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iamasmith

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 10, 2015
846
422
Cheshire, UK
I was quite surprised, then dismayed, to find out the HomePod I got in 2018 (no AppleCare) has stopped responding and doesn't even show any lights when powered on.

Changed the consumer fuse (twice just to be sure) and there's absolutely no signs of life on powering it up.

Any similar experiences or recommendations?

If alls lost I suppose I'll hold out and find out what the announcements are on HomePod soon if any.. I had hoped to get a second one at some point and pair it but never got round to that and it's a bit of a reset to go from 1 to 0 and then want 2 :(
 
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and £199 here in the UK except on the Apple store... I'll wait for the announcements I think :p

There are no announcements. HomePod is a $1B dollar business on a single sku and is best-in-class by a country mile. Apple won't do a thing to it except make more. C19 has the world locked down at home, I bet HomePod just had its best quarter in history.
 
I think everyone is missing the point here........this is a 2 year old HomePod that seems to no longer be working.
This should not be happening and we need more info as to why this might have happened, as these things are not really moved about or handled much...(or not in my house anyway, they stay put in 1 location and only get the occasion touch on the screen from time to time....I have 4 HomePods).
So, do you move your HomePod from room to room all the time, or is it left in 1 spot all the time?
Has it ever been dropped or anything?
Did you buy the HomePod new? (as in, not 2nd hand)
Does the HomePod show up on the home app at all?
Was there any strange issues with the HomePod prior to it not working......as in, was it working correctly right up until the time you tried to use it and nothing happened?

This is a concern to me, as I have 4 of them and if I only got 2 years out of any of them I would be really cheesed off no matter what price was paid for them (full retail or on offer).
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They’re $199. Go buy a pair and use the dead one as accent decor.
Im surprised that this was your 1st response to this problem based on how much we all know you love the HomePods.....your signature says you have 5 of these...if any or all of yours just stopped working, would you simply replace them and use the old ones as decor? NO, I very much doubt it, I am sure you would want to try see if there was a known issue or a possible fix for it?

This is not an attack on you BJ, just surprised that was your suggestion.
 
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I think everyone is missing the point here........this is a 2 year old HomePod that seems to no longer be working.
This should not be happening and we need more info as to why this might have happened, as these things are not really moved about or handled much...(or not in my house anyway, they stay put in 1 location and only get the occasion touch on the screen from time to time....I have 4 HomePods).

So, do you move your HomePod from room to room all the time, or is it left in 1 spot all the time?

Initially I moved it between the living room and the kitchen then decided the kitchen was a better spot and it's lived there since.

It was unplugged and plugged into a different socket about a week ago because we added another refrigerator.

Has it ever been dropped or anything?

Not that I know of and nobody is admitting that in the house and it has no marks that would indicate it.

Did you buy the HomePod new? (as in, not 2nd hand)

Brand new from Apple online.

Does the HomePod show up on the home app at all?

It was with a message 'HomePod is not responding' - I've since removed it as part of the many things I tried.

Was there any strange issues with the HomePod prior to it not working......as in, was it working correctly right up until the time you tried to use it and nothing happened?

It was working just fine and then yesterday I noticed that phones were answering Hey Siri instead of the homepod which should have told me something but it was only later when I asked it to play something that I noticed it was dead.

This is a concern to me, as I have 4 of them and if I only got 2 years out of any of them I would be really cheesed off no matter what price was paid for them (full retail or on offer).
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Im surprised that this was your 1st response to this problem based on how much we all know you love the HomePods.....your signature says you have 5 of these...if any or all of yours just stopped working, would you simply replace them and use the old ones as decor? NO, I very much doubt it, I am sure you would want to try see if there was a known issue or a possible fix for it?

This is not an attack on you BJ, just surprised that was your suggestion.

Yeah, it sucks really. The service price for an out of warranty homepod is $268 in the UK but places are selling them off for £199.
 
@iamasmith Thanks for the detailed reply......so seems like its been used in a normal way.

When you moved the HomePod to a new location due to your new firdge......did it power up when you plugged it in and was working as expected in this new location? Or had you not even needed to use the HomePod since moving it?

I am wondering if there was some sort of power surge or something that the HomePod didn't like?
I also know there was a recent update available for IOS devices....I wonder if it tried to do an update and it failed or something?

