And, I'd like to add, "Hey Google" has also effectively stopped working, despite me having a Pixel phone (I used to use it to dial hands-free. That's no longer possible). And it's literally every feature, even the "hey, Google" recognition has become a crapshoot.
Weird as I have been noticing all my HomePods (older and newer models) are also less responsive to “Hey Siri”. Used to be I could walk through a room and turn lights on as I went. Now they do nothing. I have to talk directly to them.
I have gotten the feeling they tweaked it to ignore voice if audio fidelity does not hit thresholds that suggest the speaker is being talked to directly. Perhaps it limits false positives, reduces poor translation.
To make users speak directly at it with clear diction would make for “smaller model” to translate which seems en vogue with AI now.
I say old a new because it makes me doubt mic degradation (a couple in the house were brand new Xmas gifts).
I'm not sure my Homepods are less responsive but Siri for sure is. Tons of "hold on" and "there's been a problem" for kitchen timers that I set. I don't know what it needs to do to be able to tell me the time on a timer, but at the end of their life (or before) that'll be it for Homepods.
And, I'd like to add, "Hey Google" has also effectively stopped working, despite me having a Pixel phone (I used to use it to dial hands-free. That's no longer possible). And it's literally every feature, even the "hey, Google" recognition has become a crapshoot.