HomeKit Apple TV shows "Playing" in Home app while it's OFF

[sparky672]

This issue never occurred before last December when I updated to iOS 16.2 and tvOS 16.2. (I also took the optional new HomeKit architecture at this time.)

In the Home app, my Apple TV (4K 2nd Gen) is showing status as "Playing" and yet it's shut OFF right now. And sometimes when it's ON, status shows "Paused".

Not a big deal, except that I first discovered this when I was away for Christmas for several days and thought I had left my TV on. I arrived home to find that my TV was still OFF as I had left it, despite HomeKit status showing "Playing".

After upgrading to iOS 16.4 and tvOS 16.4 last Monday, I initially thought this was fixed until it happened again today. Apple TV was OFF for a couple hours, I was looking at the Home app and it was correctly showing "Paused" during this time... then suddenly I saw it flip to "Playing" for no apparent reason, but the actual TV is still OFF.

Later it changed back to "Paused" all by itself. Then while poking around in the Home app controls, hitting the triangular play button for the Apple TV caused status to change from "Paused" to "Stopped", whatever that means. In the physical world, I see no difference between "Paused" and "Stopped"... both the Apple TV and the television are OFF. After a little while, it reverted from "Stopped" to "Paused" while TV is still OFF and there was zero interaction with the TV or app.

There is no solution or workaround that I can find. Physically turning Apple TV on/off has no effect. Force quitting the Home app also has no effect that I can see.

Anyone else seeing this weirdness?

 

[StumpyBloke]

I've seen this crapfest for month after month after month after month. Just something else to add to the list that Apple have completely screwed!

 

[sparky672]

I've seen this crapfest for month after month after month after month. Just something else to add to the list that Apple have completely screwed!

Hahaha... just checking because I couldn't find anyone else with this same issue. Thanks.

 

[Itinj24]

Yep, same here but mostly with HomePods. I work an overnight shift so periodically do a scan of my Home app while the family is home asleep. Early this morning about 2am, the Home app was reporting that both my kids’ HomePod Minis were playing (they’re seven and nine, not quite yet rebellious teens lol). I thought to myself this can’t be right. Listened in on a nearby camera and didn’t hear any music playing. After force quitting the Home app and waited for a minute, they reported as not playing.

I’ve been saying this for years and still stand firm on this feature request…

The Home app should have a pull down to refresh. It’s getting annoying force quitting, waiting for a refresh, then re-opening.

 

[sparky672]

It’s getting annoying force quitting, waiting for a refresh, then re-opening.

For me, that's not even working.

 

[Itinj24]

For me, that's not even working.

Do you get this issue all the time? Mine is intermittent but still very annoying.

 

[sparky672]

Yep, same here but mostly with HomePods. I work an overnight shift so periodically do a scan of my Home app while the family is home asleep. Early this morning about 2am, the Home app was reporting that both my kids’ HomePod Minis were playing (they’re seven and nine, not quite yet rebellious teens lol). I thought to myself this can’t be right.

None of this is right. That begs the question, how is this status thing working? I might understand a lag (requiring a refresh), after all, blame my network... but this is not a lag. I mean, when I am using it and it correctly reports "Playing"... then I shut it off and it correctly reports "Paused" (why is "Stopped" not the status here?)... then how on God's Earth is it getting the idea to change the status back to "Playing" hours later when nobody has touched the TV in the meantime, or when nobody has been home for days?

 

[sparky672]

Do you get this issue all the time? Mine is intermittent but still very annoying.

It started with 16.2 and then it seemed to be "all the time"... maybe 50% of the time when I was looking in the Home app. When I upgraded last Monday to 16.4 and didn't see it right away, I was very encouraged... until today.

In other words, not having this issue at all Monday and Tuesday is an improvement, for whatever that's worth. It just shouldn't be working like this... a simple reporting time-delay or lack of refresh does not really explain what is happening here, when it randomly toggles state.

 

[sparky672]

What I wouldn't give to hear from a network expert about now.

