iOS 26 AirPlay volume equalization and sync issue

Question

iOS 26 AirPlay volume equalization and sync issue

It looks like iOS 26 has once again removed the ability to equalize volume across multiple AirPlay speakers by long pressing the volume slider.

In addition, the speakers will gradually get out of sync and force you to pause the music and restart to sync the streams again.

Anyone running into this problem with iOS 26 and found a fix?

Thank you!

Using original HomePods and HomePod mini with iPhone 17 Pro Max. All on the latest OS updates.

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: iOS 26 & AirPlay

Posted on Nov 25, 2025 6:01 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Dec 9, 2025 2:21 AM in response to K Michael Smith

Workarounds include using Siri to normalize volume, streaming from a Mac/HomePod instead of iPhone, restarting HomePods, avoiding Wi-Fi 6E, and toggling Airplane Mode to reset the AirPlay daemon.

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Answer 2

Dec 9, 2025 8:44 AM in response to azaksalmarzur28

I ended up creating a Home Scene with all the speakers and setting the same volume to all the HomePods.

It's a bit ridiculous that I have to create a workaround which requires me to leave the volume control for a very basic feature that should still be there after new operating systems are released.

Hope someone from Apple is using AI to monitor these and bring it back to makes things easier again 😉

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