Anyone have this issue? Possibly since the last or previous update. Can’t say for certain. The + and - LEDs are remaining lit even when not being used. It’s not all of my HomePods but a few of them. The ones with the lights on are a little warmer than the ones that are off and I’m worried this will result in a premature hardware failure. Thanks.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
HomePod + - Volume Lights Not Turning Off
- Thread starter Itinj24
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Could’ve sworn I saw this posted in this forum somewhere but couldn’t find the thread. It was buried somewhere. Thought this might get more attention and visibility to those that might be unaware if this is a bug. Thanks for the replies
It didn't actually fix it for me - I still had to turn on the TV and quite the Music app. However, this morning I asked Siri for music, and when I stopped it I noticed the volume indicators turned off. Not sure what I did differently.
Is your HomePod audio defaulted to the AppleTV? That was what I found causing the issue because when I removed it from that the lights went off on 14.5.1. But it looks like as soon as I updated to 14.6, it fixed it right away.
Yes. Up until last Friday I had an AppleTV HD, so the HomePods were separate from the AppleTV and this didn't happen. I only noticed the issue after I added them as the default audio to the AppleTV4K. They had done this up until this morning, unless I quit the music app on Apple TV after I listened to something. For some reason, they have stopped doing this and I am not sure why, since there been no update since 14.6. I can't see this being something that could be fixed on Apple's end without an update. For now it's solved, but if it comes back, I know how to get rid of it without having to do anything too complicated.
So this happened to me this morning and I was able to resolve it (for now at least).
My setup: OG HomePod stereo pairs in both the "Kitchen" and in the "Living Room" all running 14.6. The Living Room stereo pair are connected to a 2021 Apple TV 4K using the "Home Theater" audio option (but not the eARC function) and have not exhibited this behavior until today.
I asked Siri on the Kitchen stereo pair to "play music in both the Kitchen and the Living Room." At first the two rooms where playing different songs. I then asked again and the same song then started playing in "Whole Home" ... even on the HomePod Minis in the bedrooms. I told Siri to turn the music off and noticed that the + - on the stereo pair of OG HomePods in the Living Room (connected to the AppleTV) remained lit and would not turn off. I tried a few things to see if I could get the + - to shut off: playing then stopping music again and other commands only from the affected HomePods; closing/swiping out of all apps on the AppleTV and on my iPhone. These things did not resolve the issue. I then removed the HomePods from the "Home Theater" audio setting in the AppleTV (selecting "TV speakers" instead) and the + - lights immediately turned off and stayed off. I reselected "Home Theater" thinking this might now be resolved, but it was not...the + - again stayed lit despite putting the AppleTV to sleep.
The solution that did work...I once again removed the HomePods from the "Home Theater" setting in the AppleTV (selecting "TV speakers" instead) AND then selected "Restart" (not "Reset") in the AppleTV settings (I did not restart/reset the HomePods). The + - on both HomePods are now turning off and staying off when I put the AppleTV to sleep.
Hope this works for others!
My setup: OG HomePod stereo pairs in both the "Kitchen" and in the "Living Room" all running 14.6. The Living Room stereo pair are connected to a 2021 Apple TV 4K using the "Home Theater" audio option (but not the eARC function) and have not exhibited this behavior until today.
I asked Siri on the Kitchen stereo pair to "play music in both the Kitchen and the Living Room." At first the two rooms where playing different songs. I then asked again and the same song then started playing in "Whole Home" ... even on the HomePod Minis in the bedrooms. I told Siri to turn the music off and noticed that the + - on the stereo pair of OG HomePods in the Living Room (connected to the AppleTV) remained lit and would not turn off. I tried a few things to see if I could get the + - to shut off: playing then stopping music again and other commands only from the affected HomePods; closing/swiping out of all apps on the AppleTV and on my iPhone. These things did not resolve the issue. I then removed the HomePods from the "Home Theater" audio setting in the AppleTV (selecting "TV speakers" instead) and the + - lights immediately turned off and stayed off. I reselected "Home Theater" thinking this might now be resolved, but it was not...the + - again stayed lit despite putting the AppleTV to sleep.
The solution that did work...I once again removed the HomePods from the "Home Theater" setting in the AppleTV (selecting "TV speakers" instead) AND then selected "Restart" (not "Reset") in the AppleTV settings (I did not restart/reset the HomePods). The + - on both HomePods are now turning off and staying off when I put the AppleTV to sleep.
Hope this works for others!
Good troubleshooting! So far mine have stayed off when done playing music. Quitting the music app has helped for me but if it happens again, I’ll keep your tips in mind.
Unfortunately, your solution didn’t work for me. For a few hours the + and - were off, but it started again after i asked Siri a question. Also the top gets very hot now, that’s very concerning… I’m now thinking about selling it and getting a stereo pair of HomePod Minis, but I‘m a bit hesitant.
