Choose Audio button missing in Apple Home automations for all HomePods.

Question

Level 6

12,480 points

Choose Audio button missing in Apple Home automations for all HomePods.

I'm trying to add a new automation to my home to play audio on my HomePods at a certain time. I'm not given the option to choose audio in the automations section. Is there a way to get this back? I had it before upgrading to 16.2, but now it's not there.

Troubleshooting already attempted:

Restart iOS device

Try from different iOS device

Update iOS device

Delete home and recreate

Delete home, restart iOS device and recreate

Delete home, delete Home.app from iOS device, restart iOS device, reinstall Home.app on iOS device, recreate.

Update HomePod OS

Reset HomePod to factory settings

Hit head on wall repeatedly in frustration.

Am I missing something, or is this just a bug?

HomePod mini, 16

Posted on Jan 25, 2023 08:58 AM

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Answer 1

Vancouver22

Level 8

37,160 points

Jan 26, 2023 11:46 AM in response to celliott147

Resetting HomePods might help if you want to try that.
There’s another setting in the home app to make sure Apple Music is on. In Home Settings - Your Name, it’s usually on by default though. You might try toggling it off, close the home app, restarting then toggle back on
Are you able to try adding the Automation in the HomePod settings or another device?

You are definitely missing choose audio. It’s as if it can’t recognize you have Apple Music, did you try signing out of Primary User in the HomePod? Signing out in settings on the iOS device is only for that device.

I have a new bug if I ask what playlist is playing I only get the current song.

This is how mine looks

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Answer 2

Vancouver22

Level 8

37,160 points

Jan 26, 2023 11:12 PM in response to celliott147

As long as you’re not using both ID’s in HomeKit. You need the same ID on:

iOS device you used to set up HomePods
The HomePods
Apple music account
iCloud
Apple TV. (if you have one, since it’s another Hub)

I probably missed something there.

It’s just always best to stick to using one Apple ID/iCloud account for this to work. Do you have @iCloud.com email and @me.com? I have both of those and I can mix it up since they are the same. Me.com took over the iCloud.com. I mostly use me.com though, so it never matters.

Additionally you need to have keychain enabled.

Everything on the same home wifi

It might be this half baked architecture thing they put out, then pulled. I’m wondering when they plan to bring it back. Possibly to coincide with the Feb 3 new HomePod release? Who knows. I don’t know what else to suggest.

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Answer 3

celliott147 Author

Level 6

12,480 points

Jan 26, 2023 08:54 AM in response to Vancouver22

You had to manually choose to install the new architecture. I can see choose audio in alarms on specific HomePods, but I can't see it in automations.

I do have Apple Music, and the account is active.

I've updated all iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and HomePodOS devices to 16.3 and still saw the same results.

I've also signed out and signed back in to my iCloud and Purchasing Apple IDs.

This screenshot shows when I try to set up an automation:

This screenshot shows when I try to set up an alarm:

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Answer 4

celliott147 Author

Level 6

12,480 points

Jan 26, 2023 08:39 PM in response to Vancouver22

Automation from another device shows the same thing.

I called Apple Support today and we briefly got it to show up after resetting the HomePods again, but then it disappeared.

Trying automations from the HomePod yields the same result. The picture you got is the expected, and was there briefly, but just disappeared.

I’ve signed out of the primary account and back in with no change in what I’m seeing. It does show Apple Music.

I have 2 Apple IDs (one from 2005 when I got my first iPod that contains all my purchases, and one from 2008 when MobileMe came out that is my primary Apple ID for everything else). This hasn’t been an issue before, but maybe it is now.

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Answer 5

Vancouver22

Level 8

37,160 points

Jan 25, 2023 02:03 PM in response to celliott147

I’m not sure if I installed architecture on the previous update. How can you tell?

Not sure why you can’t see choose audio. This has changed now to allow the ambient sounds. Do you subscribe to Apple Music? I think you need to in order to use music for Automations. If you do, check your account is active. Otherwise signing out of your Apple ID HomePod account and back in might help.

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Answer 6

celliott147 Author

Level 6

12,480 points

Jan 27, 2023 09:02 AM in response to Vancouver22

So it's set up how it's always been. I actually log in to both Apple IDs on all devices. I use the old iTunes ID for home sharing on all devices. I'll give Apple another call today and see what we can do.

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Answer 7

celliott147 Author

Level 6

12,480 points

Feb 7, 2023 01:04 PM in response to celliott147

Ok, I'm back to add to the saga. So now the choose audio option is appearing for my wife, but not for me. I've restored my iPhone and set up as new as well now, and I still don't have the option. If she creates the automation, it works. I can edit all parts of the automation except the audio selection. If I try adding audio on a macOS Ventura device, it is actually grayed out. This appears to be account related.

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Answer 8

celliott147 Author

Level 6

12,480 points

Feb 8, 2023 10:10 AM in response to Vancouver22

So I was able to ultimately solve the issue on my own. I decided to go to https://appleid.apple.com and log in with my purchasing ID. I logged in successfully, reset the password, and then signed out and back in on all HomePods. It fixed whatever was wrong. No idea why it was working for my wife, but not for me, but it works now.

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