Busted HomePod?

Welcome to Nic's Fix! I offer electronics repairs and specialize in the A1639 Apple HomePod. Here you will find information about their common issues, how to repair them yourself, or see repair estimates & mail yours in!

When HomePod first released, everyone thought total destruction was required to get inside and there was no way to repair it. Thanks to ouitmenick's work, a clean, non-destructive way to get in was found! Still, many issues were thought to be irrepairable...

There is nothing else like the HomePod (yet). I wanted more of them, but was afraid of the cost, and issues, so I got my hands on some broken units and dug into these issues, identifying the faults, and repairing them for myself until I built up the experience and confidence to offer repairs for others.

Now, over 2,000 HomePods have been sent in from around the world for successful repairs, with thousands more repaired by others!

"I kept dreaming of a world I thought I'd never see.

But then one day,

I got in."

Animated image of Dizzie Rascal dancing with some speakers

Big Dirty Bass Problems

Does your HomePod rattle, crackle, or fart?

"Hey Siri!"
*pop*

Worried about that popping sound when you wake it up?

What Can You Fix?

The following can be repaired; No Power, Death Farts, Bass or Sound Issues, Certain Physical Damage, and More!

"And More? What Can't You Fix?"

HomePods with flashing / blinking volume buttons, boot loops, or other software issues are technically irrepairable! I do offer repairs / replacements but it will cost $$ due to the irreparability of this issue and rarity of working logic boards! I am offering a free HomePod to whoever can find a repair for this! See the blinking buttons common issues section for more info.

Mesh cleaning and customization

Every mail-in repair gets a little detailing and cleaning to the best of our abilities using 99% isopropyl alcohol and very tiny tweezers.

Want to color your mesh? See the Mesh section for more info.





Fast and Affordable Service that You Can Watch

Forget about paying hundreds of dollars and waiting for weeks to end up with a "refurbished" HomePod with the same potential faults. Our repairs are livestreamed on YouTube within 1-3 days of arrival, then shipped out the next business day!

Watch our latest repair livestream below...

Visit my YouTube channel for videos showing how to diagnose and repair many of the issues covered here, or catch a live stream repair!

You're also invited to my discord server to get help, share your results, and anything else.

The Common Issues section covers all of the common repairs and parts needed.

Mail-In Repair Service

HEADS UP!I am moving soon. My mailing address won't change, but I'll be a little slow. Please allow a few days for responses and repairs. You are welcome to send followups as desired but I won't reply any sooner!

Here's how you send your HomePod to me for repair! I also offer repair services for many other electronics, shoot me an email with what you've got and I'll let you know if I can help!

1: Please first check Repair Estimates to see if I can fix your HomePod, and for how much, before sending me an email. There are sample audio clips for you to compare if needed. Read the FAQ first if you have any questions!

2: Send me an email briefly describing what is wrong with your HomePod and any other questions you may have. If I don't reply after 3 business days, feel free to send another message.

3: After I reply to your email, ship your pod to my UPS mailbox below and let me know your tracking number. All shipping carriers are accepted! *You must include "Unit #341" in the address! Repairs will cost more if damage occurs during shipping, so pack it well!

Nic's Fix
12819 SE 38th St #341
Bellevue, WA 98006

Your tracking will show it as delivered before I have it! Rest assured, it is signed for and safe at the UPS store waiting for me.

4: After I pick your pod up, I'll shoot you a message with a link to watch the repairs live on YouTube! Most are done within 1-3 business days. If repairs are successful, payment can then be made by PayPal, CashApp, Zelle, Venmo or Apple Pay. If it's not repairable, there's no charge!

5: Get your HomePod back, try it out, then leave a review on my TrustPilot!

Contact Me



If you live outside the US:

Repairs from all over the world are accepted, whether you want to send in your whole pod, or just the component that needs repair...though shipping may get expensive.

