HomePod Is my HomePod failing?

[ghanwani]

I often use the HomePod to set a timer -- my most frequent use of it, more than listening to music.

Anyway, I have started having problems like this:

Me: Hey Siri, set a timer for 10 min
HP: Just a moment...
(A few seconds pass.)
HP: Still working...
(A few more seconds pass.)
HP: Something's taking a little too long here.
(After this, it looks like it gives up.)

My Internet connection is fine and stable all this time. A reboot (unplug/plug) doesn't fix it.

Is the HomePod unit failing? Normally the issue resolves itself at some random time. I can no longer predict if it'll do what I need it to do when I ask it.

 

[Alfie]

When these types of issues come up, I usually just remove the HomePod from the Home app. This will erase the Homepod and then you can re-add it to Home app. Only takes a few minutes. After the Homepod shows up again in the app, you'll see it's in a "configuring" mode. Let it finish that before giving it any commands. Also, double-check to make sure it's on the latest software. I had the timer issues a few versions ago, but it's worked better on the newest update.

 

[Bogstandard]

Your problem is Siri.
From my observation, siri is being programmed to be more conversational, but seems to have a decreased aptitude for carrying out simple homekit tasks.

 

[ghanwani]

I continue to have this problem on and off. Usually resolves itself after a random amount of time without a reboot.

 

[dotme]

From personal experience a couple of days ago: Next time this happens, open the Home app on your iPhone and long-press on the HomePod you used to set a Timer. Scroll down to Timers, and if none are visible, create one (Press "New Timer" and set one for 2 minutes). Now see if other timers appear in the Timers list after the one you just created. If they do, you should be able to delete them there, and after that, Siri should be able to set new timers again.

 

[ghanwani]

Didn’t realize this was timer specific. Next time it happens I'll try and get it to play a song. I was under the impression that the WiFi or internet connection was breaking.