I have used inexpensive speakers while watching movies on my iPads. Can I do that with Apple Home Pod Minis and/or my Mac?
I subscribe to Apple TV but don’t own the tv or box (not sure what it entails).
There are two ways to get audio from your iPad to speakers - Bluetooth, and AirPlay. When we’re talking about HomePod and throwing audio / video between Apple mobile devices, Macs, and HomePods, generally we’re talking about AirPlay.
AirPlay has two modes - broadcasting, and receiving. Devices can support one or both.
Macs, iPads, iPhones, etc. can all broadcast AirPlay right out of the box. So that’s not an issue.
HomePod Mini works as an AirPlay receiver. Which means that, theoretically, any iPhone / iPad in the immediate vicinity should be able to throw sound at it, and you should hear it on the HomePod Mini. Set up the HomePod, go to your app’s little menu where it lets you choose where to send the sound, and your AirPlay devices should show up. Play audio on HomePod using an iOS or iPadOS device - Apple Support Pick the HomePod, and voila.
If you had an Apple TV, you could use AirPlay to put the contents of your iPad’s screen on the TV, as well as sending over the audio. You’d open that swipe-down menu, pick Screen Mirroring, and select the Apple TV. It’s pretty slick. 
Use AirPlay to stream video or mirror the screen of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support
As for the Mac, last time I verified it (pre-Monterey) it supported AirPlay broadcasting, but not AirPlay receiving. So if you wanted to put the audio playing on your Mac onto your HomePod Mini, that was easy - just go to that little menu bar drop-down with the wi-fi, Bluetooth, etc. But if you want to send stuff from your iPad to your Mac, let’s say because you have awesome wired speakers hooked up to it, then you needed software that allows your Mac to be an AirPlay receiver. Reflector, X-Mirage, AirServer, etc. all were options people tried. All cost some amount of money.
I haven’t played with it much yet, but supposedly in Monterey it’s possible to AirPlay audio to the Mac if you enable AirPlay in the “Sharing” section of System Preferences. Turn a MacBook into an AirPlay receiver w/ macOS Monterey | Darko.Audio
Best of luck getting it figured out!
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I am going to have to read this a number of times. Thanks so much, Web!
I was able to airplay from iPhone to Monterey M1 just now…
Yeah, I think this was a new feature that got added in Monterey at some point. In all fairness to web, I think that change slipped under the radar for a lot of us.
In fairness, I also mentioned it in my post. I only said that I personally hadn’t played with it.
Ah, somehow I missed that. Apologies.
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