Below you'll find a list of others known to also offer repairs. Feel free to contact me to be added! *I provide no promises or guarantees for others' work, only my own!*

United Kingdom:
Dwight Grant
[email protected]


France:
Quentin
https://www.sauvemonmac.com/
[email protected]

Céladonie
https://celadonie.fr/homepod/
[email protected]


Denmark:
DUCKSHOUSE MAC SERVICE
https://duckshouse.dk/
[email protected]


Netherlands:
RefurbNoob (Robin)
https://refurbnoob.nl/pages/apple-hompod-reparatie
[email protected]


Australia:
Nathan B.
TBA
[email protected]


Germany:
Moon Repair
http://www.moonrepair.de//
[email protected]

PMobiles
http://pmobiles.de/
[email protected]


Spain:
Fernando P.
[email protected]



Czech Republic:
Martin @ AWC
https://awc.cz/
[email protected]

Prague:
Nazim @ Pajecka.cz
https://www.pajecka.cz/
https://www.instagram.com/pajecka.cz/

Slovakia:
Martin Trojan
Facebook
[email protected]

South Korea:
Alex.P ()조민준)
Bunjang (번개장터)


Bosnia / Croatia:
Stanko - Can3Fix
YouTube
[email protected]

A Better Repair Warranty than the Big Guy

All parts we replace and labor are guaranteed for 6+ months.1For the first 6 months, I'll cover shipping and repairs if my work fails. From 6-12 months I'll still cover repairs if you cover shipping. If I can't fix it, you don't pay! See footnote for details.



Packing and Shipping Your HomePod

Sufficiently pack your HomePod whenever shipping it to avoid any damage. The original boxes work well when used properly and packed well inside another box, but good packing ALL around just a HomePod works just as well.



If you are shipping with the original box, with power cable installed, the trick is to coil the cable up, then stuff the cable into the box, then place the HomePod inside.

*Try to keep the any of the cable from popping out as you insert the HomePod, otherwise it will sit on the cable and can deform the mesh.

Once you have the lid on your original box, flip it upside-down and tape the lid onto the bottom to keep it all from coming loose in transit.

*If the lid comes loose, it gives too much room for your HomePod to move around, and allows the power cable to creep up the box and possibly deform your mesh.

You can remove and reconnect the power cable on your HomePod for simpler, safer packing if desired. To remove the power cable, first disconnect from power, then place the HomePod on a solid surface. Hold the HomePod down with one hand, then firmly grasp and pull or yank the power cable with your other hand. To reinstall the power cable, simply re-insert it the correct orientation, and push the connector into the HomePod until it makes a loud click.

Wrapping the cable under the pod

How to Pack Pod w/ Cable in Original Box

Packing Material

Pack it Well, All Around

Cable properly tucked under pod

Original Box Cut in Half; Correct

Cable not tucked under pod, sliding up mesh

Original Box Cut in Half; Inorrect

Pull the power cable hard to remove, push in hard until click to install

How to Disconnect & Reconnect Cable

Don't wrap the cable around the pod when shipping

Avoid Doing This





Common Issues

The following are the most common issues seen and known ways I (or others if credited) have found to diagnose and repair them. You can right-click and open each image in a new tab for a larger view.

If you aren't able to confirm diagnosis of an issue, you should thoroughly inspect for any physical damage.

If you've found a new fix for an issue and it's not listed here, please contact me so it can be added with your name on it!

Jump To: Flashing Volume & Boot Loops | Physical Damage | No Power | Death Farts & Popping | No Bass | Missing Parts | Coloring / Replacing the Mesh | More Issues





Flashing Volume Lights & Bootloops - NO KNOWN FIX YET

ACTIVE BOUNTY: I am offering a free A1639 Apple HomePod to whoever can find a reproducable repair for this issue! Contact me if you think you got it...

Symptoms: HomePod will power on, but ends up with flashing / blinking volume lights or boot loops. Won't factory reset.

Root Cause: In rare cases it is caused by physical damage to the display. However, for the vast majority, it seems the most likely cause is failed software or a failed update, resulting in Recovery Mode. It's oddly similar behavior to how bricked AppleTVs only blink their LED, too. Apple has not publicly confirmed what the root cause of this is, and no one outside of Apple knows for certain yet. It seems unlikely most are a failing A8 SoC, NAND, or it's BGA. I cannot find replacement A8 SoC chips for the HomePod, and the A8 SoC is married to the NAND, so even if you could replace these chips AND remarry them, there is still no known way to restore the software.

Software Repair Attempts: Apple has not released any restorable firmware / software for original HomePods. The OTA's from ipsw.me are unsuitable for restore, and the firmware for the Mini is incompatible. There is USB and UART access via the pins on the bottom of the HomePod, and when connected to a Mac or PC, various software detects and recognizes a HomePod is connected (in Recovery mode!) but there are no restorable IPSWs publicly available to restore from when you get this far.

