Some videos won’t play and give error messages on YouTube when using audio AirPlay on a M1 iPadAir running iPadOS 26 to a HomePod mini (also running the latest software) or external monitor audio. However, it works fine with AirPods (pro 2).
iPad Air
I have found the fix or at least it worked for me that is. I had updated all of my Apple devices to 26 everything except my 3 HomePods. Which I thought they would update automatically but for some reason they didn't. So I had to go into the Home App and tap on my HomePods and then tap the Setting button. When it opens up you will see "Update Available" and all you have to do is tap on that and let it update. After I did that I had no further problems playing any YouTube videos through my HomePods. If you have multiple HomePods like I do, remember to go to each one and choose to update it. Unless that is they are paired like my 2nd Gen HomePods are. They actually updated together without me having to do anything. That wasn't the case when I updated to HomePod OS 18, so I was happy that they made that change. Instead of having to wait until the first one is done updating and then tap the update button again. You only have to tap it once and let it do its thing. Well I hope this helps someone, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.
I have found the fix or at least it worked for me that is. I had updated all of my Apple devices to 26 everything except my 3 HomePods. Which I thought they would update automatically but for some reason they didn't. So I had to go into the Home App and tap on my HomePods and then tap the Setting button. When it opens up you will see "Update Available" and all you have to do is tap on that and let it update. After I did that I had no further problems playing any YouTube videos through my HomePods. If you have multiple HomePods like I do, remember to go to each one and choose to update it. Unless that is they are paired like my 2nd Gen HomePods are. They actually updated together without me having to do anything. That wasn't the case when I updated to HomePod OS 18, so I was happy that they made that change. Instead of having to wait until the first one is done updating and then tap the update button again. You only have to tap it once and let it do its thing. Well I hope this helps someone, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.
after updating from iPadOS 26 to 26.1, this issue has been fixed.
it’s very clear now that this issue was caused by Apple, not YouTube.
Please post a screenshot of the observed error - as this may help contributors to better understand the problem and offer appropriate advice or guidance.
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ElijahBlue81 wrote:
I have been having the same issue. I have contacted both Apple and YouTube yesterday but have not heard back from either of them yet. It is very frustrating, I have a YouTube Premium subscription and listen to certain videos at night to help with my difficulty sleeping. I do agree that it is more of a YouTube problem than an Apple one but I wanted to at least notify Apple of the problem.
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The error that you illustrate is generated by YouTube - not iPadOS.
You will need to seek assistance from YouTube.
I have been having the same issue. I have contacted both Apple and YouTube yesterday but have not heard back from either of them yet. It is very frustrating, I have a YouTube Premium subscription and listen to certain videos at night to help with my difficulty sleeping. I do agree that it is more of a YouTube problem than an Apple one but I wanted to at least notify Apple of the problem. I can play a video through the speakers on my iPhone 13 or M1 iPad Pro and it works like always. However as soon as I open the Airplay menu and choose my HomePods, it immediately gives me the "Something went wrong, Tap to retry" alert in place of the video. So you're not alone and as soon as I get a response from YouTube or Apple, I will definitely share what I find out here.
Thanks for confirming this issue, much appreciated 🙏 it really helps end users like me to be assured that it’s not a unique issue with my iPad only thus pursuing further with Apple & YouTube.
I suspect the issue is a combination of Apple and YouTube because it worked perfectly fine with iPadOS 18.
[Edited by Moderator]
iPadOS 26 YouTube won’t play certain videos and give error msg when in airplay mode for a M1 iPadAir
