Static and crackling sound on HomePod Mini

It WORKS!

I have been having this issue for months with my setup of 3 HomePods and 2 HomePod minis over an extended wifi across the house on different floors. A disaster scenario pretty much :D

So, I feel so stupid to promote a non-Apple platform when I am a subscriber of their Apple Music but I downloaded Qobuz yesterday and it works perfectly across the whole **** system with hi rez 192kHz Miles Davis beautifully flowing thru these amazing speakers.

I am going to keep on testing this the rest of the day but it's been now playing for 30 mins with no hiccups, hisses or crackling. Pretty much as it is suppose to work. I am so happy now.

I am using the iPhone App for this, the desktop version has not been optimised for multi speaker use although there are instructions how to get them work.

After a week on HomeOS 18.1, I’ve had nothing but listening pleasure and for me the problem has been addressed.

note: in both homes there is only one 5ghz network available to the HomePods. If you have 2.4ghz and 5ghz with the same name (SSID) you’ll probably have static, popping and problems. This was an issue many versions ago.

to fix, I appended “_IOT” to the 2.4ghz network then connected those devices to the new name. I then “forgot” the 2.4ghz networks from my 5ghz devices to avoid accidentally connecting to a slow network.

You can always restart by unplugging it for 10 seconds.

You can also try the hard reset method with the additional step of unplugging for over 24 hours first

Then plug back in and proceed as follows:

1. Unplug HomePod or unplug the power adapter for HomePod mini, wait 10 seconds, then plug HomePod back in.
2. Wait 10 seconds, then touch and hold your finger to the top of HomePod.
3. The white spinning light will turn red. Keep your finger down. 
4. Siri will say that your HomePod is about to reset. When you hear three beeps, you can lift your finger.

After you reset HomePod, you can set up HomePod again.

Reset HomePod or HomePod mini - Apple Support

Some update from side: I switched the 5 GHz WiFi to 20 MHz band width. Since 28th October I could no longer experience the sound issues, or delays. I’m still not 100% convinced of the stability. So, I will further monitor it.

I did not received any further feedback on my case from Apple, but I’m honest: I did not had time to follow up on it in the last weeks. But it is still on my list.

Thank you., @AppSmack, I think that your reference to the problem starting with OS17.1 may not refer to the same issue. For several versions back, music would play out of sync, pop/honk or not play at all. This seemed to happen where there was a 2.4ghz and 5ghz network with the same SSID. I moved all of my 2.4ghz devices to a separate network and the problem went away at both of my locations. This was at least for OS16 if not before.

Same here! Apple TV + HomePod mini Stereo Pair.

Workaround: Pause, wait, resume.

Waiting for a fix.

Please update your HomePods to 18.1 to see if this issue is resolved.

I recommend resetting your homepod/homepod mini. thats what im doing now, will tell you guys if it works

I’m trying an experiment. Since my HomePod minis are in different rooms and only one of them has the static issue I have swapped their locations to rule out any external interference. I haven’t had any static since their locations were swapped. It seems like powering them off helps with the static, such that it’s a couple of days until it happens again. Hopefully, 18.1 will have a fix in it, but it might not.

I have 4 HomePods. I switched the one from the pair that was showing the issue with another outside of my pair. all other things equal, the problem repeated even with a new hardware. I had reset and ensured latest software on the new speaker. Problem has occurred since iOS 18 release playing through Apple Music on speakers either through Airplay or player directly from speakers. All same symptoms as described in this support trail: crackling, pair falling out of sync, stopped play on one or both speakers. Before new iOS upgrade all speakers played fine.

this leads me to believe software update quality was lacking in this case.

hoping a soon to release update to fix it (if Apple is paying attenation).

I can confirm that the issue already started with iOS 17.x, as someone else already mentioned. I'm pretty sure that, for me, it started with iOS 17.6. I experienced delays with one of the HomePod pairs (HomePod 2gen) and had opened a case at my network manufacturer (Ubiquiti) for investigation. We optimised a couple of things but nothing improved the situation. I received a custom firmware for my U6 Pros and this solved the stereo pair delay, but with iOS 18 I had this static and crackling sound on exactly this pair. I also have it very rarely with a single HomePod 2gen.

What the Ubiquity support and I had discovered are:

1) Sometimes the HomePods showing an unexpected high latency for a couple of seconds. Like they are busy with something. This latency jumps happen independently from playing music, or not.

2) The 5GHz Wifi is offering a channel width of 40 MHz. But all the HomePods just using the 20MHz channel width. AppleTVs and all other devices using the 5GHz Wifi are using the 40MHz channel width. In case the HomePods are deciding by themselves to use 20MHz, then I have this static/crackling sound and audio delays. Sometimes, they are using the 40MHz channel width and from what I have experienced, then the issue is gone and the playback is rock solid. Unfortunately, I have found no way to force them to use the offered channel width and it happens rarely, that they are using it by themselves. So, no hard evidence on this.

I will try to set the channel width to 20MHz and check, how the HomePods are behaving.

I already have a case open at Apple and I can just encourage everyone to do the same. Probably you don't get a solution right at your hand, but just with cases we can bring up this topic to attention.

