Common HomePod Issues and How to Solve Them

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So you finally got a HomePod to complete your smart home and you can’t wait to test it out. The HomePod is a smart speaker that can help you with a ton of your daily tasks. This includes managing your schedule and playing music while you’re busy working. It’s also the perfect companion for your other Apple devices. You can sync them with each other and they can all work hand in hand to make your life at home much easier.

While it’s a great addition to your smart home, you may encounter some common problems along the way. These issues aren’t that big of a deal but it’ll come in handy if you already know how to fix them. Below are some common HomePod issues that you might face and steps on how to solve them.

Common HomePod Problems and How to Solve Them

You can’t see HomePod on your iPhone.

The HomePod is designed to interact seamlessly with your Apple devices such as your iPhone. When you’re setting it up for the first time, some people find that the HomePod doesn’t seem to show up on their iPhone. The source of the problem can be a lot of things, but one easy solution is to follow these steps:

  1. Disconnect the HomePod from the power source and connect again.
  2. Restart your iPhone. Once it has been turned on again, the setup wizard should appear on the screen.
  3. If it doesn’t show up, open the Home app on your iPhone.
  4. Tap on the Add symbol located in the top right corner of the screen.
  5. Select Add Accessory.
  6. Place or hold your iPhone close to the HomePod. Your iPhone should be able to detect your HomePod.
  7. If this still doesn’t work, check your Wi-Fi connection and ensure that it doesn’t have a firewall. Once you’re checked these and made the necessary changes, try again and the HomePod should show up on your iPhone.

HomePod isn’t appearing as an AirPlay source.

Did you know that you can also use the HomePod via AirPlay? If it’s not showing up as an AirPlay source, here’s how you can fix this:

  1. Turn on the Bluetooth on your iPhone.
  2. Connect to a Wi-Fi connection and make sure that it doesn’t have a firewall. A firewall may impede the ability of the HomePod to use AirPlay.
  3. If it doesn’t work, restart both devices and check again.

Make sure that you have already finished setting up your HomePod before trying this out. You also should skip the Transfer Settings step in order for this to work.

You can’t connect to the Internet.

Can’t seem to make your HomePod connect to the Internet? That is one big issue, albeit a really common one. It’s relatively easy to fix this issue, just follow the instructions below:

  1. Restart your Wi-Fi router and ensure that it doesn’t automatically switch devices between two different bands. This may confuse your HomePod as to which band to connect to.
  2. Restart your HomePod by opening the Home app and heading to the Settings. From there, you should see the option to restart your HomePod.
  3. Try connecting your HomePod to your Wi-Fi again after the former restarts.

Aside from this tip, the Home app may also notify you why the HomePod won’t connect to the Internet. If it does, it’ll also usually give possible solutions to this issue. Should the issue still persist, you can also try this trick:

  1. Restore your HomePod to factory settings and start from scratch.
  2. To manually reset, disconnect the mini from the power source. Wait for 10 seconds and reconnect.
  3. After 5 seconds, press and hold the top of the HomePod. The HomePod’s lights should turn green.
  4. Wait for Siri to notify you that the HomePod is about to reset and release once you hear three beeps. From there, start setting your HomePod up again.

The iPhone’s handoff ability doesn’t seem to be working.

One of the most useful features of the HomePod and your iPhone working together is the handoff ability. You can use a command on your iPhone and it can pass that audio to your HomePod. That way, you don’t have to be so close to your HomePod all the time. So, it can be a drag when the handoff ability stops working.

What do you do to solve this? For one, make sure that you’re using an iPhone 11 or later. It’s the ideal device to connect to your HomePod. While an older iPhone model may still work, it won’t be as reliable. Hence, it may cause the handoff ability to lag or not function at all. Aside from this, you can also check the settings of your HomePod.

Open the Home app and head to its Settings. Check to see if there are any available updates. Updating to the latest software may fix this issue. After the update, restart your HomePod and check on the handoff ability again.

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Kokou Adzo

Kokou Adzo is a stalwart in the tech journalism community, has been chronicling the ever-evolving world of Apple products and innovations for over a decade. As a Senior Author at Apple Gazette, Kokou combines a deep passion for technology with an innate ability to translate complex tech jargon into relatable insights for everyday users.

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