I made a reddit post showing my attempt following a github guide to connect to HomePod via USB. I've been unsuccessful dumping the firmware from working HomePods, tools like iPwnDFU seem to not work.

Since HomePod uses the A8 SoC, it should be permanently vulnerable to checkm8 exploits. Feel free to contact me if you are interested in giving it a try, I can give you remote access to a Mac, Windows, or Linux device connected to a good and bricked HomePod via USB.

Hardware Repair Attempts: Myself and others have tried baking / reflowing every chip on bricked logic boards multiple times with no success. I have replaced the PMIC on the logic board with one from an iPhone 6 and found, while this part is compatible (lol) this did not resolve the actual issue. User "mlogicrepair" shared in our discord their progress attempting to replace the A8 SoC. /u/dzsenos had their A8 SoC and NAND professionally reballed and it did not resolve the issue.

debug port

Debug Port Under Rubber Foot of HomePod

restore error in finder

Unable to Restore USB HomePod

pmic from iphone 6

Used PMIC from iPhone 6, Same Issue

someone removed some chips

"mlogicrepair" with old A8 SoC and Storage NAND off







No Power - Shorted S.B. Diode

Symptoms: No power, no lights, and no response. Power draw at the outlet will be around 2-10 Watts. If left plugged in for some time, the side of the HomePod may feel slightly warmer.

Diagnosis: Diode is located on the amplifier board. Use a multimeter in continuity test mode to test if diode is shorted by placing one probe onto the larger pin of the diode, and the other probe on one of the two smaller pins of the diode. If meter shows it's shorted, move probe from first small pin to other small pin. If you still see a short, remove the diode and test with the diode off the board. If just the diode shows shorted and not the board, replace the diode.

If your diode tests OK, check for less-common no power issues.

Repair: Replace shorted diode or any diode with date code 1746k-1748k with a newer date and part number PDS560-13, PDS560-13Q, PDS760-13, or any other 60v 5a schottky barrier diode of similar specs to permanently repair Video guide available on YouTube.

Root Cause: Diodes manufactured between week 46 and week 48 of 2017 (date code 1746k-1748k) have known QA issues and have incredibly high failure rates. No other date codes have been found to fail. Apple used a large date range of diodes during manufacturing and there is no correlation to a diode's date code and a HomePod's serial number, so there is no way of telling what diode your homepod has without disassembly.

All first-generation HomePods, whether factory-new, factory "refurbished", or out of warranty replacements, will have the same chance of having this diode. Second generation HomePods do not.

location of diode in homepod

Diode Location Inside HomePod

diode location on amp board

Diode Location On Removed Amp Board

diode legend

Diode Date Code



Death Farts - DC Offset (Failing DC Filter Capacitors)

Symptoms: Very loud popping, lack of bass, and / or a loud buzzing sound followed by a restart, AKA "Death Farts". See below for sound samples to compare. Not to be confused with software / wifi issues where music crackles and becomes delayed.

Diagnosis: 1: Remove the subwoofer and place it to the side, carefully reconnect everything and power on the HomePod.

2: With the HomePod powered on, not in standby but not playing anything, and subwoofer connected, measure the DC voltage with a multimeter from the subwoofer speaker terminals. You can probe with the pads under where the subwoofer cable goes into the subwoofer, see Figure 1 below.

TIP: Polarity does not matter when measuring DC offset, you are simply looking for how far from 0mV you are. The warmer these capacitors get when they have failed, the worse they filter DC voltage, so be sure to measure for at least a few seconds and watch for any significant growth in DC offset beyond tolerance.

The amp IC's input is rated for up to +/-18mV DC, which means up to +/-200mV DC can be seen at the subwoofer. More than this is what triggers the amp to "Death Fart", can cause damage to components, and should warrant replacing the DC filters, so we recommend a more aggressive 50mV maximum tolerance seen at the subwoofer.

Repair: There are four capacitors that filter this DC in the audio signal before it's amplified and sent to the speaker. They are located on the amplifier board, between the DAC and AMP chips. If you measured a significant amount of DC, you need to replace them with new capacitors of 10uF, size 1206, X7R, 5-10%, rated for 16v or better. I have been using EMK316AB7106KL-T with great success, consistently resulting in <10mV of DC offset. I have a repair video replacing these capacitors on YouTube.

