A significant number of users are experiencing multiple HomePods responding to Siri commands simultaneously. This is something that is normally prevented by Apple devices communicating with each other.
Many of us have multiple Apple devices within earshot, any of which could potentially respond to a “Hey Siri” command. In my home office, for example, I have my Watch, my iPhone, the stereo-pair HomePods on my desk, and another HomePod in a nearby bathroom …
The way things are supposed to work is this:
- Each device that hears the request lets the other devices know
- One device takes priority
- That device tells all the others not to respond
- The priority device responds
Multiple HomePods responding
What’s happening instead for some is that multiple HomePods are responding.
For example, when asking Siri to activate a HomeKit scene, two HomePods will respond that they are “Working on it,” one of them will report success (with the ding that recently replaced verbal confirmation) and the other will report a failure.
Top comment by Jason Boyce
All the time. In my living room I have a stereo set of OG HomePods and in our kitchen, directly behind the living room area, we have a HomePod mini. When we say "Hey Siri" in the kitchen you'd think the kitchen one would pick up the request but it's the living room speakers that get it and vice versa, and then our phones or apple watches will also come in to play when we give requests as well and it's a bit of a mess honestly. They can also be very slow to respond when it's a siri shortcut which is annoying as well. I wish there was a way to make it where the stereo ones won't pick up requests when audio is playing from our TV since it's linked to the Apple TV for sound and the mini can still hear us when we say "Hey Siri"
When I asked Siri to set an alarm, two HomePods responded, and both set the alarm and activated it.
It’s as yet unclear how the glitch is occurring, but it is happening to HomePods on the latest 16.3.2 firmware.
Is this something you’re experiencing? Please let us know in the comments.
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