Have you tried the hard reset option? Unplug it from the socket for a minute, plug it back in and press the top of the screen, keep holding it and see if the screen turns red......if it does, then you can let it go and its doing a factory reset.
 
@iamasmith Thanks for the detailed reply......so seems like its been used in a normal way.

When you moved the HomePod to a new location due to your new firdge......did it power up when you plugged it in and was working as expected in this new location? Or had you not even needed to use the HomePod since moving it?

I am wondering if there was some sort of power surge or something that the HomePod didn't like?
I also know there was a recent update available for IOS devices....I wonder if it tried to do an update and it failed or something?

Have you tried the hard reset option? Unplug it from the socket for a minute, plug it back in and press the top of the screen, keep holding it and see if the screen turns red......if it does, then you can let it go and its doing a factory reset.

It was working quite happily for a whole week in it's new location.

The reset I tried a couple of times, I can hold my finger on the top of the unit for ages and there is no light whatsoever from the thing.
 
Hmmmm, not much more can really be done now to troubleshoot now......but will clutch at straws now.
Have you tried yet another wall socket for the HomePod...just in case its the socket that's not working right.
You mentioned fuses.....the fuses inside the HomePod power lead I take?....were the replacement fuses known working fuses that you tried?...just in case the ones you tried were duds.

If that still doesn't work then it would appear that your HomePod is truly goosed.....I still wouldn't be happy about a 2 year old Apple product going faulty and would walk into a Apple store and see what can be done...people on the end of a phone call or web chat won't do more than suggest a chargeable repair.....where as a person face to face might be willing to do something different? I have to be honest and say I have NEVER needed to go into an apple store for anything faulty/broken, so I really dont know how helpful or different you'd be treated compared to a phone call/web chat.
 
Yeah, I've tried all these things. I'll even dig out a multimeter in a minute to verify that the fuses that I've tested are all intact and still intact.
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Yep, even the original fuse has continuity.
 
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Im surprised that this was your 1st response to this problem based on how much we all know you love the HomePods.....your signature says you have 5 of these...if any or all of yours just stopped working, would you simply replace them and use the old ones as decor? NO, I very much doubt it, I am sure you would want to try see if there was a known issue or a possible fix for it?

This is not an attack on you BJ, just surprised that was your suggestion.

Consumer Electronics as an industry traditionally has a 5% defect rate, and it goes up to 15% in the first 3 years of ownership. Sometimes you draw the short straw and get one of the unlucky units.

Just last week my microwave oven up and died, just stopped working, it was only 20 months old. I called the manufacturer and pleaded my case but the fact is it had a 1 year warranty, I chose to pass on the extended warranty option, and that’s life. It doesn’t mean that the manufacturer is evil or they make a crappy product; just means that electronics are complex devices and there are risks. My last microwave from the same manufacturer lasted 20 years. On average I did good.

As for my HomePod’s, I paid $199 for each of them. That’s less than the cost of a nice dinner for our family. It’s less than the cost of a single ticket to a Yankee game. So if one of them dies even as little as a year in use it still would have provided us with more enjoyment than those other forms of entertainment. I’ve had $199 sneakers last me less than a year. Context is important.
 
@iamasmith It would seem like your HomePod is toast.....nothing else I can think of for troubleshooting ideas.
I would still be very cheesed off if it were any of my HomePods that had packed in......however I do like them enough to replace it with the same if anything were to go wrong.....only if they were on offer as they currently are.

@boltjames I get that everything we buy is a lottery as to how long it will last (regardless of price) but I would still have expected a HomePod to have lasted longer than 2 years.

It's a shame (only for a NON working unit) that the HomePod is such a sealed unit (I like the fact it is such a sealed unit visually).....as when a product isn't working right, that is when I might be willing to open it up and see if there are any signs of what part inside has broken (with the help of forums & YouTube etc) for a possible fix.
 
@boltjames I get that everything we buy is a lottery as to how long it will last (regardless of price) but I would still have expected a HomePod to have lasted longer than 2 years.

It's a shame (only for a NON working unit) that the HomePod is such a sealed unit (I like the fact it is such a sealed unit visually).....as when a product isn't working right, that is when I might be willing to open it up and see if there are any signs of what part inside has broken (with the help of forums & YouTube etc) for a possible fix.

Agreed, but it's how it goes. In the grand scheme of things, odds are that his replacement HomePod will function perfectly for 20 years. Statistically speaking, I think that's highly likely.
 