There is a big black resistor on the amp next to the subwoofer connector you should also inspect...on occasion I have found these to be damaged when there are Death Farts. It is a 10Ohm, 1Watt, 1% Tolerance, 200V rated, 1218 size resistor, and can be replaced with part number RCL121810R0FKEK. It's resistance can be measured while still installed on the board to confirm.

You will also want to inspect your subwoofer speaker for damage to the voice coil from too much DC, see the next Common Issue below for more detail on that.

Root Cause: MLCC capacitors naturally decay over time and lose their effectiveness at filtering DC voltage, and this is exacerbated the warmer they are. High quality capacitors used properly should last many years, but eventually all will still need reconditioned or replaced again. I can only speculate the ones used in HomePods have QA issues and / or the amp doesn't have a great design to account for primary filter failure.

The amplifier inside the HomePod turns itself off after ~10 minutes of inactivity. Any activity or percieved "Hey Siri" trigger will turn the amp back on. During the change in power, there may be a popping sound. This popping sound comes from DC voltage changes being heard in the speaker. It's fine and normal for a small temporary DC spike when the amp turns on or off, resulting in a pop. It's also hard to tell the difference between that and a pop that comes from a dangerous constant DC offset that is growing over time. It's usually OK to ignore any popping issues if that's all it does. Typically HomePods will Death Fart to indicate it's enough of a problem, at which point you can and should pursue repairs.

I have a livestream of a repair where it needed all new capacitors, resistor, and subwoofer here.

woofer test

Subwoofer Probe Points

multimeter connected to speaker

Testing for DC Offset

location of caps on amp

Capacitors Location On Amp Board

blown resistor on amp

Blown Resistor on Amp Board



What's That Sound?

Below are some examples of different issues / sounds HomePods make



Death Farts (BAD)

Dirty Bass (BAD)

Severe Popping

Acceptable Popping (Turn Volume Up)




No Bass and/or Fast Clicking - Damaged or Dead Subwoofer Speaker

Symptoms: May include low, missing, or dirty sounding bass, clicking, or ticking sounds.

Diagnosis: Two easy tests to tell if your subwoofer speaker is bad;

1: Gently push the speaker straight in, not too much, and release a few times; This should feel perfectly smooth, and make no sound, otherwise your speaker is almost certainly dead.

2: Inspect the condition of the voice coil through the hole in the side of the subwoofer speaker basket; A vibrant, uniform copper color is a sign of a healthy voice coil!

If your subwoofer is damaged, it is likely from DC Offset, which should also be diagnosed per the Common Issue above.

Repair: I'm not aware of any off the shelf replacement speakers, you will likely need to source one from another broken homepod. Be sure you diagnose and repair any DC Offset before replacing your subwoofer.

Root Cause: Most often a result of too much DC Offset! Sometimes they can also just fail on their own eventually, but it is rare.

good subwoofer

Good Voice Coil

bad subwoofer voice coil

Burned Voice Coil

inspection port on woofer

Voice Coil Inspection Port on Woofer

gently pushing speaker to feel for damage

Do the Doof Test



No Bass - Short Near Amp IC

Symptoms: No Bass whatsoever.

Diagnosis:On a few no bass amp repairs, I've found the same component shorted out, see photo below.

Repair: Check if you have the same short, and if so, replace it. I think this is a 27uF capacitor smd size 0805, but I am unsure. Hit me up if you know!

Root Cause: Unknown.

amp ic on amp board

WHO WEARS SHORT SHORTS



No Bass - Another Short Near Amp IC

Symptoms: No Bass whatsoever.

Diagnosis:On a few no bass amp repairs, I've found a few other components shorted out at the same time, see photo below.

Repair: Check if you have the same short, and if so, replace them. Replacement part numbers to come soon.

Root Cause: Unknown.

amp ic on amp board

I WEAR SHORT SHORTS



No Bass - Dead Amplifier IC

Symptoms: It's rare for the amp IC to be the source of any problems, unless it is obviously damaged, you should first diagnose for other issues described above.