 

[Itinj24]

It started with 16.2 and then it seemed to be "all the time"... maybe 50% of the time when I was looking in the Home app. When I upgraded last Monday to 16.4 and didn't see it right away, I was very encouraged... until today.

In other words, not having this issue at all Monday and Tuesday is an improvement, for whatever that's worth. It just shouldn't be working like this... a simple reporting time-delay or lack of refresh does not really explain what is happening here, when it randomly toggles state.

Yeah that’s pretty much what happened with my kids’ HomePods. They haven’t been on for hours but checking on them in the middle of the night showed a status change out of nowhere.

I’m still on 16.3.2 and still on the old architecture.

 

[sparky672]

I’m still on 16.3.2 and still on the old architecture.

Wow... I have no opinion on the new architecture.

However, 16.3.x is a steaming pile of hot garbage... get out now! IMO, since you said you're going to start over anyway... go back to 16.1 or upgrade to 16.4.

 

[Itinj24]

Wow... I have no opinion on the new architecture.

However, 16.3.x is a steaming pile of hot garbage... get out now! IMO, since you said you're going to start over anyway... go back to 16.1 or upgrade to 16.4.

Believe it or not, it hasn’t been terrible for me… if… and only if… a certain AppleTV in my house is the active hub. It’s the most centralized AppleTV in my house and is hardwired. Whether that matters or not, I don’t know but I wish I was able to make it stick. I agree it’s steaming wet garbage when some other Hub decides to take over.

I’m going to update and nuke as soon as I get chance. Likely this weekend. Need a few days.

 

[sparky672]

Believe it or not, it hasn’t been terrible for me… if… and only if… a certain AppleTV in my house is the active hub. It’s the most centralized AppleTV in my house and is hardwired. Whether that matters or not, I don’t know but I wish I was able to make it stick. I agree it’s steaming wet garbage when some other Hub decides to take over.

I’m going to update and nuke as soon as I get chance. Likely this weekend. Need a few days.

The hub juggling is a huge issue and I am holding off buying Home Pods because of it. How do you know it's going to work with regards to the hubs switching? Has anyone else said, nuke your house, start over, and it "just works"?

I do know one guy who thinks your network could use some work though.

 

[Itinj24]

I do know one guy who thinks your network could use some work though.

Ya know, I might’ve believed that dude if my HomePods were crappy all the time but the fact they work great as HomePods (and not as hubs) makes me believe otherwise.

I know factory resetting does resolve some issues. That seems to be a prevalent troubleshooting step with the Apple Watch and even HomePods. Pretty sure it won’t fix the hub switching issue but I’m hoping it will fix other sync issues I’m having.

 

[sparky672]

Ya know, I might’ve believed that dude if my HomePods were crappy all the time but the fact they work great as HomePods (and not as hubs) makes me believe otherwise.

I know factory resetting does resolve some issues. That seems to be a prevalent troubleshooting step with the Apple Watch and even HomePods. Pretty sure it won’t fix the hub switching issue but I’m hoping it will fix other sync issues I’m having.

I really hope you figure it out. It's always hard to tell if the forums are filled with edge cases or the typical user experience. I'd like to give a pair of Home Pods a try but these headaches... no thanks.

It's a shame Apple doesn't provide better troubleshooting tools that will at least narrow down any source of potential issues... "device ABC has an intermittent signal" or "device XYZ has been dropped from the secret HK cache in the cloud" or "device 123 does not have the proper firmware to talk to us", etc. But then giving us troubleshooting tools runs counter to "it just works".

There are probably a hundred links in the HK chain, but only the very first link and very last link are in our own hands.

Reboot, reset, wait, and pray.

 

[Itinj24]

I really hope you figure it out. It's always hard to tell if the forums are filled with edge cases or the typical user experience. I'd like to give a pair of Home Pods a try but these headaches... no thanks.