Ah well, it seems John Lewis have them for £199 in the UK which because they are audio devices gives you 2 years warranty and they have add-on accidental damage for £10.

So, 2 x new White HomePods with accidental damage addon seems not too unreasonable.
 
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Ah well, it seems John Lewis have them for £199 in the UK which because they are audio devices gives you 2 years warranty...
If UK warranty on the HomePod is 2 years, maybe you're still covered? If not, what about the payment method you used - any coverage there? My credit card extends (doubles) the warranty on certain items when used to purchase them.

I agree that failures happen. I think the Apple "repair" cost is what people find hard to swallow. They're basically charging you for a new one. Can't imagine that concept being applied to a car, for example. If they do revamp the product line, I hope they find a way to make the new ones more servicable.
 
If UK warranty on the HomePod is 2 years, maybe you're still covered? If not, what about the payment method you used - any coverage there? My credit card extends (doubles) the warranty on certain items when used to purchase them.

I agree that failures happen. I think the Apple "repair" cost is what people find hard to swallow. They're basically charging you for a new one. Can't imagine that concept being applied to a car, for example. If they do revamp the product line, I hope they find a way to make the new ones more servicable.

No, John Lewis give you 2 years instead of 1 on audio equipment and 5 on TVs. The normal UK warranty on a HomePod without AppleCare+ is 1 year.

I think £418 for 2 with 2 years warranty and accident cover is pretty good considering I paid £320 for the first one in 2018 and it pretty much costs that much today from Apple if you add on AppleCare+.
 
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As I see you are based in the UK your are protected under the Consumer Rights Act 2015,

Goods[edit]
The Act requires goods to be:

  • Of satisfactory quality.[9]
  • Fit for the consumer's particular purpose.[10]
  • As described.[11]
Previously, defective goods had to be rejected within a 'reasonable period', but the Act now gives consumers a minimum of 30 days in which they can reject goods that fail to conform to the contract.[12]

Basically it does not matter how old the product is it must last for a reasonable amount of time for what you paid and in my opinion it has not. If you paid £100 for the HomePod then yes move on but here I assume you paid around £280 and you would reasonably expect it to last longer than 2 years. Contact the seller and explain the situation but do not let them fob you of by saying it is out of warranty that is errelavent. The caveat is you may have to have it assessed by a third party to determine whether there was an inherent fault in the HomePod. Depends really if you have the will to pursue your case. Good luck.
 
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Thanks, I know all that about UK law and it's really probably why John Lewis automatically give longer on their warranties.

I really can't be bothered pursuing that approach at this this at this point.
 
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@iamasmith As it looks like your buying new HomePods anyway......I see no harm in trying to make a case under the consumer rights act......what is the worst that can happen......they say nope, sorry it is not being replaced......However it could be that you win the case and it gets replaced, bonus...keep it for another room or sell it.

I have never tried this approach, so have absolutely no clue of the process or timescale.....but I would imagine it would only be a couple of written letters needed to argue your case and then wait ages for a decision???
 
@iamasmith As it looks like your buying new HomePods anyway......I see no harm in trying to make a case under the consumer rights act......what is the worst that can happen......they say nope, sorry it is not being replaced......However it could be that you win the case and it gets replaced, bonus...keep it for another room or sell it.

I have never tried this approach, so have absolutely no clue of the process or timescale.....but I would imagine it would only be a couple of written letters needed to argue your case and then wait ages for a decision???

I may do this when I have the chance to walk into a store with it. I'm just too busy with stuff to make the trip at the moment.
 
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I’ve asked before and I’ll ask again, is this as something you are as sure as Directv will never implement dual live buffers?

Agreed, but it's how it goes. In the grand scheme of things, odds are that his replacement HomePod will function perfectly for 20 years. Statistically speaking, I think that's highly likely.
 
I was quite surprised, then dismayed, to find out the HomePod I got in 2018 (no AppleCare) has stopped responding and doesn't even show any lights when powered on.

Changed the consumer fuse (twice just to be sure) and there's absolutely no signs of life on powering it up.

Any similar experiences or recommendations?

If alls lost I suppose I'll hold out and find out what the announcements are on HomePod soon if any.. I had hoped to get a second one at some point and pair it but never got round to that and it's a bit of a reset to go from 1 to 0 and then want 2 :(

The HP has a fuse?
 
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