HomePod phone calls could arrive with iOS 12

Since its announcement at WWDC, Apple has been teasing a range of iOS 12 improvements scheduled for release in the fall. The roster includes a streamlined Siri, speeding up elderly iPhones, and a FaceTime overhaul, with no mention of HomePod updates. However, it has emerged that the smart speaker could soon receive a much requested feature: phone call support. According to a HomePod prompt unearthed by 9to5Mac inside the latest iOS 12 developer beta release, HomePod will soon let you make calls directly on top of its standard skillset. Gone will be the necessity of dialing a number on your iPhone before switching over to HomePod for audio output.