You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

📰 Newsroom Update

Billie Eilish is Apple Music’s Artist of the Year for 2024. Learn more >

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

User profile for user: markdshark
markdshark Author
User level: Level 1
11 points

iMac cannot conenct to Homepod via Airplay

Very frustratingly I seem to spend more time troubleshooting the connection from my iMac to my Homepod to play music via Airplay these days than I do actually listening to music on my homepod via Airplay. I've covered everything from restarting the device to ensuring they are on the same wifi to repeatedly hitting the connect button and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes the Airplay icon will go red in iTunes showing it's connected and other times during the same session it will show an exclamation mark and be gray yet if its connected during those times it will continue to play. Everything in my house is on the same wifi and everything is updated to the latest software version. Sometimes my macbook will connect to my AppleTV.. Sometimes it won't and the solution is to restart the AppleTV (like you once did windows NT) It feels Airplay has regressed to being virtually unusable.

HomePod, 16

Posted on Jun 26, 2023 9:35 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: powerful98
powerful98
User level: Level 1
14 points

Posted on Jun 22, 2024 11:22 AM

Dealing with a similar issue for a couple years now. Every few months look for solutions but no dice. Someone in another apple discussion mentioned it's more likely a router issue, router 'forgets' the Homepod after a while due to incoming requests, or something like that.


I found a temporary/clunky solution that seems to be working so far. In the router settings (usually your IP address in the browser) on the wireless tab, I've created an allowed list for all of my wireless devices including the Homepod, simply providing each unique MAC address. Make sure Homepod and computer or phone are on the same network, 2G or 5G. When I apply this update, there is a refresh on the page and the Homepod appears in airplay within the sound settings on my Macbook.


Applying this setting / toggling the Homepod on and off the allow list when I want to airplay music is much faster than the troubleshooting laundry list you have outlined above. Hope this helps someone, and that your routers are easy to configure. Godspeed.

View in context

Similar questions

4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: powerful98
powerful98
User level: Level 1
14 points

Jun 22, 2024 11:22 AM in response to markdshark

Dealing with a similar issue for a couple years now. Every few months look for solutions but no dice. Someone in another apple discussion mentioned it's more likely a router issue, router 'forgets' the Homepod after a while due to incoming requests, or something like that.


I found a temporary/clunky solution that seems to be working so far. In the router settings (usually your IP address in the browser) on the wireless tab, I've created an allowed list for all of my wireless devices including the Homepod, simply providing each unique MAC address. Make sure Homepod and computer or phone are on the same network, 2G or 5G. When I apply this update, there is a refresh on the page and the Homepod appears in airplay within the sound settings on my Macbook.


Applying this setting / toggling the Homepod on and off the allow list when I want to airplay music is much faster than the troubleshooting laundry list you have outlined above. Hope this helps someone, and that your routers are easy to configure. Godspeed.

Reply
User profile for user: Russell - Idaho USA
Russell - Idaho USA
User level: Level 1
9 points

Jun 27, 2023 12:46 PM in response to markdshark

I use several ‘older’ Apple devices in my system (iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 11 Pro Mac, MacBook Pro 2019) and suddenly none of them can connect to my HomePod Original Generation.


I’m wondering if there was an automatic update last night?


I generally have auto-updates turned off so I can check if things work with all my devices first…

Reply

iMac cannot conenct to Homepod via Airplay

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.
Learn more Sign up