This thread is tricky to keep focused - theres just so many problems.
There are other threads of course discussing various aspects of this not working.
I am so surprised at Apple here. HomeKit and multi room music has been awful for a long time, but with each new 'update' it seems to get worse, not better.
So, my setup: Wifi is Eero Pro 6E - no issues with coverage, quality of signal etc etc etc. I have 6 HomePod minis, and 2 new HomePods. 4 are zoned in 'upstairs', and 4 downstairs along with a Sonos sound bar. I am also one of the (un)lucky few who (successfully?) upgraded to the new architecture at 16.2 in the 5 minutes it was available.
Issue 1: Multi Room Music is like pulling teeth. It's usually far more successful just using Airplay on the phone to select additional speakers as more often than not it works even though theres a bit of a delay.... HOWEVER asking Siri to do the same thing is incredibly frustrating with a whole host of responses of 'on it' or whatever that means it just doesnt work.
Yesterday it was full-on not working. I read somewhere that there is some weird arbitrary limit of 6 HomePods for multi room to function correctly (what the actual F??) so decided to limit the speakers to 5 when playing multi room to see if things settled down. This morning when I asked siri to play X, it did so on those last used 5 with no fuss..... is there anything in this 6 limit? I find that hard to believe.
Issue 2: Noticed with my brand new stereo paired HomePods.... but also noticed on a stereo pair of minis.... one speaker will be silent.. choppy, start and stop... - almost as if the new HomePods are faulty. I mean, in that return window im almost tempted to send them back IF they are faulty - dodgy wifi etc etc.
issue 3: Handoff - That magical experience that you see on youtube and in Apple videos - just doesnt work half the time. The HomePods can be playing music and I hold the phone nearby as per.... and sometimes it pops up with handoff sometimes not - I feel like im going mad here not perhaps understanding situations when handoff should or shouldn't work....
Issue 4: Hey Siri in a room where there are HomePods, and my iPhone (i.e. ALL the time) - the iPhone AND the HomePods both take the request. This is especially annoying at night when the iPhone is wirelessly charging and of course locked - it still wakes and answers the same query that the HomePod is also answering.
So, here we are - I could list more problems - and I dont really want to ditch the HomePods and HomeKit - I sincerely need it to work - but if apple are even vaguely serious about gaining traction in the smart home.. some significant changes are necessary.
I spend my time being tolerant of the faults and expecting the next 'point' update to magically fix things but having waited for 16.0, then .1, then .2, then .3 every time things just show no sign of improving.
I would call apple support for help but theres no way they can troubleshoot or resolve things over the phone - I'll just be asked to reset HomePods and re-add etc. Out of interest with my new HomePods I reset, re-added twice yesterday to resolve the stuttering pair that wouldnt play - and it made no difference yesterday. Maybe its siri, maybe apple music, maybe a temporary server-side issue thats causing these spectacular fails....
But does anyone have an practical explanations, experiences, or advice for any of this?
There are other threads of course discussing various aspects of this not working.
I am so surprised at Apple here. HomeKit and multi room music has been awful for a long time, but with each new 'update' it seems to get worse, not better.
So, my setup: Wifi is Eero Pro 6E - no issues with coverage, quality of signal etc etc etc. I have 6 HomePod minis, and 2 new HomePods. 4 are zoned in 'upstairs', and 4 downstairs along with a Sonos sound bar. I am also one of the (un)lucky few who (successfully?) upgraded to the new architecture at 16.2 in the 5 minutes it was available.
Issue 1: Multi Room Music is like pulling teeth. It's usually far more successful just using Airplay on the phone to select additional speakers as more often than not it works even though theres a bit of a delay.... HOWEVER asking Siri to do the same thing is incredibly frustrating with a whole host of responses of 'on it' or whatever that means it just doesnt work.
Yesterday it was full-on not working. I read somewhere that there is some weird arbitrary limit of 6 HomePods for multi room to function correctly (what the actual F??) so decided to limit the speakers to 5 when playing multi room to see if things settled down. This morning when I asked siri to play X, it did so on those last used 5 with no fuss..... is there anything in this 6 limit? I find that hard to believe.
Issue 2: Noticed with my brand new stereo paired HomePods.... but also noticed on a stereo pair of minis.... one speaker will be silent.. choppy, start and stop... - almost as if the new HomePods are faulty. I mean, in that return window im almost tempted to send them back IF they are faulty - dodgy wifi etc etc.
issue 3: Handoff - That magical experience that you see on youtube and in Apple videos - just doesnt work half the time. The HomePods can be playing music and I hold the phone nearby as per.... and sometimes it pops up with handoff sometimes not - I feel like im going mad here not perhaps understanding situations when handoff should or shouldn't work....
Issue 4: Hey Siri in a room where there are HomePods, and my iPhone (i.e. ALL the time) - the iPhone AND the HomePods both take the request. This is especially annoying at night when the iPhone is wirelessly charging and of course locked - it still wakes and answers the same query that the HomePod is also answering.
So, here we are - I could list more problems - and I dont really want to ditch the HomePods and HomeKit - I sincerely need it to work - but if apple are even vaguely serious about gaining traction in the smart home.. some significant changes are necessary.
I spend my time being tolerant of the faults and expecting the next 'point' update to magically fix things but having waited for 16.0, then .1, then .2, then .3 every time things just show no sign of improving.
I would call apple support for help but theres no way they can troubleshoot or resolve things over the phone - I'll just be asked to reset HomePods and re-add etc. Out of interest with my new HomePods I reset, re-added twice yesterday to resolve the stuttering pair that wouldnt play - and it made no difference yesterday. Maybe its siri, maybe apple music, maybe a temporary server-side issue thats causing these spectacular fails....
But does anyone have an practical explanations, experiences, or advice for any of this?