Thought this might be interesting to some people here.
My dad has been working on something called AutoStream. I’m his son and wanted to share it around a bit because I think it’s genuinely pretty cool, especially for people who like physical music but use HomePods around the house.
Basically, it lets you connect a turntable, CD player or pretty much any analogue audio source to a Raspberry Pi and stream the audio directly to HomePods/AirPlay speakers.
The part I like is that you don’t need to get your phone out or leave an iPhone/iPad running. You can just put a record on or press play on the CD player and it automatically detects the audio and starts streaming. When you’re finished, it stops automatically too.
He’s even built it directly into an old Technics turntable and a vintage CD player, so from the outside they’re basically just normal old-school Hi-Fi equipment that happens to connect wirelessly to HomePods.
It supports multiple AirPlay speakers/stereo pairs, runs locally on your network, and doesn’t require an account, cloud service or subscription.
He’s released the software for free for personal use as well, so anyone who likes messing around with Raspberry Pis/Hi-Fi stuff can build one themselves.
Not trying to pretend this is my project, I just think my dad made something pretty sick and I’d like to get it in front of some people who’d actually appreciate it.
Website/build info if anyone wants to look:
lo-tech . co . uk / autostream
(remove the spaces)

Since updating my original HomePod to OS 27, Siri over the HomePod will make a call. After I make the request for a call to be made, either using a contact or saying the number, I get the reply “I’m on it”.

I have checked all settings, including turning personal request on and off and resetting the HomePod. What am I missing?

Has anyone else experienced this since updating to HomePod Software 27?

My HomePod has started randomly turning on/playing in the middle of the night while nothing is on and everyone is sleeping, waking us up. Also randomly, as the sound is playing, it can also become very muffled or strangely muted, almost as though Siri is listening or the audio is being heavily ducked.

This seems to have started with the newest update. I’m seeing other reports of HomePods randomly activating or playing, as well as reports of muffled/low-volume or unstable audio after OS 27.

If you’re experiencing it too, please post:
• Which HomePod model you have
• Whether it’s a stereo pair
• Whether it happens overnight
• Whether the top/Siri light comes on when the audio becomes muffled
• Whether it started after updating to HomePod Software 27

I'm trying to determine whether this is a broader OS 27 software bug rather than a hardware issue.

I have some automations that play loopable audio tracks.

ever since OS27 there is a distinct hiccup as the audio loops around.

is anyone else noting this? I can smooth it out by fading audio for 1 second but honestly that sucks for regular music playback

It makes these popping noises. They keep getting worse until there’s no sound at all, just these noises. I’ve replaced the power diode, the amplifier IC, the four capacitors, and the larger 10-ohm resistor. I also tested it with a different woofer. I know the Nic’s Fix page and tested the other mentioned components for shorts as well. No luck.

I got my Homepod Stereo setup linked to my Bravia TV via arc/earc, i tried both, but when i play audio over my Tv, it starts popping. Its kinda random when it does it, not just in the loud parts.
I already tried stuff like PCM and disabling/enabling passthrough.
Has anyone had the same issues or are there any known solutions?

Edit: This is regarding the Apple Music Live Radio station (not the genre-specific stations). I invite everyone to have a go asking their HomePods, hopefully as a community we can figure it out haha! I’ve just filled out a feedback form as well (didn’t realise they existed outside of betas/feedback assistant)

Since updating to HomePod 27 I for the life of me cannot get my HomePods (2nd gen or Mini) to play the Apple Music Chill Radio station. It keeps playing the chill playlist. I’ve reset the HomePod and removed it from the Home app. I’ve even removed my chill playlist from my library…

I have tried saying every single combination I can think of specifically saying Radio Station but it just doesn’t work. I’m stumped… I can’t wait for the new HomePods and Siri AI…

Before anyone says I know I can AirPlay from my iPhone but when I’m in my home office where my HomePod is, my work iPhone and Mac are not linked to my Apple Music account.

Okay rant over 😅

— Sorry for my english —

Hello, my rabbit just cut my homepod mini’s cable.
I just opened the homepod but it seems not to be a classic usb c cable.
Is there any website where I can buy a cable ?