AirPlay and audio stuff is just a giant mess. 14.6 was reported to have fixed the volume lights and it did for a little while. They just came back on two of my HomePods that are defaulted to an ATV. Switching the ATV back to TV speakers turns off the volume lights but they reappear when adding the HomePod back as the default audio for the ATV.
Also when I try to AirPlay from my iPhone to an ATV, it switches to the ATV instead of showing that it’s AirPlaying from the iPhone. This is important so I can get volume control on my Apple Watch in my pool where my ATV is hooked up to a dumb amp. When I AirPlay from my Apple Watch to the ATV, it shows as routing the audio from the iPhone.
Extremely frustrating. AirPlay has been around for so long this crap should be polished by now.
Also when I try to AirPlay from my iPhone to an ATV, it switches to the ATV instead of showing that it’s AirPlaying from the iPhone. This is important so I can get volume control on my Apple Watch in my pool where my ATV is hooked up to a dumb amp. When I AirPlay from my Apple Watch to the ATV, it shows as routing the audio from the iPhone.
Extremely frustrating. AirPlay has been around for so long this crap should be polished by now.
Yes and this happens to me too on occasion. For example, if after watching a movie, I say to the HomePod "Hey Siri, play music." Unfortunately, my solution is not a permanent fix. However, every time I notice the + - staying on I perform my solution and the + - return to normal.
Given when the + - issue reoccurs for me, it appears that the issue is somehow caused by HomePod's confusion with iCloud/Apple Music when switching between its dual role: 1) as a "Home Theater" Audio speaker to the AppleTV; and 2) as an independent iCloud/Apple Music home assistant device. For example, when your commands are driven by the AppleTV and Siri remote, HomePod accesses iCloud/Apple Music through the Apple TV's connection. When your commands suddenly switch and are directed at HomePod Siri, the device then tries to access iCloud/Apple Music through its own internal HomePod connection. HomePod then seems confused as to which iCloud/Apple Music connection it should then use. This appears to cause HomePod to act as if it is still in use...keeping the + - lit, even when the last command has completed. Unpairing the HomePods and restarting the AppleTV seems to break the confusion and reset the connection to iCloud/Apple Music.
Notably, my Kitchen HomePods that are not in use as an AppleTV "home theater" do not suffer from the + - issue...most likely because they operate in a single role. But, if I say to the Kitchen HomePod "play music in the Kitchen and the Living Room," the + - issue sometimes returns to just the Living Room HomePods which are used also for "Home Theater" audio.
I hope Apple fixes this glitch soon.
Last edited:
I want to say it’s minor too but I can feel a little more heat than usual emanating from the tops of the HomePods in question. Not sure if that’s a cause for concern but mine are out of warranty and I don’t want to chance it. Just a heads up.
The one thing I observed about the + - issue is that when it does occur, the + - are extremely bright (and hot to the touch), not their usual dimly lit white. Once the iCloud/Apple Music connection confusion clears (either on its own or by restarting the AppleTV), the + - return to normal brightness/temperature (and then turn off when not in use). So I think it is best to be vigilant and look out for the + - issue when using OG HomePods as "Home Theater" speakers so you can remove the HomePods and restart the Apple TV to clear the issue quickly.
Last edited:
I'll also add that the iCloud/Apple Music connection confusion that is causing the + - issue seems to also occur when the Apple ID used as the "HomePod Account" (Apple Music) is different than the Apple ID used for iTunes/Apple Music on the AppleTV. I've tested this and was able to make the + - issue occur each time when the Apple ID's were different. For example, if my wife was watching a show on the "Living Room" AppleTV under her user profile last night and the next morning (TV is off) I ask the "Kitchen" HomePods to "play music in Kitchen and Living Room" ...when I pause the music by touching the top of a HomePods in the "Kitchen", the Music on all four HomePods stop and the + - will stay lit on only the "Living Room" HomePods. If I then turn on the AppleTV and switch the user profile back to me (which is the same ID used for "HomePod Account"), the + - now immediately turn off on the "Living Room" HomePods. No restart of the AppleTV was necessary. Now, if the + - issue occurs while I'm using the AppleTV, then I must remove the HomePods from Audio and Restart the AppleTV to resolve the issue. This is why I think the + - issue is related to the HomePod's confusion when the "HomePod Account" ID and the AppleTV iCloud/Apple Music ID are different (not aligned).
Last edited:
Try force quitting music on the AppleTV next time and see if that turns off the lights
Thanks for sharing! Quitting music on the AppleTV did not solve the issue for me. Most likely because the issue stems from the "Home Theater" HomePod's use of its own internal iCloud/Apple Music connection when I ask it to "play music", rather than from the AppleTV music app or use of the Siri remote to request music.
Last edited:
I have no doubt this issue is related to the default audio of the HomePod on AppleTV.
I see what you mean about the heat. I’ll definitely keep an eye on it now. Restarting the ATV fixes it for now.