HomePod how to unbrick blinking volume homepod

[tywebb13]

blinking volume on homepods often means it is bricked

apple will charge hundreds of dollars to "repair" - and their version of "repair" is toss it out and give you new one. Old one goes to trash!

However the bricking is often due to software issue, not hardware.

The diagnostic port underneath is used by apple to test it with a special adapter which they don't sell to the public.

Nevertheless you can make your own, connect to computer and restore, just like you can do for a bricked iphone or ipad.

video is a bit long but worth a watch

so you can keep your $hundreds and not let apple contribute more to ewaste!

 

[tywebb13]

more details are at https://github.com/UnbendableStraw/homepod-restore

to make your own adapter: https://github.com/tihmstar/homepwn

if you don't want to make your own adapter, he said he will make some to sell at https://nicsfix.com/ but they are not there yet

 

[tywebb13]

Found this comment on x too:

The obvious question is why has Apple been telling customers its a hardware issue and selling them out of warranty replacements on something so easily recoverable? We're LITERALLY just plugging in a usb cable and hitting restore. This should be criminal??

https://twitter.com/x/status/1820161698487284130

 

[tywebb13]

they are not there yet

update: they are there now

you can get from http://nicsfix.com/shop/

 

[erihp]

wow this is huge

 

[Digital Dude]

I have nine HomePods, and one of them was acting up—I thought it was done for. One day, I tripped over the cord, and it bounced on the floor like a half-deflated beach ball. That bit of accidental engineering fixed it, and now it works perfectly. 🤓

 

[erihp]

I have nine HomePods, and one of them was acting up—I thought it was done for. One day, I tripped over the cord, and it bounced on the floor like a half-deflated beach ball. That bit of accidental engineering fixed it, and now it works perfectly. 🤓

hahaha! cant make this stuff up.

 

[tywebb13]

well i had a bricked homepod with blinking volumes and used the special connector to restore it.

if you take to apple "genius" they will say hardware issue buy new one

like saying flat tyre in car so buy new car!

genius hey? fraudster more likely!

seriously!

software update bricks it, so apple lies, says hardware issue, buy new one - when it isn't hardware issue?

that is obtaining money by deception - the very legal definition of fraud.

if class action lawsuit comes i would happily join as witness

the only things i used apart from the connector was the mac, ipsw file and some terminal commands most of which i just copy-pasted

and the apple genius can't do this? sure he can. but that isn't his business. his business is FRAUD