Will Apple’s HomePod Work in Canada If You Buy One from the USA?

With Canada not part of Apple’s initial HomePod launch in the USA, UK and Australia on February 9, many Canadians are already plotting how to buy one in the USA and bring it back to Canada.

Many have asked if a HomePod purchased in the US, UK or Australia will work in Canada (or abroad), and the answer is “yes”, as confirmed by MacRumors.

Screenshot 2018 01 23 10 30 26

One of the reasons why HomePod may be delayed for the Canadian market is because the speaker will launch supporting English first, as we first saw in a beta leak earlier this summer, shared by Guilherme Rambo. During the speaker’s setup, three languages showing only are:

  • English (Australia)
  • English (United Kingdom)
  • English (United States)

Screenshot 2018 01 23 08 48 54

So while your shiny HomePod may work in Canada if you buy it from elsewhere, Siri will be limited to English only, until additional updates bring support for more languages. This reminds us of Siri’s launch on the iPhone 4s back in 2011, when the voice assistant was English-only, but did work in Canada.

HomePod will cost $349 USD in the United States, A$499 in Australia and $319 GBP in the UK. Expect HomePod to be priced near $500 CAD or so when it launches in Canada, hopefully sometime in 2018 if we’re lucky. Apple customers in France and Germany will be next in line for HomePod, sometime “this spring”, according to the company.

Are you planning to buy a HomePod outside of Canada when it launches in a couple weeks?

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Sam
Sam
8 years ago

Considering that $349 USD is about $435 CAD, a $500 CAD price would certainly be very steep! Let’s hope closer to $450 CAD.

Ben
Ben
Reply to  Sam
8 years ago

yep, that’s what it will be. The $500 Australian price includes 10% GST, so $450 without tax, and AUD and CAD are pretty much on par right now

Joe
Joe
8 years ago

I am not going to cross the border and buy it. Too much effort. When it gets delivered to my door with free shipping, I’ll try it out. Gotta say though, it’s pretty hurtful that they’re not launching in Canada. What did we ever do?

Pedro
Pedro
Reply to  Joe
8 years ago

We speak French.

French’s fault
French’s fault
Reply to  Pedro
8 years ago

Should’ve just launched it everywhere else in Canada except for those French people

Pedro
Pedro
Reply to  French’s fault
8 years ago

You mean everywhere in Canada? French is one of Canada’s two official languages. Canada. Not just where “those French people” live. ?

Ontario
Ontario
8 years ago

I new it!
SWJ quebec at its again.
turdeau!!

Canadianskeezix
Canadianskeezix
Reply to  Ontario
8 years ago

Using childish terms like “turdeau” says a lot more about you, fella, than the PM.

Also, are people who use the term “SJW” the only ones who don’t realize how ridiculous they sound?

I won’t even ask why you seem to think “SJW”s and Trudeau have anything to do with Apple’s global product deployment.

Gaye Dar
Gaye Dar
Reply to  Canadianskeezix
8 years ago

Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that Apple’s global product deployment has decided to only release to the English speaking countries. Because of the Quebecois, all of Canada will have to wait now. And yes…Apple, it is insulting to not include Canada, even if you have to release the English only version.

paulthefencer
paulthefencer
Reply to  Gaye Dar
8 years ago

But what makes no sense to me is that if the Amazon Echo doesn’t have to adhere to the language laws, why does the HomePod?

Mykeljon
Mykeljon
Reply to  Ontario
8 years ago

Do you speak English? Three errors in one brief comment, plus your juvenile insult to Trudeau.

Rod Christiansen
8 years ago

France is listed for March, so why not Canada in March too??…

Timrules
Timrules
Reply to  Rod Christiansen
8 years ago

Quebecois French is not the same as France French (much more different than UK English to American English)

bbousquet
bbousquet
Reply to  Timrules
8 years ago

Could also be the lack of Canadian news support. I don’t think Siri’s French Canadian speaking skills are a problem.

Brenda
Brenda
Reply to  Timrules
8 years ago

Siri understands my French which isn’t Québécois or French, just really bad French with an English Canadian (prairies, kind of like the way they talk on Fargo) accent.

Timrules
Timrules
Reply to  Brenda
8 years ago

Haha – yeah, my last teacher told me I spoke French “comme une vache Espagnol,” which I took as a complement … until I looked it up.

aRhyno
aRhyno
8 years ago

I been thinking about a speaker for the kitchen. I had been looking at a bose speaker that hooks up to tunein/ Spotify and things without a need for a phone. What more would the homepod give me? Just the fact I can ask it questions like I can a phone?

Gary
Reply to  aRhyno
8 years ago

You get a HomeKit hub, which normally would be an Apple TV or iPad…

Take a look at the Sonos One, as that is getting Alexa in a software update soon. Really good sound for the price.

aRhyno
aRhyno
Reply to  Gary
8 years ago

I was looking at it. My wife likes listening to the local radio which is on tunein. So it needs that support. I do like the buttons on the soundlink from Bose but opening up that app isn’t horrible. Unless you can ask it to play maybe?

Gary
Reply to  aRhyno
8 years ago

Yes, Sonos supports TuneIn. It also has touch buttons for play/pause and previous/next.

Salinger
Salinger
Reply to  aRhyno
8 years ago

Get an Amazon Spot or Google Home mini and link it into the aux on the Bose.

TheLostVancouverite
TheLostVancouverite
Reply to  Gary
8 years ago

Isn’t it the same build & sound quality as the Play 1? If so, I’d give it a 3 out of 5 stars…

Gary
Reply to  TheLostVancouverite
8 years ago

Yes. For the price it’s one to consider. What would you suggest?

Salinger
Salinger
Reply to  TheLostVancouverite
8 years ago

Agreed. I bought a Play1 based on the glowing reviews and was not particularly impressed. So, I bought a second one to set up as a stereo pair thinking that was the problem. It wasn’t, still wasn’t impressed. I returned them both.

slicecom
slicecom
8 years ago

I’ll be picking one up next time I’m in the USA. Not making a special trip for it though.

SV650
SV650
8 years ago

Pretty sure it will be £319 in the UK.

David Vincent
David Vincent
8 years ago

Yup, will get a US one. Thank the useless Official Language Act in Canada. 20% of the population delays it for the rest.

Canadianskeezix
Canadianskeezix
Reply to  David Vincent
8 years ago

Yes, David, francophones across the country have been plotting to think of ways to delay your ability to acquire the latest technology. And the ability of francophones to communicate with their federal government should be dependent on what’s happening in Cupertino. *eye roll*

You realize that the Official Languages Act doesn’t apply to Apple, right?

NoOneCares
NoOneCares
Reply to  Canadianskeezix
8 years ago

Official language act applies to everyone. If Apple wants to sell in Canada, they can’t sell an English only product.

Mark Wickens
8 years ago

But will it work with your Canadian Apple Music subscription?

Kotep
Kotep
8 years ago

We wait for the french again…

Alan Pratt
Alan Pratt
8 years ago

I bought a HomePod in the US a couple of weeks ago and it works fine in Canada.

Alan Pratt
Alan Pratt
8 years ago

Sound quality is great too!

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