It's a shame Apple doesn't provide better troubleshooting tools that will at least narrow down any source of potential issues... "device ABC has an intermittent signal" or "device XYZ has been dropped from the secret HK cache in the cloud" or "device 123 does not have the proper firmware to talk to us", etc. But then giving us troubleshooting tools runs counter to "it just works".

There are probably a hundred links in the HK chain, but only the very first link and very last link are in our own hands.

Reboot, reset, wait, and pray.

View attachment 2181014

Pretty sure the hub switching issue is typical. It’s all over Reddit as well.

Apple support is just as clueless. I remember calling them after the first week of public release iOS16. A few of my HomePods kept asking to enter iCloud password repeatedly (an issue that stuck around till 16.2 I believe). The support tech told me it’s been a very busy week for them. I knew from that moment on iOS16 as a whole was going to be a long one.

 

[AMTYVLE]

Yah - started showing Playing on my Apple TVs since I upgraded the HomeKit infrastructure on Monday along with the new iOS.

 

[SalisburySam]

Anyone else seeing this weirdness?

Yup. No HomePods but two AppleTV4Ks one of which is the latest model. Nothing I can do about it seemingly after all the reboots, disconnects/reconnects, restarts, etc. HomeKit at Apple must be where new developers begin their Apple career and are either quickly promoted and reassigned, or fired for ineptitude or refusing to work at the donut and a new developer brought in.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Mine does this sometimes, mainly because I have a 2.4 and 5Ghz wi-fi network, and my phone likes to bounce between the two.
Sometimes when my phone is on the opposite Netwerk as my HomePods it doesn’t update the status, but who cares?
As long as it works the status doesn’t really matter does it.
Side note: the Home app might be Apple’s worst designed application ever.
It is truly a terrible interface and I do not understand why they designed it the way they did.

 

[StumpyBloke]

Mine does this sometimes, mainly because I have a 2.4 and 5Ghz wi-fi network, and my phone likes to bounce between the two.
Sometimes when my phone is on the opposite Netwerk as my HomePods it doesn’t update the status, but who cares?
As long as it works the status doesn’t really matter does it.
Side note: the Home app might be Apple’s worst designed application ever.
It is truly a terrible interface and I do not understand why they designed it the way they did.

I care, and yes it does matter to us. Glad it doesn't matter to you. However it matters to us.

 

[Itinj24]

Mine does this sometimes, mainly because I have a 2.4 and 5Ghz wi-fi network, and my phone likes to bounce between the two.
Sometimes when my phone is on the opposite Netwerk as my HomePods it doesn’t update the status, but who cares?
As long as it works the status doesn’t really matter does it.
Side note: the Home app might be Apple’s worst designed application ever.
It is truly a terrible interface and I do not understand why they designed it the way they did.

It absolutely matters, especially when you have HomePods and AppleTVs tied into automations.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

It absolutely matters, especially when you have HomePods and AppleTVs tied into automations.

The OP didn’t say anything about his automations so that doesn’t really seem relevant.

 

[sparky672]

The OP didn’t say anything about his automations so that doesn’t really seem relevant.

It mattered when I went away for a few days and the Home status made me think that I either left my TV on or that some errant HomeKit command turned it on. After all, if status is broken, how can I be confident that commands aren't being triggered when they shouldn't?

 

[Itinj24]

The OP didn’t say anything about his automations so that doesn’t really seem relevant.

Maybe not but when you reply with “who cares”, that generalizes everyone affected so I responded as such. Also I used the word “especially” which means it matters in general but more so with automations.

If you want to call it working, when the status is completely wrong, then I don’t know what not working is.

 

[Itinj24]

Yup. No HomePods but two AppleTV4Ks one of which is the latest model. Nothing I can do about it seemingly after all the reboots, disconnects/reconnects, restarts, etc. HomeKit at Apple must be where new developers begin their Apple career and are either quickly promoted and reassigned, or fired for ineptitude or refusing to work at the donut and a new developer brought in.

I was thinking summer interns. I can imagine these two guys coding HomeKit lol