Is Homepod Mini Not Responding? (Fix in Minutes)

We understand the frustration when everything in your smart home is not working because the HomePod mini not responding. 

In most cases, the “Not Responding” status in the Home app is due to a temporary connection or power fault.

If you’ve used the HomePod for a while, and it stopped responding just recently, stay until the end to discover all of the solutions.

HomePod Mini Not Responding to Inputs – 8 Easy Solutions!

Tip: Open the Home app, go to your HomePod mini, and press “Restart HomePod” in the options to activate a reboot sequence. 

1. Ensure Siri is Active & Listening

Without activating Siri for your HomePod, neither of your voice commands will be recognized and registered.

You can manage all of the HomePod Siri and voice assistant functions through the Home app installed on your iPhone.

Here’s how to set Siri’s voice activation to “On”:

1. First, access the Home app on your iPhone.
2. Press on your HomePod’s dashboard below.
3. Next, scroll down and press on the gear icon.
4. Find Listen for “Siri” or “Hey Siri” in the tab.
5. Extend the options and set the feature to “On”.

Now anytime your HomePod overhears “Siri”, the microphone will activate automatically and listen to your voice commands.

Ensure your pronunciation is clear and audible to activate the microphone without any trouble. 

2. Check for Home App Alerts

If the HomePod mini is not responding without any visible indications, then you have almost certainly received an alert within the Home app.

• The Home app’s notifications are enabled by default, meaning all alerts will appear as a message on your iPhone’s lock screen.

The next step is to check if you’ve accidentally dismissed the message by reviewing the older notifications on your iPhone.

If you did receive a warning, tap on the message, unlock your iPhone, and check what’s wrong with your HomePad. 

How to Check the HomePod’s Status?

If no notification appears on your iPhone, then access the Home app and scroll down to the HomePod mini’s listing.

There, you will see the current status of the speaker and whether it is responding, not responding, or offline.

3. Unplug the HomePod from Power

Perhaps, an issue with the power supply has caused your HomePod to function improperly and appear as “Not Responding” within the Home app.

Yet, a simple power cycle should restore the speaker’s functionality, as long as the fault is not on a hardware level.

• To power cycle the HomePod mini, unplug it from the power and wait 60 seconds.

So, a full minute is the optimal time any electrical appliance takes to discharge from the power.

Hence, keeping the HomePod mini unplugged for any less than 60 seconds may not work at all.

Tip: Try connecting the HomePod to a different outlet and check if the power cord is damaged!

4. Switch the HomePod’s Wi-Fi

Unstable or fluctuating Wi-Fi is one of the leading causes, especially when your HomePod mini is not responding.

Hence, one of the best next steps would be to switch your Wi-Fi thread, for instance, change from 2.4 GHz to 5 GHz or vice versa (only possible with dual-band routers).

Follow these steps to change the HomePod’s Wi-Fi:

1. Open the Home app and tap on the HomePod’s tile.
2. Tap the gear icon to access the device configuration.
3. Now, press “Move HomePod mini to [Wi-Fi’s name]”
4. Tap on the new Wi-Fi, input the key, and pair the unit.

How to Address Issues with Wi-Fi?

Addressing Wi-Fi issues involves improving the performance, increasing the connection’s stability, and ensuring your router’s coverage is at its max.

Here’s what to try:

• Unplug the router from power for 50–60 seconds.
• Prevent all the network’s downloading/uploading.
• Unpair unused devices from the router’s network.

You can check the current download and upload speed of your network by accessing the speedtest.net page on a connected device.

Simply press on the “GO!” button and check if there’s an improvement performance-wise. 

5. Update the HomePod’s OS 

The HomePod could be running into issues because of an underlying system update available within the Home app.

By default, both versions of the HomePod are designed to download and apply newer firmware updates automatically, but you can check manually regardless.

Here’s how to update the OS of your HomePod:

1. Open the Home app and go to “Home Settings”.
2. Check if there’s an “UPDATE!” button available.
3. Tap the button to start the unit’s firmware update.

Note: Verify your iPhone is on the latest OS, at “Settings” → “General” → “Software Update”.

6. Re-add the HomePod’s Profile

Perhaps, a misconfiguration of the HomePod mini’s profile has resulted in consistent issues with the voice activation and command registering.

So, re-adding your HomePod involves removing the device’s profile from the Home application and then completing the initial setup from scratch.

Here’s how to re-add the HomePod mini:

1. Open the Home app and tap on the HomePod.
2. Press the “Settings” icon and scroll downwards.
3. Select “Reset HomePod” and wait for a redirect.
4. Press on “Remove Accessory” for uninstallation.
5. Tap “Remove” to confirm the unit’s deregistration.
6. Wait ~20 seconds until the HomePod is removed.
7. Now, stand next to the HomePod with your iPhone.
8. Finally, follow the setup instructions that will appear.

Notice: Re-adding the HomePod is not the same as recovery (factory reset)!

7. Offload the Home App

A fault with the Home app may prevent the HomePod from responding and functioning properly.

Even if the status says “The device is responding”, offloading the Home app is a certain way to find out if there’s a problem or not.

Here’s how to offload the Home app in easy steps:

1. Open the iPhone’s settings and go to “General”.
2. Tap on “iPhone Storage” and find the Home app.
3. Next, press on the app and select “Offload App”.
4. Press on “Offload App” to confirm and then wait.
5. After about 20–30 seconds, press on “Load app”.

Notice: The Home app will be inaccessible while offloaded!

8. Reset the Pod via iTunes/Finder

A factory reset will almost certainly help if the HomePod is not engaging Siri or won’t register voice commands.

However, you will either need a Mac-operated computer or a Windows PC with installed iTunes to start the reset. 

Let’s review how to reset the HomePod on both platforms!

How to Factory Reset HomePod Mini Via Mac?

1. Plug the HomePod via a USB-C cable to your Mac.
2. Wait several seconds and open the “Finder” panel.
3. Press “HomePod” under the “Locations” side panel.
4. Select “Restore HomePod…” to start the procedure.

How to Factory Reset HomePod Mini Via PC?

1. Download and install the iTunes app on your PC.
2. Connect the HomePod to your PC via a USB-C.
3. Open iTunes and press the HomePod on the side.
4. Search for the “Restore HomePod…” option below.
5. Activate the reset and confirm the procedure to start.

Tip: After the reset, open the Home app and go to “HomePod mini” → “Settings” → “Reset HomePod” → “Remove Accessory” and set it up again. 

HomePod Still Not Responding?

If your HomePod mini not responding after all the solutions in this guide it’s time to get in touch with Apple support.

There’s likely a software or hardware-based problem or setup issue that can be resolved only by an Apple specialized service center.