Diagnosis: Amp IC is located on the bottom side of the amp board. The amp IC may or may not have obvious visual damage and there is no great way to diagnose without replacing it. HomePods will power on with the amp IC removed! Do not be fooled by the PIN1 identifier mark in the bottom left corner of the chip.

Repair: The OEM amp IC (part number 98-0431) is available on Aliexpress for a limited time. Part number IR4312M is available from multiple component sellers and is also a suitable alternative, but is being discontinued.

Root Cause: The amp IC can fail on it's own, or if it's subject to too much DC voltage as a result of failing capacitors. More info on that in the DC Offset Common Issue above!

amp ic on amp

Amp IC Location on Amp Board

blown amp chip

A Clearly Dead Amp IC

amp chip pin 1 identifier

Amp IC Pin 1 Identifier



Rattling / Dirty Bass, Touch / Display Issues, and More - Physical Damage

Symptoms: HomePod may or may not be working fine. You may hear rattling when you shake it, or have touch / display issues, even making it appear that the HomePod isn't powering on or only briefly powers on and bootloops.

Diagnosis: For rattling / dirty sounding bass, check that your subwoofer is not bent and properly sealed. Pull your logic board out and check for broken loose plastic. You can try to glue or plastic weld the broken parts back together, or replace the top basket entirely. Thoroughly inspect logic cable, display cable, and connectors for any damage.

Repair: Not recommended to ignore this otherwise the logic board can shift enough to push the display cable into the frame and cut into it, causing weird power / display / touch issues.

Root Cause: Usually this is from some of the frame holding the logic board breaking off as a result of drop damage. Ensure you pack your Pod properly whenever shipping it!

broken plastic

Broken Plastic From logic Board Frame

damaged display ribbon cable

Display Cable Cut From Board Shift



Improper Ribbon Installation After Repairs

Damaged or improperly reinstalled ribbon cables can cause no sound, no power, boot loops, and more.

Damage: Thoroughly inspect the entire ribbon cable for any tears, cracks, or other damage. This cable is commonly damaged from rough handling when disconnecting the logic board, where the end of the cable connecting to the logic board will crack / tear. Another common mistake is accidentally damaging the ribbon cable while trying to pry the top basket off.

Improper Installation: The most common mistake made when reassembling your HomePod is an incorrect installation of the main ribbon cable. On the amplifier board connector, the locked position will actually look open, and unlocked actually looks closed! Verify you have properly locked the cable in by pressing the locking clip down, and that the white line on the cable is level with the top of the connector! Improper installation may lead to permanent damage resulting in no sound or power. I've even done this once myself and lost both the amp and logic board's sound, and have yet to figure out how to repair it.

torn ribbon cable

Torn Cable From Pulling on Logic Board

damaged ribbon cable

Damaged Cable from Prying Top Basket

crooked ribbon cable

Unlocked, Crooked Cable

correctly installed cable

Locked, Level Cable

incorrect cable install

Don't Do This!

correct cable install

Do This!



I did my own repairs and lost ___ part! What is it?

If you attempted your own repairs and lost a part in the process, let me know and I can help you identify what it is to the best of my ability.

missing capacitor

0.1uF Size 0402 Capacitor

Clean, Replace, or Customize Mesh


Want to replace your mesh? Perhaps give it a little color! If you want me to do it for you, see estimates for cost.

How to Clean Mesh: A white towel or cloth, or cotton swabs, and alcohol are great at cleaning most stains. Do not scrub with too much force or you will separate the mesh layers. For more intense cleaning, remove the mesh and wash with OxyClean (tip from myxomatosis#1766)

How to Replace Mesh: I have a video guide on removing and reinstalling the mesh here!

Customization: Rit's DyeMore for Synthetics gives great resutls with deep, rich colors on the white mesh, top plastic cover, and power cable. The rubber base does not take color well. The All-Purpose Dye also does not work well and results in a muted, washed-out look!

1: Remove your top cover, mesh, and power cable from the homepod.

2: Find something to slip the mesh on, ideally another empty homepod shell. Put weights in it to keep it from floating in the dye bath. Find something to sit it on in a pot so it's not directly in contact with the pot, but still able to fully submerge.

3: Bring pot of water to ~200f, mix in dye, then put mesh into dye bath. Stir for 15-30 minutes depending on desired shade / depth, then pull out mesh, rinse, and allow to dry before reinstallation.

