Homepod disconnects or stops playing music from itunes randomly

Well, this won't be much help to you but my experience over the years with iTunes on Windows has been that the product is unreliable and really doesn't do much of anything properly. For some reason, Apple software just doesn't seem to port very well to Windows. Things that work seamlessly and perfectly on a Mac just don't make it on a PC. For a real exercise in futility, try using iCloud for Windows. Hilarious fail.

Hello. I am commenting at Japan.

I have the exact same problem now.

I tried to improve by referring to many threads, but it does not solve it.

There is no problem with homepod connection from itunes of macbook or music of iphone, so I think there is a problem with airplay of itunes of windows. I want to erase the "-" in the homepod quickly.

I expect immediate improvement.

thank you.　よろしくおねがいします。

Brand new HomePod with latest iOS. Streaming to the HomePod via iTunes on a fresh, fully updated Windows 10 machine.

The HomePod is on the 5GHz band of an Apple AirPort Extreme.

Not that it matters, but we bought the HomePod to replace an old AirPlay 1 Panasonic system. Better sound and hopefully more reliable.

Not so. The HomePod stops playing at random. We stream music around the house 24 hours a day. But the random halting is killing me.

Next step is to disable the 5 GHz band and see if that works.

@Bryan. I have the same issues. The HomePod is actually with Apple now. I am still convinced the issue is with the OS itself. I had a HomePod on OS 11.2.5. It played fine. As soon as it updated to 13.3.1 the issue started.

Sadly I have no easy way to disable 5 GHz BUT Apple support recommended I should be on 5 GHz as a first troubleshooting step. I’ve troubleshot this issue like crazy and done updates as they’ve released to no avail.

I’m embarrassed to think the hours spent on this. I do believe sending it in to Apple is their way of checking it themselves to tell me it’s my problem. Others streaming the way we do are complaining of this same issue so it’s not going to be hardware related.

Interestingly enough, if you stream the same way (windows iTunes music) to AppleTV you’ll have the same issue. Since all speakers in my house are airplay capable I never use the AppleTV in this way but noticed it in my troubleshooting.

I do find it highly ironic that the company whose ecosystem I’ve bought into is manufacturing the only speaker that does not work in my home via airplay.

The other network tweak to try (even with wired/ethernet connection) is to assign a static IP address through your router settings. I have used this trick to help my Apple TV remember that the Homepod is the audio output device (it works most of the time). It might help with other Airplay issues (bugs).

@Inmate_0801 I spent a lot of time this weekend trying to debug it. I did not disable 5 GHz network. I have system of AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express devices. I can disable 5Ghz on the Extreme, but not the Express units so I just left it alone.

The one thing I did do was install iTunes on a new, fully patched Windows 10 laptop. I then hardwired this directly to the AirPort Extreme router. So the wired pathway was Laptop > 1 GB switch > Airport Extreme.

Needless to say I experienced the disconnect with both the HomePod and an Apple TV. So went back to streaming from my main Windows music server.

I don't think it is networking. I think it is 100% something in iOS on the receiving end.

I also stream from Windows iTunes to an Export Express connected to an amp & speakers and I can go all day and night without the audio cutting out. Thank god that works....

Apple, please help.

@Bryan Kinkel I got the replacement Home Pod. It's on version 11.2.5 straight from Apple. It does not miss a beat while streaming from Windows iTunes. Unfortunately, this version loses it's connection to the home network after an idle period. I have to unplug and plug it back in to get recognized. I had this same issue prior so I know it's a 11.2.5 thing.

I should have mentioned my PC is hardwired to the network (I even tried wireless from the PC with no luck).

I have not updated to 13.4.6 because I'm also convinced it's an iOS issue with the audio cut outs.

I have a variety of Airplay speakers/receivers throughout the house (Sonos, Denon, Bose and Apple). It's only the HomePod on the struggle bus. Bose had a "lag" issue at one point that was corrected very quickly via an update.

So again, I'm with you on the culprit being iOS. The speaker itself does sound "goodish" when it plays. There's just no reliability. Hopefully it's corrected in the next release.

I did not mean to mark this as "helpful" at all... I wanted to mark this suggestion as "total bs"

The homepod connects to the 5GHz radio and never loses connection. A network analysis shows me that a response is sent back by the Homepod and THEN it 'disables' itself. It continues to do the same, even when only connected to the 2.4GHz radio.

Not buying the "disable half of my router" idea, either.

@Bob Reynolds

The terrific fail that is iCloud for Windows is because they do not give many options... like where to put your pictures and other things you keep on your computer for back up and etc.

You literally have to disable iCloud on your iDevices BEFORE it will let you move the storage directories and only upload/download folders, not where it stores your files.

My system has a small C:\ drive and I move everything to the HDD installed that has more storage space... but I cannot move iCloud storage stuff at all...

I have been looking in the registry to see if that would make any difference...

You’re missing the point with that advice. Of course it’s going to work on one or the other when you checked. Dual Bands cause the signal to keep jumping from one to the other , it will always try to find the higher speed. Hence these intermittent disconnections as it does this.

Mine was doing the same thing on Dual Bands until I disabled the 5G from being the default. I can still use it, it comes up as a choice to connect to. The lower speed though is actually more favourable for a larger area and going through walls etc.

I found that Windows iCloud doesn’t synch with other devices. Its just a download. Additions, deletion and edits to the PC library are not synced to other devices and vice versa. Pretty much useless. I gave up with it a couple of years ago so it may have improved by now but I’d be surprised.

@Vancouver22

Then, that, my kind sir, is the declaration of a serious bug. When the algorithm deciding which source it will use cannot adequately make a decision of which to use and disconnects because of that inability... that is an issue.

My iPhone and iPad do not do this... they do not waffle. Otherwise I would have called Apple about that issue long ago.

This is, indeed, a firmware issue....

I have removed all other devices besides my iDevices from my network and the Homepod still disconnects about 00:28 into a song. The Homepod is also within 5' to 10' of the router, as well.

Most peculiarly, the Airport Express does not do this. It connects and plays reliably.

Ah, well!

You are right... it is just a download... though through the "Files app" on you phone or pad, you can access those files in your iCloud. I usually delete from there and then "re-upload" from my PC, once it synchronizes.

The 13.4.8 update for HomePod that was just released yesterday does nothing to address the iTunes Windows > AirPlay > HomePod disconnect issue.

Left it playing internet radio overnight, came down this morning and the HomePod was disconnected as usual.

So disappointing.

Thank you for your reply. My discussions at the Genius Bar have made me doubt myself.

To me this is a luxury purchase and I expected it to work like traditional Apple products, but I have been really disappointed.

I cant imagine what the engineers were thinking; no data port, no POE, a fixed power cord, no real tune-able equalization, and have you seen the EMF coming off this thing (on our nightstands near our heads)?