HomePod "this accessory is not responding" in home app

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HomePod "this accessory is not responding" in home app

Hi,

I have a HomePod in my living room which I've set up according to the instructions. However, after the setup, the HomePod can't connect to the Home app. As in, it shows up there after it's been setup, but when you tap on the accessory, the error appears "This accessory is not responding".

I have the HomePod since June and I haven't been able to connect to the HomePod from the Home app. After resetting it to its factory settings multiple times, removing it as an accessory, and removing/reinstalling the Home app altogether, the problem persisted and persists until this day.

I was hoping with iOS 12 this problem would be fixed, but no such luck. I wanted to update the HomePod software as well, but of course the only way to do this is through the Home app.

I recently moved abroad which leaves me unable to get in touch with Apple support about this, since the HomePod isn't sold in my current country.

Anyone experience this or gotten Apple to help them fix the problem?

Sincerely,

- Arthur

Posted on Oct 6, 2018 9:04 AM

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Answer 1

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turingtest2

Level 10

278,263 points

Oct 8, 2018 9:21 AM in response to art.julian

If your router supports multiple wireless bands you might find it works better if you use only 2.4GHz. If it has features for wireless isolation or guest mode you may find it works better with those features turned off. At the very least make sure that your iDevice used to set up the HomePod only knows the login information for one service on your router that isn't isolated so that devices on your network can talk to each other, and won't hunt between channels.

tt2

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Answer 2

Oct 6, 2018 11:35 PM in response to art.julian

How strange! From my experience you should still receive support for your HomePod regardless of it's current location 🙂. During setup, are you using the same device you are having issues with to activate?

Have you attempted to wipe your Home environment and go from there ? - Delete an accessory or home

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Answer 3

Oct 8, 2018 2:00 PM in response to art.julian

It is possible that the Homepod is not recognised because you are now in a country where it is not available/sold. The Homepod needs an AppleID to work and therefore Apple knows where the Homepod is located and could choose to not support it. There are many regional restrictions with Apple products.

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Answer 4

turingtest2

Level 10

278,263 points

Oct 13, 2018 3:17 AM in response to art.julian

Try resetting the HomePod one more time?

tt2

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Answer 5

Oct 8, 2018 3:35 PM in response to turingtest2

To clarify my earlier message, i’m currently using a HomePod purchased overseas in a country that is not officially supported. I have received support on multiple occasions and have had no issues using this within my HomeKit environment.

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Answer 6

turingtest2

Level 10

278,263 points

Oct 8, 2018 3:21 PM in response to Michael Paine

A good thought, but evidence from other threads suggests this isn't an issue. Certain features such as local news are only going to work in countries where HomePod has been officially released, and Siri only works in a few languages, but the device should still work worldwide.

tt2

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Answer 7

art.julian Author

Level 1

5 points

Oct 13, 2018 2:47 AM in response to turingtest2

This was a really good suggestion, since I still had a legacy router setup with two separate Wifi signals. Looking at the router settings, it didn't even see my HomePod, but was showing all my other devices (it was still playing music though 🤔).

Unfortunately, after resetting the router to only support one bandwidth, the problem still persists. Siri on HomePod tells me that there's a problem with my iCloud settings and to check the Home app, while the Home app tells me that "this accessory is not responding". The HomePod did show up as a device on my router though, so that's better now.

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HomePod "this accessory is not responding" in home app

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