4: For the top cover, wash it with clean water and soap, then dry, then put some tape on the adhesive side to dunk it into your dye bath a few times. Rinse off with water and repeat until desired shade is achieved.

5: For the power cable, you can dunk the length of the cable into the dye bath excluding the plugs on each end. Rinse and repeat until desired shade is achieved. Allow a few days to dry before use!

sandstone mesh

Sandstorm by Darude

sandstone mesh

Purple and Navy Blue

sandstone mesh

Orangey

sandstone mesh

Green

sandstone mesh

Daffodil Done by celadonie.fr

sandstone mesh

Racing Red and Sapphire Blue

purple mesh

Purple

red blue mesh

"You ever wonder why we're here?"

Less-Common Issues

More issues I found or have been reported, just less common.

Jump To: No Power | Flashing Volume Buttons / Boot Loops | No sound | Loud Pop & Restart



No Power - Blown Power Supply Fuse

Symptoms: No power, no lights, and no response. Power draw at the outlet will be 0 Watts.

Diagnosis: Fuse is located on the underside of the power supply board. EU/UK power plugs also have a fuse in the power cable. Use multimeter in continuity mode to test if fuse was blown open.

Repair: If fuse is blown you should replace it with another "T3.15AH250V" fuse.

Root Cause: The fuse will blow as a result of a surge from the AC power source. A quality surge protector should help prevent this. Power strips alone provide no protection.

fuse location on power supply

Fuse Location On Power Supply

where to probe fuse

Probe Points While Installed



No Power - Short on Logic Board

Symptoms: No power, no lights, and no response. Power draw at the outlet may be a few Watts. You may hear a quiet ticking / squealing sound from the logic board. Logic board may start to warm up.

Diagnosis: I have only seen two HomePods with No Power caused by this...in both cases, there was a shorted capacitor on the logic board. Both logic boards shorts were in different locations. You should be able to locate them with traditional short-finding methods like a thermal camera or applying flux or alcohol to the board and looking for smoke or bubbles.

Repair: Replace any shorted components! Since there are no schematics, the exact replacement components are unknown. You can harvest them from a bricked logic board, or ask me to check with a parts board! I have a brief repair video showing diagnosis and repair for one on YouTube.

Root Cause: Given that I've only seen this issue twice, both times from different shorts on the logic board, I'm guessing this is simply a case of capacitors just going bad. It happens.

location of bad cap

Bad Cap Location on One Logic Board

smoking flux when applied to short

Flux Smokes When Applied to Shorted Cap



No Power, Boot Loops, or Blinking / Flickering Volume Buttons - Damaged Display

Symptoms: I've seen damaged displays cause differing symptoms ranging from no power at all, to flickering or boot loops, to flickering volume buttons.

Diagnosis: Thoroughly inspect the display for any damage, especially around the LED PCB on the backside. It's common when a HomePod is dropped for the display to get smashed in and start separating as pictured below. Sometimes damage is visually undetectable and you will need to sanity check with known good parts.

Repair: Damage like this usually warrants replacing the whole display.

Root Cause: Usually from being dropped. They don't just break like this by themselves

display damaged

PCB for LEDs coming off

display pcb separating

...



Boot Loops or Blinking / Flickering Volume Buttons - Damaged Mic Board

Symptoms: Similar to the symptoms from a damaged display. A damaged mic board can also obviously cause issues with voice commands not working.

Diagnosis: Thoroughly inspect the mic board for any damage, especially around the chip pictured below.

Repair: Replace mic board. Unsure what part # the chip pictured below is...

Root Cause: Usually damage from not being careful with your tools while working on your pod.

good mic board

What the mic board should look like

damaged mic board missing chip

That one .gif of michael scott yelling "NO"

chip up close

Unidentified Chip




No Sound - Dead STM32L Controller IC

Symptoms: Powers on, but there's no sound from any of the speakers.

Diagnosis: If you did your own repairs and suddenly no longer have sound, suspect improper ribbon cable installation, accidental damage, or a short / debris on the amp. On one occasion I found the main amp controller had failed. The letters on the "STM32L051C8T7" chip were unevenly worn, note however this isn't always a reliable way to judge condition.

Repair: "STM32L051C8T7" is available from AliExpress, but we're currently unsure if it needs to be reprogrammed! It's available here. Currently on backorder from mouser and digikey.

