Level 1

16 points

HomePod Popping Noise

Not really a question but an observation. I have two HomePods setup in stereo mode and have occasionally experienced the loud popping sound. It has occurred in both of the HomePods, although not at the same time. To me, this rules out a hardware issue because the likelihood of both units being bad is small. It does not matter if I stream from a music service like Pandora or use music files stored on my laptop. The sound, sometimes very loud...kind of like door slamming occurs and the the HomePod in question comes back on in about 20 seconds and picks up playing in its usual mode. It seems to occur more in the stereo pairing than in the stand alone format. My condo has a very high level broadband bandwidth through out the building, so it is not a capacity issue but could be related to the way the router is sequencing the information. I am going to try a mesh router setup so that I can isolate network connection to these devices. This is definitely an issue, you can check beyond the Apple Community, several people are having similar problems that hopefully will be addressed in some future software-firmware update. These are really great sounding units, so its a shame that issues persists.

HomePod, 15

Posted on Oct 30, 2021 7:19 AM

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tonyclerico Author

Level 1

16 points

Posted on Dec 7, 2021 8:10 AM

I switched my router about 10 days ago. My condo association provides TV, VoIP, and Internet through Hotwire Communications. I emailed them and indicated that I believed my existing router was not handling music streaming efficiently. They came and installed a new mesh router and this issue has all but totally disappeared. 🤞The tech informed me that other customers had reported similar issues, not specific to HomePod, but drop offs, buffering problems, and issues of that nature.

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82 replies

Bgnmarty

Level 1

83 points

Jan 27, 2022 10:35 AM in response to greg06611

Do you think you are jinxing yourself by reporting this? :-). ha ha, we are all hoping 15.3 is the solution to the dreaded very loud popping that sounds like the speakers are going to blow. How long have you used them on 15.3?

Nov 2, 2021 6:24 PM in response to tonyclerico

Same popping problem, have had 2 HomePods since they came out and the same popping is more frequent now. It’s a software issue, hopefully apple can fix it in an update.

Nov 11, 2021 7:08 AM in response to tonyclerico

Same issue for one of my HomePods. I believe it's hardware because when you unplug it, it makes this popping click.

It's very disappointing that Apple doesn't want to replace the affected one.

Dec 7, 2021 7:02 AM in response to tonyclerico

I’m have the same issue with two HomePods in stereo mode. It only started happening after the recent software update that featured lossless audio.

PimUding

Level 1

10 points

Dec 8, 2021 9:28 AM in response to tonyclerico

I have the same issue on all of my HomePods. In the ‘Analytics Data’ section I can see a ‘panic-full’ report. Does anyone else have this?

tonyclerico Author

Level 1

16 points

Dec 17, 2021 8:18 AM in response to Mercamou

Switching the channel is a good idea. I have done this in the past with interference issues not related to your HomePod problem. Let me know if you have any luck with this.

Bgnmarty

Level 1

83 points

Jan 27, 2022 1:25 PM in response to tonyclerico

Would six hours normally have produced some pops? Have you looked at your Analytics file to see if there were any panics, even though you didn't hear the pops, after the 15.3 update?

DrNicT61

Level 1

22 points

Nov 11, 2021 11:02 AM in response to tonyclerico

One of my HomePods for the first time was being unresponsive and made a very loud pop that shook my desk while trying to play music before restarting itself. Very startling and makes me concerned it will self-destruct.

I've got 7 original HomePods and all of them also make a quieter popping sound anytime I trigger siri or connect airplay with my ipad, if they've not been playing anything for a while. If I listen carefully I can also hear what sounds like having your stereo turned way up with nothing playing after triggering siri or connecting airplay.

Aside from this they all seem to work fine for now, but I'm worried if this isn't fixed soon I won't have much time left to enjoy what has been my favorite listening experience ever. I may just unplug them and wait.

I feel like all of this only started happening after updating them to OS 15 but I don't have anything to prove it.

tonyclerico Author

Level 1

16 points

Nov 11, 2021 1:15 PM in response to DrNicT61

Hi again, thanks for your feedback, I switched the left/right channels in the two HomePods that I have in a sitting room and the "other" HomePod made the noise. This really sounds like software or a possible a network glitch that should default the speaker to silent instead of "pop". While the "pop" is noticeably loud, I do not believe that it is in a range that will blow the drivers in the HomePod. I really do love these speakers, they way outperform anything in their weight class.

[Edited by Moderator]

Sarg93

Level 1

8 points

Dec 16, 2021 6:42 PM in response to JRSchwarzinger

Same. I had issues with the stereo pair only outputting through one HomePod with no discrimination to which one it would choose. As of today the volume started going up and down on its own and popping infrequently… but it is very loud when it pops, it’s very surprising.

Hoping it gets fixed soon! Love these things!

Milany84

Level 1

8 points

Dec 21, 2021 5:09 PM in response to tonyclerico

Same here. I only have one, it sounds fabulous, but suddenly out of nowhere a gigantic “pop” , not once or twice but continuously until I unplug the power cord from the outlet. Now it started to make a sipping sound as well. Such a shame for unit sounding so lovely😢

tonyclerico Author

Level 1

16 points

Jan 24, 2022 6:04 PM in response to Bgnmarty

I have all of my software set up for auto install; but the popping occurred prior to and after iOS 15 v2 install. It became more accentuated in stereo mode. In recent weeks, it has all but disappeared. I do think that you may be on to something with the general install process and the its link to the speaker popping.

Bgnmarty

Level 1

83 points

Jan 25, 2022 2:44 PM in response to turingtest2

If you made the shortcut on your iPhone, when you ask for the network info, what info is it giving you? The one your phone is on? I know which SSID my HomePod's, or anything else, is on by just looking at my Router's connected devices. However, I am looking to confirm that by trying to find that info in the Home app as it pertains to each HomePod.

Bgnmarty

Level 1

83 points

Jan 26, 2022 11:09 AM in response to Gene Surber

Yippee, a front runner! Ok, report back pls. I'm not the first one to upload updates, they may indeed fix things but can also break things that used to work fine :-0 I much prefer others to go first since Apple doesn't provide a way to go back to a previous rev level.

Thanks Gene!!!

Jan 26, 2022 11:23 AM in response to Bgnmarty

Will do. It seems they have pushed updates for everything, MacOS, iPhone, ATV, iPad, and HomePods. I’m taking the plunge on them all and will report back in about a week (or sooner if I hear a pop or have other issues from the updates).

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HomePod Popping Noise