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Apple Releases HomePod Software 26.4

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Alongside iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, and macOS Tahoe 26.4, Apple has released new HomePod 26.4 software for the HomePod and the HomePod mini. The update comes a little over a month after Apple released HomePod Software 26.3.

HomePod-2-and-Mini-feature-1.jpg

According to Apple's release notes, HomePod Software 26.4 includes performance and stability improvements.

‌HomePod‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ software is installed automatically on the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌ unless the feature is disabled‌‌‌‌, but the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ can also be manually updated in the Home app on iPhone, iPad, or Mac by tapping on the More button, choosing Home Settings, and then selecting the Software Update option.

Article Link: Apple Releases HomePod Software 26.4
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/03/24/apple-releases-homepod-software-26-4/
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Reactions: Z-4195
I swear they make 5 of my HomePods worse with every update on purpose so that when they release the new ones with the new Siri one day, it’ll feel like a “big upgrade.” In 2018 Siri could hear me over loud music playing and would adjust all my lights and answer all the basic questions. Now half the time she can’t do the lights, doesn’t know the weather and can’t even hear me speaking. Ridiculous.
 
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Reactions: Dave 123, mjs916, MasonR and 5 others
hieranonymous said:
It’s kind of wild to me that my original HomePod still receives updates nine years later. It also speaks to how little the hardware has fundamentally changed over those nine years.
Click to expand...

If you're a fan of the OG HomePod, NEVER SELL IT. If it ever breaks, have it fixed. I SOOOOO regret selling our OG HomePods, Gen. 2's are absolutely the worst. I'm actively looking for broken OG's on marketplace and eBay to send in so we can go back to the OG's. Not only did they sound better but they could actually hear you speaking to them, the 2nd gen is awful, I can be standing 2 feet away with absolutely no music playing, no ambient sounds and it doesn't hear me. If I were not so cheap I would beat it with a bat like the did the printer in Office Space.

/rant
 
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Reactions: iDrinkKoolAid, LazyMonkIE, freedomlinux and 8 others
One of my 3 HomePods (OG, not mini) is bricked now, after the update. No reactions. Resetting doesn’t work. I also tried deleting from the Home App and rebooting the Router. Anyone else with the same problem?
 
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Reactions: jaysabol
Both my original and orignal mini still refuse to see the thousands of dollars in Apple music purchases I've made for 20 years now. Still have to pull up on my phone and use via Airplay. Yes it's set up correctly and have done every troubleshooting thing I can find over the years.
 
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Anyone have any tips. I tried updating my OG HomePod to 26.3 back when it was released. The HomePod disconnected from WiFi and now it’s bricked. I had the same issue with 26.2 but was able to switch the WiFi network between my 2G and 5G networks in the Home app while updating which I thought would work for the 26.3 update and it didn’t. I have a HomePod mini that I will not update because I had the same issue with the 26.2 update that worked for both of them but after the OG HomePod got messed up I refuse to update the mini because it still works on the 26.2 version.

It’s a shame because I really like HomePods but will probably never purchase another one.
 
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fresh4u said:
One of my 3 HomePods (OG, not mini) is bricked now, after the update. No reactions. Resetting doesn’t work. I also tried deleting from the Home App and rebooting the Router. Anyone else with the same problem?
Click to expand...
Yes. An OG HomePod when updating to 26.3. Sorry to hear you had the same problem.
 
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I’m also experiencing an issue with HomePod on version 26.4. It periodically loses connection and starts flashing a red light. I’ve removed and set it up again three times — it only helps for a few minutes to a few hours, then the problem comes back. It can also randomly turn on the TV 🤷🏻‍♂️
Click to expand...
 
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imola.zhp said:
If you're a fan of the OG HomePod, NEVER SELL IT. If it ever breaks, have it fixed. I SOOOOO regret selling our OG HomePods, Gen. 2's are absolutely the worst. I'm actively looking for broken OG's on marketplace and eBay to send in so we can go back to the OG's. Not only did they sound better but they could actually hear you speaking to them, the 2nd gen is awful, I can be standing 2 feet away with absolutely no music playing, no ambient sounds and it doesn't hear me. If I were not so cheap I would beat it with a bat like the did the printer in Office Space.

