Homepod error message cannot connect as default speaker

My volume slider works

Try these steps:

In settings - Users & Accounts - Your name - iCloud - sign out

Restart Apple TV

Once restarted Sign back in, then in Settings- AirPlay & HomeKit - set that up again, do this with a phone or device that is on iOS 15.

Restart the HomePod.

Restart Apple tv.

Reboot the wifi.

See: If screen mirroring or streaming isn't working on your AirPlay-compatible device - Apple Support

See if you can get by tonight using AirPlay and try all the steps provided here again tomorrow. If it’s still not working and you feel it’s a bug, you can send feedback to let Apple know at https://www.apple.com/feedback/homepod.html They only know about bugs if you report them.

Other options might be to Reset HomePod by pressing the top method, you will need to set it up from scratch again.

• Turning settings off then on in Apple TV also fixes issues.. Turn off, restart, turn back on is how that works better.
• Try another Restart (not reset) on the Apple TV in Settings - system
• Oh and another thing, how does pointing the remote at your HomePod work? Does on mine, no indicator to see the levels of course but slightly better.

Not sure who said what here so apologies if you’ve already told me what did or didn’t work. Good luck!

I am having a similar issue, only in my case I have two HomePods as a stereo pair. Before today with the HomePod 15 update, they worked flawlessly, but now I have lost all volume control and the Apple TV remote seems to only want to try to change the TV volume (I see a visual indicator but no actual volume change occurs on any a device), as opposed to the speaker volume. The HomePods are connected because they play the audio, but no matter what I do I can’t get the volume to change using the ATV remote. I don’t have volume control via Control Center or the Home app either, the only control I have is physically touching the controls on the top of the HomePods. However, I have also seen the “unable to pair” message occasionally. I have factory reset the Apple TV as well as both HomePods. Something is seriously messed up here

Ok, try troubleshooting your remote. You might need to pair it again

see: If your Apple TV remote isn't working - Apple Support

If you can’t get it to work in time to watch with your family you can use the airplay option until you have time to fiddle around with it . Disable the default audio for now. Double tap the tv button to bring up control Center Or swipe down on the remote to Audio. This way also you can see if it’s the default audio causing the issue.

I mean, I have done all that and like I said I do get audio from the HomePods. They are set as the default speakers in the audio settings, and they are connected to HomeKit. The problem is I have just lost all remote volume control, whether it’s from the Apple TV remote or my iPhone or my iPad or my Apple Watch. When I adjust the volume on the ATV remote, the TV volume graphic pops up, but nothing actually changes, the TV speakers don’t audibly increase or decrease in volume. They were working great before the HomePod 15 update, literally my son was watching something while I did the update, and it’s been borked since then. .

Glad you got it going.

Very annoying. I hesitate to tell people to do that. Always hoping other suggestions work first. Thank you for letting us know.

Ok, just changing the audio to a different Airplay output (my Sonos Amp) and back to the HomePods from the Control Center menu worked to get me back functioning normally. I have no idea why, which is super irritating, but at least it’s working now 😅. Thanks for pointing me in that direction!