a temperature or humidity sensor.

Apple just retired the original $299 HomePod in the past two weeks, with the HomePod Mini currently the only smart speaker that the company is still producing, You can still pick up the original HomePod on the Apple Store in white while supplies last.

The new $99 HomePod Mini launched in 2020, the first small-sized smart speaker from Apple. The device is 3.3 inches tall, comes in white and gray, with four microphones inside.