/rant
Click to expand...
I absolutely agree with this. I have about 5 OG hHomePods in my house all over the place and I can be standing in the next room with music playing and it more often than not still hears me and actions the request!

Compare that to having 3 HomePod 2's in my 1 bed flat, stereo pair in the living room and 1 in the bedroom. I can be stood almost right next to it and it still doesn't;t hear me. 1st gen ARE way better by a very large margin.
 
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I'm just pleased that HomePod OS 26.4 has finally fixed the passthrough e-Arc audio. I've always used my stereo pair HP speakers to enjoy what's on the TV via the AppleTV. Since OS 26.3, audio when using the AppleTV is perfect but TV sound over e-Arc the speakers keep losing the connection and I was forever missing about 10 seconds of audio at a time. Annoying as that was, what made it worse was that the problem would happen at least 3-4 times an hour!

So far, since 26.4, the TV audio came on immediately as soon as I switched the TV on.

😩😩😩

...and while I'm writing this post; it's happened again! Please Apple fix this! Never happened before 26.3

Sad times. 😢
 
imola.zhp said:
If you're a fan of the OG HomePod, NEVER SELL IT. If it ever breaks, have it fixed. I SOOOOO regret selling our OG HomePods, Gen. 2's are absolutely the worst. I'm actively looking for broken OG's on marketplace and eBay to send in so we can go back to the OG's. Not only did they sound better but they could actually hear you speaking to them, the 2nd gen is awful, I can be standing 2 feet away with absolutely no music playing, no ambient sounds and it doesn't hear me. If I were not so cheap I would beat it with a bat like the did the printer in Office Space.

/rant
Click to expand...
I picked up a cheep OG HomePod recently that was bricked with flashing volume indicators. After reflashing it it works great! Definitely the best bang for your buck speaker I own.
 
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headlessmike said:
I picked up a cheep OG HomePod recently that was bricked with flashing volume indicators. After reflashing it it works great! Definitely the best bang for your buck speaker I own.
Click to expand...

I have an eBay alert for them but I haven't picked one up yet. Was the flashing process pretty straight forward? I wouldn't even mind them with blown speakers, there is a guy Nic's Fix that fixes them for a nominal fee.
 
imola.zhp said:
I have an eBay alert for them but I haven't picked one up yet. Was the flashing process pretty straight forward? I wouldn't even mind them with blown speakers, there is a guy Nic's Fix that fixes them for a nominal fee.
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I actually bought the USB adapter I used from Nic since I can't easily get 3D-printed parts and I used his instructions for flashing. If you have any experience of using Brew/Macports and running command line tools then it was pretty straightforward. Not all dead HomePods can be recovered in this way, but I was lucky that mine was just stuck in a boot loop from a failed update and didn't have any hardware issues. The OG HomePod was never sold in my market (Sweden), so they aren't super common unfortunately, but I do keep an eye out for defective units.
 
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headlessmike said:
I actually bought the USB adapter I used from Nic since I can't easily get 3D-printed parts and I used his instructions for flashing. If you have any experience of using Brew/Macports and running command line tools then it was pretty straightforward. Not all dead HomePods can be recovered in this way, but I was lucky that mine was just stuck in a boot loop from a failed update and didn't have any hardware issues. The OG HomePod was never sold in my market (Sweden), so they aren't super common unfortunately, but I do keep an eye out for defective units.
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I found all of that after asking you. Looks like he's no longer selling the cable but I'm not familiar with those tools anyway. I did go ahead and pull the trigger on a no-power HomePod yesterday on eBay. Once received, I'll send it to him for repair.
 
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Continuation of the story:


I downgraded my HomePod mini to 26.3. Big thanks to ipsw.me 🙏

Wasted a whole hour resetting all the cameras, sensors, and everything else, but now it’s running perfect again.

HomePod is now the second device after my MacBook where I’ve turned off auto-updates—in 16 years of using Apple devices. 2026 is already getting interesting, huh 😏
 
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