Root Cause: Unknown. Pretty rare for the controller to die anyways.

stm chip on amp

Controller Location on Amp Board



Loud Pop & Restart - Blown / Missing Resistor

Symptoms: Powers up and briefly stays on fine, but then makes a loud POP and restarts. Not the same as death farts...

Diagnosis: Inspect amp near cooling pad for damaged / missing resistor

Repair: Either resistor can be replaced with a 10k Ohm resistor (thank you Omanyd#1538) size SMD 0201 (thank you myxomatosis #1766).

Root Cause: Seems like another QA issue?

missing resistor

Where they at

missing resistor

MISSING

Repair Estimates


Shipping is not included in any estimates given. Most repairs run $60-$70, and only go up to $80-$100 if a speaker or entire board needs to be replaced. Any increase in estimated repair cost will be cleared with you first. If it's irrepairable or you change your mind, there is no charge.



Shipping: Usually $20-$30 Each Way

US domestic shipping is an extra $20-$30 depending on weight and distance, or you can provide your own return shipping label. I recommend Pirateship.com for shipping since it is 100% free to use, and you get cheaper labels for UPS and USPS than you can get in store or elsewhere online!

For international shipping estimates, please check Pirateship's Rates.

Typical HomePod shipping dimensions, fully packed and boxed, are 12in x 10in x 8in @ 8lbs / 31cm x 26cm x 21cm @ 3.7kg

No Power: $60-$70

The most common HomePod issue. Will diagnose and repair whatever is causing no power, and replace DC filters if necessary.

Technical info is in the no power section!

Death Farts, Loud Popping, and/or Bass Issues: $70-$90

Repair for symptoms including; Loud buzzing sound and restart (AKA "Death Farts"), fast clicking, loud "pop" sound, and/or other bass issues. S.b. diode that commonly fails causing no-power will also be replaced if it's dated around the known failure range.

You do not need to get your HomePod repaired if you just have an occasional quiet popping sound and no other issues. This is normal behavior for brand new, old, or repaired pods. Even the 2nd gen homepods pop.

See below for sample audio to compare. If yours doesn't match any of these, please capture a recording and send to me before shipping in for repairs.

Technical info in the popping section!

Death Farts (BAD)

Dirty Bass (BAD)

Severe Popping

Acceptable Popping (Turn Volume Up)

Maintenance: $60-$70

Will replace DC filter capacitors (common cause for death farts and no bass), and replace your s.b. diode if it's within known date range of failure (common cause for no power). Do note that while all capacitors eventually decay and need replaced again, replacements should last at least 5-10 years.

Technical info in the popping section!

Color Customization: $40

Want me to color your white HomePod something else? For an extra $40 you can pick any color from Rit's DyeMore for Synthetics line and I'll get it done for you! Please add an extra day for customization. Note that I do not offer this as a standalone service, only as an add-on for existing repair or maintenance!

Photos and Do-it-Yourself info in the mesh section!

Flashing / Blinking Volume Lights and Boot Loops: $100

No known fix for most HomePods with blinking / flashing volume buttons and boot loops. Because of this, the logic board must be replaced entirely with another working one, which are getting harder to find. Included in this price though, I'll also check and replace the diode and filters if necessary (to prevent death farts and no power).

More information in the blinking lights common issue section.

Please submit feedback through Apple's portal to help us fix this and get a more economical repair!

Just Board Repair: Contact Me

Want to take your own HomePod apart, but not sure about the board repair? Send in just the board and pay less on repairs! *Boards with prior repair attempts may be charged extra.

No Fix: No Charge! Trade It In

Got an irrepairable pod? Or maybe you sent it in thinking it was repairable and things didn't go as planned:

-If you sent one in and want it back, I'll reassemble it as-is and you just need to provide return shipping

-You can also trade in a broken homepod for a free repair on another one

Got Something That's Not HomePod?

While I specialize in HomePod repairs, I've also done other electronics repairs such as a USB-C Port replacement on the Valve Steam Deck, stick-drift repair for the XBox Elite Series 2 controller, battery replacement for the Joov Portable Red Light Therapy device, gpu reflowing for a GMK NUC PC, battery replacement for a Surface Laptop and more! Contact me with what you have and we'll see if I can fix it. You can find my Youtube playlist of non-HomePod repairs here.



