HomePod turns on TV - not desired behaviour

Question

HomePod turns on TV - not desired behaviour

Since upgrading to iOS 11.4, every time I ask our HomePod to play music, it also turns on the TV connected to an Apple TV 4K, despite not being told to play there as well. I'm listening to music in another room, and the TV should stay off.

This seems to be an effect of AirPlay 2, but I don't want my TV to turn on any time I ask the HomePod to play music, unless I specifically tell it to play music "everywhere" or on the TV. There must be a setting somewhere to instruct the HomePod to play any requests for Music only on itself, but darned if I can find a way to set that!

(I'm finding the whole iOS11 HomeKit interface just a little too obtuse. By "hiding" complexity, it's become a rabbit's warren of modal secret pathways to getting anything set up. Anyhow, this question isn't specifically to complain about the HomeKit app.)

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

HomePod, iOS 11.4, AppleTV 4K

Posted on May 31, 2018 2:28 AM

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Answer 1

Jul 3, 2018 12:19 AM in response to Numanoid5

Sorry, but no.

In the end I went into the settings for AppleTV and turned off AirPlay 2. Not ideal, because that means I can no longer use Screen Mirroring from iOS to our TV. But at least it's stopped the TV turning on every time we play music on the HomePod, which for me was a bigger problem.

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Answer 2

turingtest2

Level 10

278,263 points

May 31, 2018 5:42 AM in response to Robert Black ThereFor

Hmm, trying here and waking up my HomePods hasn't affected my Apple TV. 😕 Was everything grouped to play together the last time you stopped playback?

tt2

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Answer 3

turingtest2

Level 10

278,263 points

Jun 4, 2018 6:12 AM in response to Robert Black ThereFor

Maybe try selecting the HomePod as the Apple TV audio output, then go back to the TV.

tt2

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Answer 4

May 31, 2018 3:36 AM in response to turingtest2

Thanks. All good now!

I had to select the HomePod in playback widget of Control Centre, then the icon for AirPlay, where I could turn off playback through the Apple TV.

Not hugely discoverable, but now I’ve found it I think I‘ll be able to find it again if it reoccurs. (Modal trees - yay!)

Phew

Robert

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Answer 5

Jun 4, 2018 3:12 AM in response to Robert Black ThereFor

Whoops, spoke too soon. It’s back, and what I thought was the solution above is not working. It appears I was mistaken about what stopped it.

To recap, I have both an AppleTV 4K and a HomePod. Since upgrading to iOS11.4, when I play music on the HomePod, AirPlay 2 wakes up my TV. This is despite not having the TV selected as a destination for the HomePod over AirPlay 2. If I then turn off the TV using the AppleTV remote, the music on the HomePod pauses playback (which is ALSO not desired)

How do I stop my TV waking up every time I listen to music on my HomePod? This is getting frustrating.

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Answer 6

Jul 3, 2018 12:21 AM in response to Robert Black ThereFor

Hi - thanks for the quick reply.

I’m in the habit of using the HomePod as the audio output for Apple TV when watching movies etc. It seems that if that remains selected as an audio output, HomePod requests for music will trigger the TV. Strange thing is that’s the same setup I had before AirPlay 2 and it didn’t happen before. So fairly certain it’s a new introduction, even if an inadvertent one.

Thanks again - glad you got it “resolved” after a fashion. Hopefully this functionality gets smarter as we go along.

All the best.

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Answer 7

turingtest2

Level 10

278,263 points

Jul 25, 2018 11:48 AM in response to Zazou

You cannot change the status of a question from solved to unsolved. Only the original poster can mark a post as a solution. Occasionally that post might not be the direct solution to the original question.

Use Feedback - HomePod - Apple to let Apple know if you think a feature isn't working the way it should. I would certainly like to be able to have my Apple TV route audio out to my HomePods, but when the Apple TV is off and I ask HomePod to play music I don't expect Apple TV to wake up.

tt2

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