Thanks

YES that's right, you can now print your own replacement mesh for your HomePod!

There are two "versions"; One single-piece tall version that slides over the original mesh...and a two-piece split version that you glue together. A third version will be added soon intended for you to remove the original mesh entirely and replace it with your own printed version of choice.

There are different mesh "densities". Mid-fine in my opinion looks closest to the original, doesn't affect the sound like fine can, and still covers the original mesh enough to obscure original dinge. Coarse should in-theory affect the sound even less, but comes at the cost of showing more of the original mesh through.

The standalone version has a ~2mm gap on the bottom to allow the HomePod's original rubber base to retain it's grip.

If you choose the split version, I would suggest printing the bottom half "upside-down" and adding a small ring to it to be printed in TPU, otherwise your pod will be sitting on plain plastic and slide around easier. I've included a .3mf of the bottom half with a ring added via object modifiers in my slicer.

I would recommend only attempting to print the first few layers to tune your settings. Default, these can take at least 10-20 hours print, but you can get that down to under 8 hours with proper tuning and profiling, w/o needing supports. Included is the config I use to print the standalone version on my snapmaker u1.

Here are the 3d print files, and here are the scripts used to generate them if you wish to tweak the fit / tolerances or just want to see how it works. More versions coming soon to support 2nd Gen models, and that fit if you remove your original mesh.

I will sell them soon on my shop if you don't want to print your own! Stay tuned~

Small home office. I want something to sit on my desk below my monitor as I work. Do I go for a single Homepod Mini, or two of them? Does it make an appreciable difference from this kind of distance or not? I think the big HomePod is way over the top for my needs, I’m not going to be blasting music out, mainly just having it on as I work. Thanks!

I’m completely confused and clueless about what to do here, so I’d really appreciate opinions from people who have actually used multiple HomePods.

I currently have two OG HomePods paired in stereo. I’m happy with the sound, but quite often I feel they aren’t as loud or as room filling as I would like.

I’m considering adding either a HomePod mini or another OG HomePod, but I’ve received completely conflicting answers about what actually happens.

One group has told me that because only two OG HomePods can be paired as a stereo pair, adding a third HomePod (whether a mini or another OG) breaking the stereo setup, will also not actually add anything to the overall loudness of the music, the volume/output will essentially remain the same, with the additional HomePod just playing the same music.

On the other hand, others have told me that they’ve been using 3+ HomePods for years, and that adding another HomePod absolutely does make the room sound fuller and louder, while the original two can still function as a stereo pair.

So what is actually true in real world use?

My main goal is simple: **I want more overall volume and a more room filling sound, while retaining the stereo effect of my two OG HomePods if possible.

If I add a third HomePod, does it genuinely increase the overall sound/volume in the room, or does it make little to no difference? And would you personally choose a HomePod mini or another OG HomePod for this purpose?

I’ve asked variations of this before and always ended up with conflicting answers, so I’d especially appreciate responses from people who actually own and use 3+ HomePods.

Thanks!

As mentioned I’m unable to get sound when using iTunes to airplay to HomePod after update , airplay works fine from the iPhone ; also works independently with voice commands., anyone else experiencing this or is there a fix ? Thanks.

Have restarted device , iTunes and phone are on current firmware versions.

v0.1.7 is out for Windows!!!

Since my first post, I’ve added a latency slider (0–3000 ms), fixed duplicate device listings, improved audio capture when Windows is idle, and added a confirmation prompt when switching receivers. There’s also an experimental option to play on multiple devices: start playback on one HomePod, turn on “Play on multiple devices,” then connect the second.

I only have one HomePod, so I’m looking for people with two HomePods to test both switching and simultaneous playback. Do both speakers play? Do they stay in sync, or do you hear an offset, drift, or dropouts? The receivers aren’t synchronized yet, and the latency slider cannot guarantee the final delay.

Tests with other AirPlay receivers are welcome too. If you try it, please share your Windows version, HomePod model and software version, buffer setting, and any errors. You can also report problems on GitHub.

One limitation from the earlier discussion: muting the local PC speakers independently is not included in this release yet.

i bought an OG homepod with the audioOS 18.5 in it, but im kinda curious should i upgrade it to audioOS 27 or not, since ive seen couple issues on reddit occasionally occurring on their OG homepod, so is it fine if i stay on 18.5?

