Apple HomePod may soon get call supportJuly 23 (AZINS) Apple's smart speaker HomePod is soon set to get the much-anticipated feature of call support. As per the beta release for HomePod's iOS 12, there will be native phone call support which will allow you to both place and receive calls directly through the speaker, Engadget reported.

In addition to phone call support, Apple might also add multiple timers for tasks. For instance, you can set up a timer for cooking on the stove, while another can be set for the microwave.

The $349 voice-controlled speaker, introduced in June last year, can make music suggestions and adjust home temperatures. The speaker also will be able to send messages and play news updates from National Public Radio and CNN. Analysts have debated the impact of the shipping delay on the HomePod's eventual success. Apple has forecast between $84 billion and $87 billion in revenue for the holiday - mostly driven by sales of its $999 iPhone X - so it is unlikely that missing a few weeks of sales of the HomePod will affect its financial results, Bob O'Donnell, founder of Technalysis Research, told Reuters in November.

The bigger danger for Apple, analysts said, is that consumers bought a rival speaker over the holiday season and have no immediate need for Apple's new product. Amazon and Google cut prices on their entry-level speakers over the holiday season in an aggressive push for market share, analysts said.

Apple is working to keep its Siri voice assistant relevant in the face of competition from Amazon's Alexa and Alphabet's Google Assistant, both of which are featured on smart speakers from those companies. Apple also is counting on HomePod to boost subscriptions to Apple Music and block the rise of rival Spotify. The smart speakers from Google and Amazon let users give voice commands to play Spotify but Apple Music does not work on the rival devices.