As said, there is a static and crackling sound lasting up to 5 seconds when I’m playing music from Spotify on my HomePod Mini. It comes up every couple of minutes and then music resumes playing normally. So far I had no issues, and after this emerged, I updated all softwares to latest versions and updated the Spotify app. Any ideas what to do next?
HomePod mini, 18
I've been experiencing the same problem after updating to OS 18. It happens whether I'm using the HomePod minis as tv speakers or while listening to music. I've also noticed an echo that comes and goes like the speakers aren't playing the audio at the same time.
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.
Still no fix in sight. And now, the latest updates as of March 2025, the software updates have destroyed my Apple Airports AirPlay with my BOSE speakers. So before that update…I had the one faulty HomePod Gen 1 NOT WORKING, but did have another that still works (was paired) plus 3 HomePod Mini, and 3 Bose Spkears…all AirPlay, and working. NOW I am down to 1 HomePod 1st Gen and 1 x HomePod Mini. Beyond angry. Apple have always been very quiet one know issues, faults…but 90% of the time….you did eventually get a fix rolled out, software, or firmware. Apple Genius Bar tell me, nothing can be opened up and checked….yet there IS a USB port, un the base’s cap.. Given this is global…these products are not cheap…. Class action sounds like it is the next step. I have spent weeks of my own time, trouble shooting, testing, resetting, restoring, starting from scratch even on my Wifi set up. Now really angry.
Updated my Xfinity box to the Xi8 model and also upgraded my wifi mesh router from Google nest to TP-Link BE5000, thinking the boost in wifi would help. Also upgraded to Apple certified Belkin Ultra high speed hdmi cables and no change in the intermittent static/crackling noise.
Pulling my hair out over this.
The software updates to Home and Apple devices in late March 2025, have not repaired anything RE: HomePod static, and stopping us from using these expensive paper weights. I have now followed the Apple Store Sydneys advice, and now logged this with the ACCC (Australian Competition & Consumer Commission.
I have also experienced this for the first time today since updating to HomePod OS 18 a couple of days ago. Crackling/interference sounds lasting 5-10 seconds with the music still playing in the background. At the time I was AirPlaying BBC Sounds. I have two HomePod Minis and this only occurred on one.
I’m also experiencing lots of intermittent static and crackling sounds on my HomePods and Minis that I’ve never encountered before. Sometimes lasting a lot longer than 5-10 seconds. Also, syncing issues with multiple units playing at the same time. This does seem like it started with the ios18 update for HomePod. This is really annoying since I am paying for Apple Music and using Airplay on my devices. Apple please look into this and issue a fix!!
My homepod 2's and my mini's have all been crackling several times a day, even before the 18 update. I've reset them all several times but it hasn't stopped. Some times the static/crackling comes on and the music starts stuttering, like it's stuck in a static loop. I use Apple Music.
I can no longer reliably use any of my HomePods with OS18. I have two homes in two countries with more than 8 HomePods at each site. After upgrading to OS18, it's not possible to reliably listen to music:
It goes without saying that these bugs destroy any listening pleasure using HomePods with OS18. Such a shame.
My paired HomePod 2's are always crackling, falling out of sync and dropping out. Sometimes they will get into a echoing loop. Hitting stop and play in the home app will fix it for a few minutes.
This is terrible. We have 8 HomePods throughout the house and ALL of them are doing this after updating to iOS18.
I also have HomePods in my business ... I can't use them because of this issue.
I had some time this weekend to verify if the sync issue was related to paired HomePods. It appears to not be related. After playing to an unpaired set of homePods (Gen 2 and Mini), the issue recurs. The only way to fix it is to stop/start/replay/skip.
This effectively means that Apple Music can no longer be used, which is pretty serious for one who's been a paid subscriber for years.
I opened a support ticket with Apple yesterday and they told me that "engineering is aware of the issue" with HomePods during AirPlay. Whether they will have a fix or not remains to be seen. I'm gobsmacked.
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).
Originally this ‘distortion’ broke out on one stand-alone mini, and it was so profound I thought that the speaker had blown a cone, it was beyond intolerable. I made an audio file of it as ‘evidence’. On playback it was obvious that it couldn’t be a physical fault as the original audio was still perfect but in the background, the ‘overlay’ of distortion and crackle was independent to this. Repetitiveness then suggested commonality between both the stream provider and the time of day. Whilst the time of day may still stand (mid afternoon) the fault now appears in various stream providers including Apple Music and BBC Sounds.
Subsequently, this ‘infection’ has now spread to any stand-alone/mono mini. The linked stereo originals are as good as gold (now probably jinxed) but the rest, utterly infuriating and very inviting for them to become very expensive one off baseballs ! - All are auto-updated to current OS.
We did the ‘red light’ reset, frankly if anything, it made the reoccurrence more frequent.
For those that may appreciate or understand: the premises has a split 2.4G & 5G router, both have the same passwords. 2.4 of course predominantly for ‘stuff’ around the place to do their things. The router software always invites to combine both, but as an ignorant user, I assume this to mean loosing the separation for 2.4 peripherals only - do advise if I am in la-la land on this point!
When I tried to log the fault Apple system said the units were out of their support period.. being in a hurry I aborted the attempt, but reading the conversations here, I am going to revisit and try again, as it looks like that was a red herring.
With the holidays on their way, the fear of this distortion breaking out as and when the festive tunes are contributing to the ambiance of various parties and such is an extremely disheartening thought (is it time to brush off the iPod and link it back into the Cinema System once more…? - Oh please Apple anytime sooner than soon would be seriously appreciated by far too many loyal customers…
I was thinking about when this issue started and remembered why I quit using my AirPods. The crackling and distortion started there but I thought it was a hardware failure as one of the pods sounds like it has a blown speaker. In any event AirPods, HomePods, the linking component is airplay and Apple Music.
I miss the days when you could add your review to the Apple Store website… but clearly, they got rid of that for a reason. The HomePod issues….are atrocious and all I am being told is to buy a new pair. Software updates in March 2025…have now also destroyed my Apple Airport AirPlay as well. They no longer work as i am referred NOw, to use the Home app, to manage AirPlay….that does not work either. My home stereo set up is now destroyed by Apple. Apple seem to be going to where anything PC/windows related…were 20 years ago. Woeful.
Static and crackling sound on HomePod Mini