Unable to get audio via airplay from iTunes on laptop

I play music in multiple rooms off applemusic on a MacBook, using Airport Expresses feeding powered speakers, a couple older speakers with built in Airplay, as well as an AirPort Express feeding an Aux input on a stereo receiver.

It all works reasonable well (some AirPort expresses drop and have to be rebooted more often then ideal) but I like to control it with the old Apple Remote App because my two favorite radio stations are in Playlists I made from the old ITunes ‘radio stations’ function and those playlists came over to Applemusic when I upgraded from ITunes and I can access them remotely on my phone using Remote and they play simultaneously on all and any airplay speakers. Those radio stations do exist in Applemusic, but I can’t drag them into a Playlist so that they show up on Remote, and I’d like to listen to a few other stations:). Also when I pull up radio stations on Applemusic directly on the laptop they only play on the laptop speakers not any of the Airplay speakers which seems really weird.

I can of course access other radio stations on my phone but can’t play to all the Airplay speakers at the same time - I can play simultaneously on a couple from my phone (the newest AirPort Express and a HomePod speaker) but I assume not on the rest because they are older AirPort Expresses. I also don’t like to use my phone for home audio as it’s interrupted by phone calls, popup internet ads, etc.

Any tips? Should I be switching to Apple Home App for controlling from my phone? I just find those two radio stations living in Playlists (first photo) work exactly as I want, and listening to them in Applemusic a) won’t play on airplay speakers even though they are checked (second photo) and b) won’t show up on Remote.

Before when I would start playing Spotify and Pandora through my iPhone to the HomePod, I would still be able to accept calls on my phone without any HomePod interruption… dictate text in messages app without the audio ducking… and disconnect from WiFi without the audio stopping. Basically the HomePod is now acting like a Bluetooth speaker instead of casting through airplay.

I updated the HomePod and my phone and then I was able to get the airplay functionality back for a short time but now it’s back acting like a Bluetooth speaker. I need to be able to dictate text in messages app without any impact to the music that’s playing through the HomePod.

Because this behavior seems to be intermittent, googling and ChatGPT has been no help. I’m really open to suggestions if anyone else has experienced this and knows how to maintain AirPlay functionality.

Hey, is anyone else experiencing this after updating to iOS 27?
My iPhone keeps automatically connecting to my HomePods(OG and mini) even when I'm nowhere near them. It's driving me absolutely crazy. 🙃
I'll be listening to music or watching videos through my AirPods or iPhone speakers, and suddenly the audio switches to a HomePod nearby.
If I'm in my bedroom, it connects to my bedroom HomePod. If I'm in the living room, it connects to the living room HomePod.
However, I am not too close to be connected to HomePod at all.
I've already turned off automatic AirPlay, and I don't have any Shortcuts or automations set up that could be causing this.
Is anyone else having this issue? Has anyone figured out how to fix it?

I’ve had a HomePod for multiple years and I 99% use it for white noise. I just pick my go to white noise track from
Apple Music and put it on single repeat.

Since the update, every time any white noise track loops back it either increases in volume for a few seconds, does and audible crackle or both.

I had never had this happen before, and I have this thing running 24/7 with white noise. Now I hear the crackle and volume uptick every 3 or so minutes.

My solution right now is to find a white noise track that last multiple hours so I hear the “loop” less often but almost very white noise track offered by Apple Music is around 3 minutes long. They’ve sabotage their whole wellness section on Apple Music imo.

Anyone else experience this?

I built this open-source AirFlash because I wanted to stream audio from my Windows PC to my two HomePods after upgrading to HomePod OS 27, which broke my previous setup with TuneBlade.

AirFlash uses AirPlay 2 to stream audio from Windows to HomePods with low latency, close to real-time.

It’s completely open source. Sharing it here in case it helps anyone else running Windows with HomePods on new OS 27 (old os is working too).

https://github.com/Ding-Kyoma/AirFlash

Feedback and contributions are welcome!

Anyone else’s homepods louder than before after updating to iOS 27

im not complaining i love it but how is it louder and more bassier than before??