FAQ

For the questions asked more than once...



Q: "Do repairs void my warranty?"
A: No, not if you still have one. Under federal law, the merchant must prove that a defect was caused by the alteration in order to void a written warranty. Sources: FindLaw.com and FTC.gov Magnuson Moss.


Q: "Can you fix my HomePod?"
A: Please tell me what the issue is and I'll let you know, or check the Repair Estimates section.


Q: "Can you fix my HomePod MINI?"
A: No. I don't know how to fix most of their issues yet nor do I have the time.


Q: "Can you fix my 2nd Gen HomePod?"
A: Use your Warranty / AppleCare. As of right now there are no known common issues with the 2nd Gen HomePod. If this changes we may consider offering repair services!


Q: "What is your turnaround time?"
A: 1-3 business days depending on the queue. Most repairs are typically done the same day they arrive, and shipped out the next business day. Expect an extra day or so if you are getting customization done.


Q: "Do you guarantee / warranty your work?"
A: Yes! I offer what I call a "6-12 Warranty". If my parts or workmanship fail within 12 months of repairs, I'll cover the repairs. If it's within the first 6 months I'll also cover shipping. Shipping coverage only applies to US customers! International customers must figure out their own shipping.


Q: "How long do repairs last?"
A: For most HomePod no-power repairs, this is caused by a failure in a bad batch of diodes, so a replacement diode outside the known bad batch is a permanent fix. All capacitors though will weaken over time and eventually need replacing, especially the ones used for DC filtering. There is no permanent fix for this, but replacements should last at least 5-10 years.


Q: "I sent you my homepod, the tracking number says it was delivered! Did you get my homepod?"
A: My UPS mailbox only tells me when I have packages, not who's packages. Please wait until I have a chance to pick up the day's packages before asking if I have yours.


Q: "Do you sell pods or parts?"
A: Yes! I have stuff for sale here


Q: "Can I buy a broken HomePod online and have it shipped directly to you for repairs?"
A: Absolutely. First make sure it's repairable! If you're not sure, you can send me a link first. If you're purchasing on eBay, be sure to enter my shipping address during checkout to retain your buyer protection! Do not message eBay sellers asking them to change the shipping address after you checked out, this is against eBay policy and voids both buyer and seller protection!


Q: "Will you buy or take my broken homepod?"
A: I might! When I have the budget available for it, I offer up to $60 and cover shipping if you want to let it go. Or, trade in your broken, unfixable HomePod for a free repair and return on a fixable one! You must provide both the broken unfixable, and broken fixable pods.


Q: "Is this your job?"
A: I am licensed to do business, but this is not my full-time job. That would be pretty sweet, but I currently do this in my "free" time.


Q: "How did you make this website?"
A: Used WayBack Machine (Internet Archive) to browse older versions of Apple's original HomePod website, then I merged what I liked from each version into what you see here, plus a lot of edits, bug fixes, and cleanup.


Q: "Do you fix things other than HomePods?"
A: Depends on what you got and what's wrong with it...I can do many basic repairs but things like reprogramming displays / batteries for full functionality with Apple devices requires a special tool and is not something I'm currently equipped to do. Shoot me an email and we'll see if I can fix your problem.


Q: "What do you use to fix HomePods?"
A: You don't have to buy the same brands, though I do highly recommend the ChipQuik flux!
-T5 and T6 Torx Screwdriver: iFixit kit, and ES15 Electric Driver
-Big Flathead Screwdriver
-Metal Spudger
-Plastic Spudger
-Jimmy
-Halberd Spudger (J-Hook)
-Soldering Iron
-Hot Air Rework Station
-Leaded Solder
-Low-Melt Solder
-ChipQuik NC191 Flux
-Project Mat (I used to use a red Weller mat, but I can no longer find the exact same one.)
-90% or greater Isopropyl Alcohol




Buy Me More Bass!

Click the speaker below to donate via PayPal! Or, send in your parts to help others, I'll pay for shipping. You can also donate to my CashApp at $NicsFix. Anything helps towards the cost of tools, parts, and more broken homepods, to share new and higher quality repairs!

BTC: 334zQHs3aL3w5MfZrKAfXJYzAux7s9MRMs
ETH: 0xCa239E6A287eE302e1528788B89F506aEb41140f