The first days the Apple support was very committed to the topic, but since the last days there is no response from them. If I don't receive any feedback, I will start an official escalation at Apple about this (living in Germany, so we have some options due to laws to support end-customers).

So until 30 minutes ago, I was going to update and say that none of the nemesis crackles have been fizzing this week, then blow me, not only are they back, but for the first time ever, the darn interference is now emitting from the stereo synched mini’s - Just when I thought that that mid-week urgent iOS update might have sneaked through a secret patch too. Oh well, square one again. For those monitoring with the frustration and annoyance at level 11 - Spinal Tap movie reference - I have noticed this week, that, when the stereo synched mini’s are in use, there is now a very perceptible persistent panning of the horizontal audio plane randomly. (Proven using audio known to be fixed pan centre)

Another new observation: If there is a spike in the premises voltage or digital signal ‘splat’ of the EMC interference variety, immediately the pair will develop a non-synchronous out of phase audio that at times progressively gets worse with 35+ mS of difference. Of course absolutely unbearable and requires a ‘PASUE/PLAY’ action that clears it up.. I mean, really!?

Reading that these pods have multiple microphone noise sampling correction, I am minded to think that there is a possible PCB capacitance matter that if these affected “splats” momentarily discharges some/all capacitors (or equiv’) to ‘loose’ their synchronicity and cause them to ‘hunt’ and ignore their equivalents causing the rapid decay of synch. Potentially both hardware & software errors- If the same model is applied to the distortion, (all hypothetical and unproven) and the software has also lost a line of code, then the ‘microphone’ hunting could again be the cause as they fight to correct the sound output whist at the same time maintain a low level master audio output -

NOTE: that for me at least, there is a faint pure crystal clear audible broadcast that continues in the background overwhelmed by this distorted mush.

I am no electronics engineer but I am a sound designer/operator from the entertainments biz’ and so very acquainted with digital delay, noise sampling and cancellation and how software has changed the ease of delay synchronicity (Haas effect) without the maths and tape measures, but also a massive headache if a PCB or rack unit drops. I do wonder if Apple may have overlooked this approach and gone off on a different tangent which is why it is taking so long to ‘clear the fault’ that is very much global.

Out of interest, has anyone tried or able to try operating some of your pods via a UPS or voltage smoothing/ filter unit? Or able to split some on to such leaving others as is without relocation, just the feed of power. Unscientific but another strand to rule out .

It is, I agree, such an annoyance on something that should not be a problem and should be addressed by Apple without hesitation and in recognition of poor customer service from such a highly respected and prestigious retailer. When they work, these little baseballs are just awesome and audio, but my god, when glitchy… no good for your blood pressure !

Happy Thanksgiving to those that are across the pond from me!

I agree with all the comments about the quality of recent Apple software releases, but getting back to this issue...since updating to iOS 18.1, I no longer have any static/popping issues since HomeOS 18.1 ; However, playback on iOS 18.2 across paired stereo HomePods (all types: Gen1, Gen 2 and Minis) is so bad that I can no longer use AirPlay.

The problem is that the music stutters and then plays out of sync which makes it impossible to enjoy playback.

I checked my network and have a single 5Ghz SSID to which all the HomePods are connected. Whenever I play from your iPhone, the problems start within 10 minutes. PREVIOUS to iOS 18, I could play across all devices in multiple rooms on multiple floors. My up/down rate is about 300-600 (fiber in France!) so there should be no latency issues. All 5 access points are hard-wired by home runs to the router.

The problem does NOT SEEM to occur when playing from my MacBooks running Sequoia 15.2.

I would recommend you return them if under warranty. There is no fix in sight that I am aware of. Mine are out of warranty, so at the Genius Bar, I was told, the only option was to log an issue with the Australian govt on fare trade…and see if I get any kind of refund, being about $20 off a new pair. And Gen 1 are NOT able to pair with a Gen2, not compatible. That’s $1000 AUD down the drain as I needed a Stereo pair. I’ve recently discovered an incredible BT alternative, for 1/5 the price.

Similar issues since approx. July 2024. After a software update. One of my Stereo paired 1st Gen HomePods. Extreme crackle, static...and dies...sometimes boots itself back up after a few minutes. I can re-connect via Airplay....and the scenario repeats (my other 4 HomePods, Mini's ...all fine). Completed a lot of trouble shooting, WIFI, restores, pairing, unpairing. Also logged a case with Apple who appeared interested, but after a few days trouble shooting, done by myself, and getting back to Apple, support has dropped off. From what I can read, apple are aware, and this is a known issue for many users across the globe. My visit to the Apple Store, gave the distinct impression, they know, and are not keen at all to take further. I was more or less told, there is nothing apple can do, aside from offer to sell me a new HomePod (a Gen2) that does not even pair with my other unaffected a Gen 1....at FULL price.

All of trouble shooting, leads me to believe AirPlay has some major issues, and the frequencies seem to also be a problem. I will not swear on here, but given the huge amounts I have spent on Apple, for the last 2 years, this is beyond poor and dissapointing, as Apple truly do now seem to just not care anymore. They never used to be like this.. A fix would usually have been rolled out by now. Or even an option to restore to the previous software/firmare...but NO.

Let us know if you get any further with yours. Thanks.